GEO Brasil - UNEP

environmental management
On the supra-regional scale, where there are integration and
counter movements, or in Mercosul or ALCA proposals, or
in negotiations with the European Union, there are more
impediments to integration than there are dynamics of
impulse or fluidity. As a matter of fact, as far as Mercosul
problems are concerned, Argentinean crises influence
investments with potential integration postponed term. Cooperation
possibilities with the European Union may suffer
reversals. This would make the consolidation of trade
agreements between these two economic blocs more
difficult. Regarding ALCA, differences between countries
invited as members increase the existing problems even
more, destroying potential labour production chains and
income generators in various regions. Increases of
protectionist policies, as mentioned, also influence the
negotiation dynamics.
International restrictions provoked by lack of confidence in
emerging markets and high internal income taxes have been
causing difficulties in the production of chain investments
that could improve economic growth indicators. Associated
to these factors, the recent energy crisis imposed
modernisation investment restrictions on industrial units.
Needless to say, this factor did not contribute to the
reduction of atmospheric pollution in big urban industrial
concentrations, nor did it help reduce the energetic intensity
of the GDP.
1.2 The Recent Spatial Dynamic and its Impact on
the Biome
In the context of the described situation, dynamic factors
increased the evolutionary tendency in Brazilian territorial
occupation and use in the recent (1970-1995) period. These
factors were stressed in almost all thematic studies realised
by GEO Brazil. They are:
a) urban population growth and concentration; and
b) the expansion of land use for agriculture and cattle
raising.
Population land distribution shows us an extremely high
concentration on the Coastal Zone and the Atlantic Forest
(Figure 2- Population Density Map). This is a biome that
has been suffering human occupation pressure since the
beginning of colonisation and it is where most demographic
concentrations occur. Important internal differences,
reflecting medium and short term tendencies and pressures
and environmental impacts include:
a) the large urban area in the State of São Paulo,
consisting of three metropolitan areas: São Paulo,
Campinas and Baixada Santista, virtually joined on their
borders;
Still as an effect of the external situation, the State reform
policies have take on considerable importance in the political
and economic agendas for the last ten years. The opening
of the internal market for direct investments has maintained
focus on national private investment programs. Although
the majority of public services have been transferred into
the private sector (telecommunications, electrical energy).
This moment of active transition has not solved the
necessity of investments for the expansion of infrastructure
networks, specially in rural areas.
b) expansion of constantly growing coastal urbanisation,
continuously from Rio de Janeiro up to Macaé, where
the off-shore petroleum extraction support base (Bacia
de Campos) is located – the main Brazilian production
area of fossil hydrocarbonates (petroleum and natural
gas);
c) increase of urban accumulation between Curitiba (PR)
and Porto Alegre (RS), passing through the valley of
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