Location
Room 460
Start Date
4-7-2012 1:15 PM
End Date
4-7-2012 2:45 PM
Description
Brazil is characterized by a great richness of its biodiversity, the extension of its continental lands, a variety of economic and cultural condition on its different regions and a sociocultural diversity. All aspects contribute to the complexity of the environmental issue. Although such complexity deserves a special attention, the history of socio-environmental and economic public policies prove that such policies have not always accomplished good results, be it either because models of intense exploitation of natural resources have been adopted, disregarding biodiversity; or due to a poor view of regions as areas either to be occupied or preserved, disregarding its cultural diversity; or even due to the lack of articulation between socio-environmental and economic policies adopted with opposing solutions to reach development.
In search of an ideal sustainable development, some alternatives are on discussion. The matter of effectiveness of environmental policies and the imperative to create mechanisms that stimulate social and economic agents to behave towards the increase on environmental protection are fundamental aspects for Law investigations.
Payment for ecosystem services has been presented as one of these alternatives. When it came to the importance for human welfare, these services, not so long ago, were neither considered by Economy nor foreseen, implicitly or explicitly, by Law.
Thus, the concept of ecosystem services and, more precisely, of biodiversity conservation, is related to the concept of positive externality, as well as pollution has been regarded as a negative externality. Therefore, recognizing the importance of ecosystem services, by means of their valuation and remuneration, means internalization of positive externalities.
Despite the potential of remuneration for such services, the idea of applying a financial-economic value to the environment alludes to the difficulty to insert new principles that go against market logics. As for Brazil, specifically, a bigger difficulty can be observed, when it comes to the need for respect towards the viewpoint that most indigenous and non-indigenous peoples have, in relation to the place where they live.
Furthermore, environmental problems present peculiarities that may not always be efficiently solved. Their action is limited by the following topics: the vastness of ecological problems and their effect on the basis of social reproduction; the social and cultural character of ecological crisis; the unprecedented and irreversible character of ecological experiments. Thus, the payment for ecosystem services implies, besides ecological aspects, debates and options strongly related to equity and social aspects.
Therefore, it is observed that these benefits will not derive automatically from payment transactions, which may evolve into a market dominated by great buyers and providers. They depend, in that manner, on the regulation that may be established, which is determining to define the agents who will have access to them and to incentive the insertion of the referred communities. These paper aims to analyze some programs of payment for ecosystem services implemented in Brazilian states, as well as Federal Law Projects and whether they seem able to fulfill equity goals.
Presentation
Included in
Payment for Ecosystem Services in Brazil: Between Efficiency and Equity
Room 460
Brazil is characterized by a great richness of its biodiversity, the extension of its continental lands, a variety of economic and cultural condition on its different regions and a sociocultural diversity. All aspects contribute to the complexity of the environmental issue. Although such complexity deserves a special attention, the history of socio-environmental and economic public policies prove that such policies have not always accomplished good results, be it either because models of intense exploitation of natural resources have been adopted, disregarding biodiversity; or due to a poor view of regions as areas either to be occupied or preserved, disregarding its cultural diversity; or even due to the lack of articulation between socio-environmental and economic policies adopted with opposing solutions to reach development.
In search of an ideal sustainable development, some alternatives are on discussion. The matter of effectiveness of environmental policies and the imperative to create mechanisms that stimulate social and economic agents to behave towards the increase on environmental protection are fundamental aspects for Law investigations.
Payment for ecosystem services has been presented as one of these alternatives. When it came to the importance for human welfare, these services, not so long ago, were neither considered by Economy nor foreseen, implicitly or explicitly, by Law.
Thus, the concept of ecosystem services and, more precisely, of biodiversity conservation, is related to the concept of positive externality, as well as pollution has been regarded as a negative externality. Therefore, recognizing the importance of ecosystem services, by means of their valuation and remuneration, means internalization of positive externalities.
Despite the potential of remuneration for such services, the idea of applying a financial-economic value to the environment alludes to the difficulty to insert new principles that go against market logics. As for Brazil, specifically, a bigger difficulty can be observed, when it comes to the need for respect towards the viewpoint that most indigenous and non-indigenous peoples have, in relation to the place where they live.
Furthermore, environmental problems present peculiarities that may not always be efficiently solved. Their action is limited by the following topics: the vastness of ecological problems and their effect on the basis of social reproduction; the social and cultural character of ecological crisis; the unprecedented and irreversible character of ecological experiments. Thus, the payment for ecosystem services implies, besides ecological aspects, debates and options strongly related to equity and social aspects.
Therefore, it is observed that these benefits will not derive automatically from payment transactions, which may evolve into a market dominated by great buyers and providers. They depend, in that manner, on the regulation that may be established, which is determining to define the agents who will have access to them and to incentive the insertion of the referred communities. These paper aims to analyze some programs of payment for ecosystem services implemented in Brazilian states, as well as Federal Law Projects and whether they seem able to fulfill equity goals.