Details

Subject(s)

• Economic development—Amazon River Region [Browse]
• Environmental economics—Amazon River Region [Browse]
• Brazil—Economic policy [Browse]
• Amazon River Region—Economic conditions [Browse]

Editor

• Hanusch, Marek, 1982- [Browse]

Series

International development in focus [More in this series]

Summary note

Brazil's nine Amazonian states, here collectively referred to as Amazonia, include some of the world's richest ecosystems, including the Amazon rainforest and parts of the Cerrado savanna and Pantanal wetlands. The region is also among Brazil's poorest socioeconomically. As a result, sustainable, inclusive development of Amazonia calls for raising living standards while protecting natural forests. A Balancing Act for Brazil's Amazonian States: An Economic Memorandum explores how a recalibrated development approach can achieve these goals. In the shorter term, there is an urgent need to halt deforestation--a massive destruction of natural wealth that poses risks to the climate and economy. Amazonia is Brazil's deforestation hot spot, and the Amazon rainforest is approaching tipping points into broad and permanent forest loss. Reversing the recent increase in deforestation requires stronger land and forest governance, including land regularization and more effective law enforcement. In the longer term, both Brazil and Amazonia need a new growth model. This model would be anchored in productivity rather than resource extraction and it would diversify the export basket beyond commodities. A more balanced structural transformation requires the lagging urban sectors, such as manufacturing and services, to step up to promote economic growth, reduce pressure on the agricultural frontier, and generate jobs for Brazil and Amazonia's largely urban populations. The public-good value of Amazonia's forests could generate conservation finance linked to verifiable reductions in deforestation. Such financing would support a new development approach, combining forest protection, productivity, balanced structural transformation, sustainable production techniques (including the bioeconomy), and other measures to address the needs of Amazonia's urban and rural populations. This approach must also heed the needs and interests of Amazonia's traditional communities. Given both the value and the fragility of Amazonia's ecosystems, coupled with considerable socioeconomic local needs, the stakes are high-for Amazonia, Brazil, and the world.

Notes

"This memorandum was prepared by a World Bank team led by Marek Hanusch (Senior Economist, Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice [MTI]) under the guidance of Felipe Jaramillo (Vice President, Latin America and the Caribbean Region [LAC]); Seynabou Sakho (Director, Strategy and Operations, LAC); Paloma Anós Casero (Country Director for Brazil); Robert Taliercio (Regional Director, Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions Practice Group [EFI]); Doerte Doemeland and Jorge Thompson Araujo (Practice Managers, MTI); and Shireen Mahdi and Rafael Muñoz Moreno (Lead Country Economists, EFI)."--Acknowledgments.

Bibliographic references

Includes bibliographical references.

Contents

• Developing Amazônia, One of the World's Last Frontier Regions
• People and Livelihoods in Amazônia
• Economic Growth and Land Use
• Institutions and Finance for Conservation
• Rural Transformation and Diversification in Amazônia
• Toward a New Urban Agenda in Amazônia
• Complementary Policies for Amazônia.

Show 4 more Contents items

ISBN

• 1464819092
• 9781464819094

OCLC

1356502672

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