Seminars and Symposia

 

BRAZIL'S AMAZON
Biofuels, Beef, and Biodiversity

 

 

 Dr. David Cleary

  Director, Conservation Strategies, Latin America
  The Nature Conservancy

 

 

Moderator: Dr. Brian Schwartz
Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs, The Graduate Center, CUNY

WHEN: Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 4:00PM

WHERE: The Graduate Center, The Science Center (Room 4102)

365 Fifth Avenue (@ 34th Street)

Biofuels, Beef and Biodiversity:
Dealing with the Environmental Impacts of Agricultural Expansion in Brazil

Brazil is the most biodiverse country in the world but has also emerged as an agricultural superpower over the last decade. This has made dealing with the environmental impacts of agricultural expansion in Brazil an urgent issue for those concerned with climate change, but it has complex economic, social and political ramifications – and enormous potential to disrupt relationships between Brazil, the US, China and the EU.

This talk will cross biogeography with the geography of Brazil’s agricultural expansion to take a close look at exactly what the environmental implications of agricultural expansion in Brazil have been and are likely to be. It will focus on three key agricultural sectors, beef, soy and biofuels. There are major regional differences in the environmental impact of agriculture in Brazil, which will be drawn out. The talk will look at the legal framework of agricultural production in Brazil, and assess a number of proposed solutions – certification schemes, increased governance on agricultural frontiers, rural property licensing schemes. It will argue that a combination of circumstances – technological advances, consumer and regulatory pressures and cultural change in Brazil – make it possible to inject environmental responsibility into the operations of commodity markets that offer guarded hope for the future. Some examples of work along these lines underway in Brazil will be given, from a variety of organizations.

 

About the Speaker:

An anthropologist by training and one-time academic at Cambridge University and Harvard, David Cleary moved to The Nature Conservancy in 1999. He founded the Conservancy’s Amazon program, focusing it on the protection of indigenous lands and minimizing the impact of agribusiness. Author of a number of books and articles on environmental and other issues in Latin America, regular media commentator and blogger (http://blog.nature.org/author/dcleary/). Currently based in Rio as  Conservancy’s Director of Conservation Strategies for South America, where he leads work with private sector, especially agribusiness, fisheries and forestry sectors. Lived in Latin America for 15 years, fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.

 

   

Pre-Registration is REQUIRED.
To reserve, email bildner@gc.cuny.edu

 

 

**Cosponsored by the Office of the Vice President of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Doctoral Program in Earth and Environmental Sciences**

Event Photos

Dr. David Cleary, The Nature Conservancy

Dr. David Cleary presenting on "Brazil's Amazon"

    

 

Dr. Cleary (left) and moderator Dr. Brian Schwartz (right)

Audience

Attendees speaking with Dr. Cleary

Director of the Bildner Center Dr. Font (left) and Moderator Dr. Schwartz (right)

Attendees perusing presentation material