How Sustainable Is The Use of Natural Resources in Brazil?

Abstract

The concept of sustainability is that present use of a resource would not prevent it being available for future generations. For exploited biological populations, sustainability is a demographic question. Herein we reviewed studies (released 1987-2010) evaluating presumably sustainable use of timber, hunting and non-timber forest products (NTFP) in Brazil. The studies analysed 239 cases (each case being one species evaluated in one study). Sustainability could be evaluated only in 126 cases studied with a demographic approach, 48% of which (61/126) showed unsustainable exploitations. The situation was worst for timber (24/39), intermediate for hunting (35/78) and best for NTFP (2/9). Cascading effects on other species were detected in 11/66 cases. Our results show that many presumed sustainable natural resource exploitations in Brazil are actually not sustainable. Clearly, sustainability needs more testing; the concept must be used more carefully.

Sistemas agroflorestais como alternativa para as reservas legais

“…This potential can only be determined through monitoring in the long term systems components, particularly those of biological populations. In this way, in the majority of actions labelled or deemed "sustainable", sustainability has always been assumed, and has not been tested or demonstrated (FERNANDEZ, 2005;FERNANDEZ et al, 2012;MORSE, 2010;PERES et al, 2003). Ways of exploiting resources are labelled "sustainable" on a recurring basis that may have a lesser ecological impact than other more destructive means of exploitation.…”

“…Ways of exploiting resources are labelled "sustainable" on a recurring basis that may have a lesser ecological impact than other more destructive means of exploitation. However, a less damaging form of use does not necessarily imply sustainability (FERNANDEZ, 2005;FERNANDEZ et al, 2012).…”

The need to unmask lurking false friends: sustainability is a state, not a process! a reply to Fernandez et al. (2012)

“…We applaud Fernandez et al (2012) for their valuable article in the recent issue of Natureza & Conservação, pointing out that about half of the endeavors of natural resource extraction labeled as "sustainable", in Brazil, are actually unsustainable. The article perfectly exemplifies the metaphors of Trojan horses and false friends.…”

“…Such chemical elements are essential for proper ecosystem functioning, and their export from anthropogenic activities results in a gradual deterioration of ecosystem capacity to retain its processes and biodiversity (DeAngelis 1992;Flueck et al 2012). Thus, demographic analyses showed that forest harvesting based on 30 year rotations as defined by Brazilian law for Amazonia were too short (Fernandez et al 2012), yet the additional consideration of skewed nutrient concentrations principally in biomass in such areas would indicate much larger effects from biophysical limits. Elsewhere, at harvest intervals of 35 years, up to 62% of the total nutrient pool was removed (Dyck & Cole 1994).…”

“…With regards to terrestrial natural resource extraction, sustainability refers, among others, to keeping exploited populations below carrying capacity, as productivity is maximized at intermediate densities (Fernandez et al 2012). Hence, under such exploitation, biomass export rates are optimized, thereby greatly altering dynamics of nutrient flux.…”