GEO Brasil - UNEP

territorial dynamics and the environment
the state of environment in Brazil
Map 1 - Water Basins
(1978) is the legal means for international
regulation of water resources In the realm of
the Amazon Cooperation Treaty, new
mechanisms can be created for adjusting and
improving shared water resource management
in that part of the South American continent It
should also be noted that, in addition to the
Itaipu hydroelectric plant, the Tietê and the
Paraná-Paraguay waterways are located in this
water basin
3 Brazil: Economic Context of the
Territorial Configuration
Historically, economic activities developed in
Brazil have been closely related to the
exploitation of its resources and, therefore, of
its territory’s natural potential Internally, this
territory has never hindered national
development It has always provided the
resource base necessary for expanding the
economic frontier whenever that was asked of
it This happened at times when the growth
process accelerated and, more recently, during
the consolidation of the internal market
Source: IBAMA
extend
The implementation of various types of
exportation activities at different times in history
explains not only the form in which Brazil was
populated but also how regional differences
appeared The implementation of these activities
took place as the international market demanded
products whose advantages and possibilities for
exploitation were concrete, and Brazil offered
differentiated geographic spaces
The shared use of the Prata Basin was a pioneer experience in the
consolidation of practices and effective regulations for the shared
management of resources in the South Cone countries The Prata Basin
covers an area of about 3,100,00 km Its geopolitical importance is a
result not only of its demographic and economic importance but also
of the cultural identity it has historically built in the South American
continent Two international treaties – The Prata Basin Treaty (1969) and
the Paraná River Treaty (Itaipu, 1973) created the external cooperation
bases necessary for the discussion regarding shared use of this Basin
Regarding the Amazon Basin, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty – TCA
Until the 1950s, Brazil was made up of
economically dense “islands” isolated from one
another and concerned with the international
market This revealed a spatial feature that
resulted from the process of occupation of the
country, which made differentiated marks on the
vast national territory as the several economic
cycles aiming at exportation unfolded This
happened with great discontinuity, both in terms
of geography and time They include the gold
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