Neli DE MELLO-THÉRY

Abstract:

Metropolitan dynamics totally remodel natural systems. Is it an inevitable process of
destruction of the latter, or are there possibilities of socio-cultural and political co-
existence? The Atlantic forest biome, formed by diverse forest ecosystems, is a long coastal
area extending from south to northeast of Brazil, presenting a variable depth, reduced to a
narrow coastal strip in the North and Northeast from the state of Amapá (AP) to the city
of Salvador (BA), but entirely covering the States of Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro, and
wide stretches of the southernmost states. It is the most anthropized biome in the country.

These coastal regions were the first occupied by the Portuguese colonization and are the
areas where much of the economic cycles of the Brazilian history were developed and
where, for that reason, the destruction of the nature has been more profound.
Geographical factors such as the location and availability of natural resources, such as
abundant wood, were favorable to the installation of the political and economic power
centres, and these coastal areas became the site of construction of two of the former
Brazilian capitals, the cities of Salvador and Rio de Janeiro.

In the first half of the twentieth century this untouched ecosystem still covered the center-
west of São Paulo State? and the north of Paraná State?. But historical, socio, cultural, and
political factors contributed to its decay: the colonization and occupation of the coast and
the progression of a pioneer front base on the development of agriculture, especially coffee
plantations, caused the destruction of this dense vegetation. The logging activity, in
particular, led to the conversion of the forest into an agricultural domain, where maize and
wheat were first produced, and then soybeans. The use of timber? for construction,
transported on railroads which later, served as a base for the industry of São Paulo, led to
the near disappearance of this biome. It was also during this century that the installation of
industry, concentrated in the areas near the city of Cubatão in Sao Paulo State, and the
emission of polluting chemical substances in the air, constituted important factors for the
destruction of the forest itself.

Currently, there are only remnants of this biome usually on riverbanks or in hard-to- reach
areas, and it covers less than 7% of its initial extension. Since the late 1970s, the notion of
environmental protection gained global relevance and began to guide public policies around
the world. This notion has also made promising advances in the national context because it
has gained voice through the pressure from nongovernmental organizations such as SOS
Mata Atlântica, ISA , WWF, Greenpeace. As a result, these remnants were declared a
Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(Unesco). Its conservation can nowadays rely on specific environmental legislation and
biodiversity conservation policies that contribute to the fulfillment of the country's
international commitment towards multilateral institutions.

However, this coastal area simultaneously shelters, between the cities of São Paulo and Rio
de Janeiro, a region of intense urban-metropolitan dynamism which provokes conflicts of
use of the territory. Are these reserves, and the group of protected areas of this biome, able
to resist to the situation or would these fail to do so, which would lead to the final demise of
these natural systems? Or would public actions articulated with those of society, allow the
beginning of a new cycle?

Dr. Neli Aparecida de Mello-Théry is a Professor at University of São Paulo, School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities. Doctor in Geography by Paris-Ouest Nanterre University and São Paulo University, specialized in public policies, especially in environmental planning and management. Developed a research on sustainability of agricultural production and adaptation policies to climate change in Mato Grosso and Brittany during a post-doctoral period (2012-2013) at the Université de Rennes 2. Participates in research networks and laboratories in Brazil and France. In addition of being an associate researcher at the University of Brasilia, she has been a visiting professor at the University of Paris X, Nanterre (2000), Université de Rennes 2 (2005 and 2008) and Université Paris Sorbonne-Nouvelle (2008). Author of Territory and Environmental Management in the Amazon: Public lands and the dilemmas of the State (2011), Territorial Policies in the Amazon (2006) and co-author of Atlas do Brasil – Disparities and Dynamics of the Territory (2005, 2008 and 2018) (In Portuguese, Annablume, 2011, 2006 and Edusp, 2005, 2008 and 2018.