Biodiversity

Economic development and environmental sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean are intrinsically connected, as evidenced by the July 22, 2010 seminar organized by the Woodrow Wilson Centers' Brazil Institute, on behalf of the Latin American Program, and co-sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The seminar presented the report "Emerging Trends in Environment and Economic Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean," which identifies key trends likely to shape the economy and natural environment in Latin America and the Caribbean for the next 10 years.

The Brazil Project and Environmental Change and Security Program co-hosted a conference on the debate over genetically modified (GM) agriculture in Brazil.

Minister Silva began by highlighting the historical context in which current Brazilian environment policy for the Amazon is rooted. She stressed that the Amazon encompasses the largest biodiversity in the world, an estimated 20% of known living species, 9% of the planet's freshwater and around 220 indigenous peoples who speak some 180 different languages. In the last decade, several important initiatives have been launched. One of these policies eliminated many fiscal incentives and credit lines that encouraged deforestation and the predatory occupation of the region.