The Government’s present agenda, as reflected in the Pluri-annual Plan (PPA) 2004-2007, includes a special work for the reforms, reduction of poverty and social disparities, as well the retaking of economic growth in a sustainable way. Environment is one of the five major dimensions of development strategies in the plan. This plan reinforces the concept of environment not dissociated to poverty matters.
Brazil has been taking part as leader in front the international community on environmental matters since the United Nations Convention on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, in 1992. The country was the first to sign the Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), during the conference. Both were ratified by the Congress in February 1994. The United Nations Convention on Combat of Desertification (UNCCD) was signed in October 1994 and ratified by the Congress in June 1997.
Brazil had an important role during the negotiations before the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol on the UNFCCC during the Conference of Parties on 1997. Particularly, the creation of the Clean Development Mechanism – CDM, as a way to make flexible the implementation of the Protocol and the UNFCCC goals, was based on a Brazilian proposal.
About CBD, the extraordinary Brazilian biological diversity richness is proportional to its responsibility with management terms and accomplishment of assumed commitments, even considering the joint but differentiated responsibilities inside the Convention text. Such richness associated to the great dimensions of the country, implies that the Brazilian biodiversity would never be enough known. The tasks at national level related to preservation, conservation and knowledge advance about this biodiversity have a complex nature.
Regarding the combat to desertification, many were the efforts to alleviate the problem in Brazil. Besides obvious links with the poverty alleviation issue, the approach adopted for the accomplishment of obligations inside the UNCCD foresees the integration of various pertinent social and developmental programs. It also foresees planning and research for integration with other conventions, particularly CBD and UNFCCC.
Many are the programs, projects and initiatives implemented in the last years that contributed for the effective implementation of the mentioned international commitments assumed by Brazil. Important capacities were developed through these actions. The understanding of environmental issues nowadays is considerably higher than 10-15 years ago.
For instance, the climate change example is a good one to be mentioned. Although Brazil contributes insignificantly for the carbon dioxide global emissions (about 1%) and does not take part of the Annex I, many are the voluntary initiatives aiming the reduction of Brazilian emissions. These initiatives have been done to make the Brazilian energy matrix cleaner and to conserve energy. Programs like the National Alcohol Program (PROALCOOL) have developed important endogen technology in the automotive sector, besides avoiding emissions, conservation of non-renewable resources and reducing pollution. Another example is the electric sector crisis, in 2001, which resulted in an extraordinary answer capacity from the Government and society, when organizing for reducing the energy consumption.
In the biodiversity area, Brazil has very modern programs with short-term goals, as the Brazilian Molecular Ecology Program for the Sustainable Use of the Amazon Biodiversity (PROBEM). The Brazilian Government, through the National Space Researches Institute (INPE), coordinates the biggest forest-monitoring program in the planet: the Project on Monitoring of Deforested Areas in Legal Amazon (PRODES).
Even with shared responsibilities between many Governmental instances, the civil society and the scientific community, a lot could be done in order to make the Conventions effective in Brazil. However, many actions have an emergency character, in detriment to long-term planning and activities. Not always the utilization of the available resources is satisfactory. This issue is mentioned in the Second National Report for CBD in 2003. Besides, the Brazilian Government has, in many cases, fiscal limitations regarding the provision of the necessary national co-financing to complement the implementation of projects financed by foreign resources.
The Brazilian environmental management involves many actors with diverse interests and motivations. Just in the environmental field, there are thousands of governmental and non-governmental organizations acting even at the international level. Besides, many actions aim at goals specific to a thematic area, without exploring how different actions can complement each other or be oriented by an integrated approach. The coordination and articulation challenges justify a deepen analysis of how to create integration in the main actions on environmental management in Brazil.
Brazilian Institutional Framework
The main Government institution responsible for environmental matters is the Ministry of Environment (MMA), which is a direct federal administration organ. Its institutional history is described on its website5. Having passed through various changes, the institution had in the past years its role enlarged, involving at present a large scope of sub-sectors of the environmental area, as per complexity and responsibilities inherent to the topic.
The areas under MMA’s competency are: national policies for environment and water resources; policies for preservation, conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems, as well biodiversity and Forest issues. Another task for MMA is to propose and implement strategies, mechanisms and economic and social instruments for the improvement of environmental quality and sustainable use of natural resources, for the integration of environment in production, policies and environmental programs for the Legal Amazon, as well the ecological-economic zoning.
After many changes, the acronym MMA has being used since 1999, being before ‘Ministry of Environment and Legal Amazon’ (1993-1994) and ‘Ministry of Environment, Water Resources and Legal Amazon’ (1995-1999). Before becoming a Ministry, the environmental issues were part of the Secretariat of Environment from the Presidency of Republic, SEMAN/PR (1990-1992). In June 2004, the mandate and competences of the present MMA were defined by decree6, as well the present structure of the Ministry.
Two secretariats that compose the basic structure of MMA are especially important for the NCSA process: Created on 2002, the Secretariat for Biodiversity and Forests (SBF) cover the focal point for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), especially through its subdivision, the Directorate on Biodiversity Conservation (DCBio). The DCBio is the focal point for the information intermediation mechanism for the Clearing House Mechanism from CBD.
SBF is responsible to propose policies and patterns, define strategies, and implement programs and projects, within the following areas related to natural resources; (i) shared management for the sustainable use of the natural resources; (ii) knowledge, conservation and sustainable utilization of biodiversity; (iii)access to genetic resources; (iv) reforesting and recuperation of degenerated areas; (v) sustainable use of ictiofauna and fish resources; (vi) management of the conservation units national system; and, finally (vii) sustainable use of forests, including prevention and control of forest arsons. There is a purposely coincidence between some of these components and the main subjects in CBD text.
The Secretariat for Water Resources (SRH) works as focal point for the Convention on Combat of Desertification (CCD) and was created in 1995. As a focal point, its function is to articulate and mobilize the involved institutions in activity that contribute for the combat of desertification phenomenon, for mitigation of drought effects and promotion of sustainable development in arid zones. Besides, the SRH is responsible for formulating the National Policy on Water Resources and for the integration between the water resources management and the environmental management. The SRH works as well as executive secretariat for the National Water Resource Management System, which composes the National Water Agency (ANA), entity linked to MMA, created in 2000, having as main role the execution of the referred policy.
Another important entity related to environmental management in Brazil is the Brazilian Institute for Environment and Natural Renewal Resources (IBAMA), which works in a decentralized way, and has large personnel. IBAMA is an autarchy linked to MMA, created in 1998, which assumed the institutional inheritance or other specialized agencies. By being the executor of MMA, IBAMA has a wide institutional mission, and has 14 goals defined. These goals involve environmental control, monitoring and inspection activities, including negative impacts from economic activities. It also includes licensing; management of various conservation areas; and ordination of natural resources, as fish and forest. IBAMA generates data, promotes research and implements programs and projects from many areas focusing the sustainable development. Besides the central instance, which requires a considerable management, the Institute has administrations for each state, at least 19 specialized research centers, one laboratory and many units set in conservation areas.
At the public sector, however, many other organisms and institutions that take part at the National Environment System (SISNAMA) are relevant, such as Federal, State or Municipal entities. Is includes State and Municipal Environment Secretariats, Foundations and courts instituted by the Public Power and other responsible institutions for the protection and improvement of environmental quality.
The National Environment Council (CONAMA), created in 1981, is a very important and present organ from SISNAMA, with consultative and deliberative roles. Presided by the Minister of Environment, the CONAMA is composed by the Plenary, Technical Chambers and Working Groups. The Executive Secretariat of CONAMA is exercised by the Executive Secretariat of MMA. The Council is a court, representing social actors interested in the environmental area, and besides the Government, many members from the civil society take part. CONAMA also registers environmental non-governmental organizations through the National Environmental Entities Register (CNEA). The foreseen frequency for the meetings is every 3 months.7
By their important roles in relevant knowledge production and capacity formation for the environmental area, is mentioned the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro (JBRJ), the Brazilian Company for Agricultural Research (EMBRAPA) and the newly created National Semi-Arid Institute (INSA).
The first one is an institute with more than a hundred years old and has a great role in the taxonomy advance. Among other activities, as research and public visitation, the JBRJ maintains a herbarium with more than 330 thousand species of plants.
EMBRAPA is a public company, linked to the Ministry of Agriculture, Cattle Ranching and Supply. Although has its thematic orientation focused on agribusiness, EMBRAPA keeps interest too in environmental and sustainable development issues.
About the UNFCCC, the focal point for the Convention in Brazil is the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT), specifically through the General Climate Change Coordination, being responsible for the coordination and implementation of the Convention in Brazil. The Coordination is present in negotiations on subsidiary organs of UNFCCC, and integrates the Brazilian delegation in the Conference of Parties.
The main duty of the Coordination was to coordinate the preparation of the initial National Communication, according to the commitments assumed in the Convention. The National Communication is an official report from the Brazilian Government to be submitted to the Convention, and may present the inventory of Brazilian greenhouse gases net emissions not included in the Montreal Protocol, and the description of the providences taken or foreseen to implement the Convention.
Since 1996, the Coordination has been participating in the discussions that ended in the Kyoto Protocol, in December 1997 in Japan, with special eminence to the document submitted by the Brazilian Government to the Convention to aid the Protocol elaboration. This document had the proposal for the creation of a Clean Development Fund which, modified, was adopted in one of the Protocol articles, creating the Clean Development Mechanism. Further, it was proposed a new division criteria (article 12) for the climate change mitigation onus, based on the industrialized countries responsibility on increasing the temperature, which is still in analysis by the Convention in its subsidiary organ for technical and scientific assistance (SBSTA).
From this point, the Coordination has been participating actively in the discussions on technical and scientific aspects of the negotiations, aiming the Protocol regulation, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which celebrated the Bonn, Marrakesh, Milan and Buenos Aires agreements, being the Coordinator the chairman for the contact groups in the Convention to regulate the Clean Development Mechanism.
After entering in force in February 2005, the Conference of Parties for the Convention (COP 11), held in Montreal, Canada, from November 28th to December 9th, was the first Conference of Parties acting as Meeting of Parties for the Protocol (COP/MOP 1).
Still related to MCT, the National Scientific and Technologic Development Council (CNPq), a foundation bounded to the MCT and focused on research, is relevant. The role of CNPq is to promote and encourage the scientific and technologic development in Brazil and to contribute for the formulation of national policies on science and technology.
Another relevant institution for NCSA is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), specially its Environment Department, which was always involved in negotiations and attendance to the implementation of environmental conventions. The MRE is the political focal point for GEF, while the Secretariat for International Issues (SEAIN), from the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management (MP), is the operational focal point for GEF. The SEAIN coordinates the GEF Working Group, composed by the MRE, the MCT and the MMA.
There is also an expressive number of research centers placed in federal and state universities. On climate change, the Alberto Luiz Coimbra Post-Graduation and Engineer Research Institute (COPPE), from the Rio de Janeiro Federal University (UFRJ); the Aerospacial Science, Application and Technologies Institute (FUNCATE) and the Brazilian Company for Agriculture Research (EMBRAPA) are important.
Finally, the Brazilian Forum for Climate Change (FBMC), which is an entity created by presidential decree in 2000, and is defined as a ‘bridge between Government and civil society’. The Forum promotes, through Thematic Chambers, seminars and other actions, the dissemination of the climate change theme. It is presided by the Head of State and has many Ministers and other personalities as members.
About the non-governmental sector, there is a great number of NGOs dedicated to the environmental cause created after the UNCED in 1992. According to a research from 19968, more than 70% of the environmental NGOs had, on that time, an annual budget lower than US$ 50,000, denoting there is predominance for the small NGOs. Biological Diversity is one of the most frequent debated themes, especially through projects on environmental education and focused to local communities.
