Two news stories caught my eye this week, showing trouble brewing in the Amazon.
The first story isn't actually the Amazon, but rather the Pantanal, a swamp region in the southwestern part of Brazil. Three American graduate students were arrested there, accused of "crimes against the patrimony" by stealing minerals, as well as doing scientific research on tourist visas. The American and Brazilian coverage, as usual, differs considerably, in that the Brazilian coverage assumes the gringos are automatically guilty.
Here's an excerpt from the US Today story:
Roberto Lins, the men's Brazilian lawyer, says the students may not go before a judge for six months and could face up to five years in prison if convicted of illegally prospecting for minerals."
Here's an excerpt from the Globo story:
"Segundo a polícia, o grupo fazia pesquisa sem autorização de nenhum órgão governamental brasileiro e sem comprovante de intercâmbio ou convênio com entidades de pesquisa do Brasil.
Ainda de acordo com a PF, eles faziam coleta de sedimentos, por meio de prospecção mineral. O material seria levado para os Estados Unidos, onde seriam analisados."
There are a couple of lessons to be gleaned from this story, and none of them are good. The first is that in rural areas like this one, you can get away with robbery, murder, and kidnapping, but not studying sand. And in this case, a study intended to do good, by monitoring climate change. The second is that this is yet one of several cases of foreigners being accused of scientific piracy and exploitation in Brazil, and it creates a major deterrent to scientific research and innovation there. The third is that Brazilian universities and scientific institutions need to be better prepared when working on projects like this, since the American students had trusted that USP had all of their permits in order and had followed their directions "just to apply for a tourist visa." If not, foreigners won't be able to trust these institutions and will go elsewhere to carry out similar projects. And finally, another lesson for foreigners in Brazil is to always, always have your paperwork in order. In the country of Great Bureaucracy, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
The second story takes place in Rondonia, the far northwest of Brazil. Ibama, the government agency responsible for protecting the environment, invaded a national park there. Though the land is supposed to be protected, 3,000 people live there raising 30,000 heads of cattle, and as a result, a quarter of the forest in the park has been destroyed. Ibama went in with 400 men to fine the cattle ranchers and to make them remove the cattle from the land immediately. However, the ranchers were angry, since the Minister of the Environment recently turned over part of the park land to the state to allow residents to stay on the destroyed part of the land.
So some ranchers decided to let Ibama have it. They set one of their cars on fire, and left this pathetically written threat:
It is in this note, I think, that the problem of environmental protection in Brazil becomes clear. The government and conservationists are up against uneducated, armed peons with few options for employment (and rich, well-connected businessmen who can get away with anything) amidst a sea of red tape and conflicting authorities and laws, none of which are effectively protecting the rainforest. This deadly combination spawns chaos, and so far, no solution has allowed the Brazilian government to figure out how to manage the delicate balance between development and conservation.
I know this is kind of a pain for you to do, Rachel, but is there any chance you (or anyone who reads this and has a few free minutes) could translate the Portuguese part?
Posted by: Tim | July 07, 2009 at 01:29 AM
Good enough, but why don't you research the hundreds of documented cases of biopiracy in Brazil perpetrated by americans, europeans, japanese, australians... These are published in international magazines, like 'The ecologist' for example.
Posted by: Germano | July 07, 2009 at 03:57 AM
I've heard of American students/researchers going to Brazil on tourist visas before, but this is the first time I hear of someone getting caught. It's incredibly irresponsible on the part of the host institution. Of course, the Americans will get the blame.
The Rondonia story is sad, but it's common, as it repeats itself again and again. The uneducated have no options but to rape the environment. The government can't provide alternatives so, in the end, they have to make concessions. I'm certain the Amazon will be gone before I'm dead.
IBAMA is becoming a powerless institution. Lula has done it more harm than good during his presidency.
Posted by: Ernesto | July 07, 2009 at 06:10 AM
Just comment about the researchers. I am not at all familiar with this story, but it has been very common in the past to do short stints of research on tourists visas, since there is considerably more cost and paperwork involved in obtaining a research visa. So, the advice from USP was not all wrong, just not current. Lately, the Federal Police have really cracked down on this and these researchers should have been advised. My experience in hosting my American colleagues at Brazilian universities is that many times the university bureaucracy has no clue about visa issues. Usually the Latin American studies center at the US university is more informed. In any case, it seems like someone did not do their homework and that someone felt they had to tip off the Federal Police. Most violations of the tourist visa go unnoticed unless someone specifically makes a complaint.
Posted by: Corinne | July 07, 2009 at 08:17 AM
Good ole Brazilian inferiority complex at it's best!
So strong indeed that those dead beats federal police officers have time and resources to persecute and harass university students, American students even better, those idiots must be salivating with the feeling of power...and blinded by ignorance and xenophobic hate.
The Brazilian judicial system and the Federal Police have their priorities all mixed up and backwards, the country certainly desperately needs them somewhere other than screwing the lives of foreigners and staining the countries already poor reputation around the world.
Before you can rid the country of foreigner students collecting sand sediments from the bottom of a lake to study climate change:
How about combating generalized corruption?
How about violent crime? Police involvement with crime?
Out of control drug traffic?...bribes?
Super slow justice system?
NO, I am sure American students collecting sand to study climate change is a bigger threat to the country, absolutely, a PRIORITY over generalized crime and corruption.
If the INEFFICIENT Brazilian police and Justice systems where doing their job combating real CRIME they wouldn't have time or resources to harass scientists who are doing no harm...
Posted by: Ray Adkins | July 07, 2009 at 02:19 PM
Germano,
This is mostly an urban legend...which commonly get's published in international magazines as well, trust me, something doesn't became the universal truth because it was published in some Eco bias publication.
I highly doubt University of Sao Paulo personnel would sponsor, host and allow "Evil" American students to rob Brazil's sand from the bottom of a lake and discover the cure of cancer and still the profits that could eliminate poverty in Brazil.
;)
PS: Regardless of what you must have read in Eco publications in the past, American, European, Japanese and Australian perpetrators are not necessarily EVIL, many times, they perpetrate with investments and knowledge that help shitty poor countries to get out of poverty and into better life standards.
Posted by: Ray Adkins | July 07, 2009 at 02:31 PM
"This is mostly an urban legend...which commonly get's published in international magazines as well, trust me, something doesn't became the universal truth because it was published in some Eco bias publication"
"...American, European, Japanese and Australian perpetrators are not necessarily EVIL, many times, they perpetrate with investments and knowledge that help shitty poor countries to get out of poverty and into better life standards."
Ray,
By reading your remarks I can conclude, with no doubt, that you are either a:
1. Lower class American who is regularly manipulated by your press (which is pretty common in the USA nowadays)
2. Or a big dumb fuck who refuses to see what is right on your stupid face (which is pretty common in the USA nowadays as well )
Or, even worse, you might be both!
Your remarks, Ray, just highlight how ignorant and hypocrite the American society really is.
The Brazilian Feds were 100% CORRECT in arresting and kicking these guys OUT of Brazilian soil (hope they are OUT now) because they were doing MINERAL RESEARCH on TOURIST VISA. These guys should get the maximum penalty. They BROKE the law. We already have way too many assholes who break the law in Brazil every day, making the country one of the most dangerous places to live in the globe, and now strangers can do the same and, guess what, they should get off!!!!
Is it what you are saying, Ray?
Oh, give me a break...
If they come from overseas and want to do mineral research they MUST get government approval. Everyone knows that! It's interesting to notice that the majority of the American society do not tolerate aliens who come to America and get a job with tourist visas and without a work permit (however, they hire aliens even without the work visa!!!). But when the situation is reversed, and Americans are caught overseas doing shit, they have to get off because they are no "evil". It makes me remember an incident when China captured and American military plane spying Chinese territory a few years ago.
What would happen to Brazilian researchers if they had tourist visas and were caught doing research on oil reserves in Texas and Alaska? Would they get off?
It is a FACT that researchers from other countries sneak in Brazil with tourist visas and start researches that provide valuable information to overseas drug industry. Big time money, oh yeah! Many of them have been caught. Oh, not to mention the minerals! When the big mineral corporations find out about valuable resources in other countries they find a way to sneak in and start digging and exploiting with NO REAGARD to what you call "shitty poor countries". What can we say about IRAQ? Oh yeaaaahhhhhhh, the United States invaded that shitty country because there were weapons of mass destruction the were never found. And they brought in a lot of knowledge and "better life standards"!
I have a very close buddy who is a Brazilian Fed. He patrols the porous Brazilian border and you have no idea how huge is the number of people from other countries who sneak in Brazil smmugling drugs, weapons, electronics and commit other crimes. Many times he is assigned to go to the Amazon to arrest strangers who are illegally doing reserch there. Mostly Americans and Europeans are caught with no government authorization.
You should respect the Brazilian Feds. They are the only police institution that realy works in Brazil. You have no clue about what they face every single day trying to put the big corrupt guys behind the bars.
It is clear that you have no idea about what really happens in South America.
But you are right on one single remark. The justice system in Brazil is dead slow. If Brazilian justice system was efficient these guys would get 10 years in a Brazilian prison for with no bail!
I believe you have found this blog while searching for info regarding the American-born boy who was taken from the US by his Brazilian mother. If this was the case you better focus your posts on this subject only.
Oh yeah, and regarding the kid, everyone knows in Brazil that he WILL NOT leave the country to stay with his father. This will happen not because of the falty justice system that prevails in the country. He won't leave Brazil just because HE SAID HE WANTED TO STAY IN BRAZIL and he also said MANY TIMES he DID NOT WANT TO GO WITH HIS FATHER. He said that in front of a federal judge. Period! Even if Barack Obama gets serious and stops looking at Brazilian women asses during the G8 meeting and asks Lula to send the kid, the boy DOES NOT WANT TO GO TO THE STATES.
Check this out:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eKEkn6a1TUw/SlZZID9xkFI/AAAAAAAAAPs/wVfsxYk_C5A/s1600-h/obama+se+perde_reuters.bmp
Let's respect the boy's wishes!
Period!!!
Posted by: Timbaleiro | July 09, 2009 at 10:48 PM