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Development that we strive for
Historically, government policies aimed at promoting human occupation and economic development in the state of Acre, and in the Brazilian Amazon as a whole, gave little attention to concerns of social equity, cultural diversity and environmental sustainability. Deforestation was often synonymous with ?civilization?.
Beginning in the 1970s, the expansion of extensive cattle-ranching, colonization and logging activities resulted in the felling and burning of millions of acres of native forests in the state. In addition to its environmental impacts, this process contributed to the exodus of thousands of families to the peripheries of cities, together with the breakdown of traditional economies based upon non-timber forest extraction.
The notion that progress in the Amazon depends upon the removal of the forest has been proven false by the disappointing results of big projects installed in the region. At the same time, traditional populations of the Amazon, while resisting predatory forms of occupation and resource exploitation, have demonstrated that regional development must be conducted in an intelligent manner, preserving natural resources and valuing forest-based activities and local knowledge.
Today, the society of Acre is increasingly aware that the development of our state must be closely linked to the conservation of natural resources and biodiversity. Such concerns are an integral part of the state government´s strategy for sustainable regional development. With community participation and respect for traditional populations of the region, we are building a more just and egalitarian society, a society that respects cultural and biological diversity and that is committed to the conservation and wise use of natural resources. Our goal is to demonstrate to present and future generations that development does not depend on the destruction of the forest, but rather on its survival.
Governor of Acre
Historically, government policies aimed at promoting human occupation and economic development in the state of Acre, and in the Brazilian Amazon as a whole, gave little attention to concerns of social equity, cultural diversity and environmental sustainability. Deforestation was often synonymous with ?civilization?.
Beginning in the 1970s, the expansion of extensive cattle-ranching, colonization and logging activities resulted in the felling and burning of millions of acres of native forests in the state. In addition to its environmental impacts, this process contributed to the exodus of thousands of families to the peripheries of cities, together with the breakdown of traditional economies based upon non-timber forest extraction.
The notion that progress in the Amazon depends upon the removal of the forest has been proven false by the disappointing results of big projects installed in the region. At the same time, traditional populations of the Amazon, while resisting predatory forms of occupation and resource exploitation, have demonstrated that regional development must be conducted in an intelligent manner, preserving natural resources and valuing forest-based activities and local knowledge.
Today, the society of Acre is increasingly aware that the development of our state must be closely linked to the conservation of natural resources and biodiversity. Such concerns are an integral part of the state government´s strategy for sustainable regional development. With community participation and respect for traditional populations of the region, we are building a more just and egalitarian society, a society that respects cultural and biological diversity and that is committed to the conservation and wise use of natural resources. Our goal is to demonstrate to present and future generations that development does not depend on the destruction of the forest, but rather on its survival.
Governor of Acre