I haven't yet had time to read this report by Timothy Killeen (and published by Conservation International), but his subtitle shows how relevant it is likely to be to our course: "A Perfect Storm in the Amazon Wilderness: Development and Conservation in the Context of the Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA)".
I strongly recommend that you look it over.
Many thanks indeed to Alan Perry for drawing it to my attention.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
articles on Xapuri, Madeira in the Washington Post
I strongly recommend that you visit the Washington Post website, and then key in "Partlow" in the search box. You'll find several links and, if you go there right now, you'll find those dated 12 and 14 October directly relevant to our course. Some of them are articles; others are links to photos.
I'm not sure how long the Post lets you have access to old articles and so, as I say, you should visit them as soon as you can.
I'm not sure how long the Post lets you have access to old articles and so, as I say, you should visit them as soon as you can.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
roads and sustainable forestry in Acre
"Could environmentalists learn to love this road?" is the headline of an article published online by the InterAmerican Development Bank. Admittedly the IADB is an organisation fingered by many activists as all too willing to support infrastructural projects without adequate safeguards; even so, the article is a useful introduction to a number of current issues in the Brazilian state of Acre.
As it happens, the road being discussed is the BR-364, a highway going (more or less) west from the state capital of Rio Branco; it is not, therefore, the Interoceanic highway on which most of our focus lies (and which heads off from Rio Branco in a more southwesterly direction). Still, some of the issues addressed by the article could apply equally well to the case of either road and, moreover, we're likely to be travelling along the BR-364 itself as our itinerary changes, given current events in Bolivia.
Also mentioned in the article is the Antimary State Forest, an important project in the region and one that has come to represent attempts to develop practices of sustainable forestry. It is possible (though not yet certain; as I say, recent events in Bolivia are requiring us to change our itinerary) that we'll be able to visit Antimary and to spend a couple of nights there, as we did when visiting the region in 2000. If you read the article, you'll find a great deal to look forward to should we be able to make such a visit.
As it happens, the road being discussed is the BR-364, a highway going (more or less) west from the state capital of Rio Branco; it is not, therefore, the Interoceanic highway on which most of our focus lies (and which heads off from Rio Branco in a more southwesterly direction). Still, some of the issues addressed by the article could apply equally well to the case of either road and, moreover, we're likely to be travelling along the BR-364 itself as our itinerary changes, given current events in Bolivia.
Also mentioned in the article is the Antimary State Forest, an important project in the region and one that has come to represent attempts to develop practices of sustainable forestry. It is possible (though not yet certain; as I say, recent events in Bolivia are requiring us to change our itinerary) that we'll be able to visit Antimary and to spend a couple of nights there, as we did when visiting the region in 2000. If you read the article, you'll find a great deal to look forward to should we be able to make such a visit.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
sustainable forestry in the Brazilian Amazon
The question of sustainable forestry is one that has both socioeconomic and environmental/biological aspects. If you're interested in these things, you might want to look at a journal such as Forest Ecology and Management and, in particular, at an article in Vol.256, No.7, which deals specifically with sustainable forestry in the Brazilian Amazon.
If, once you've opened the article, you scroll down to Section 5.2, you'll find a discussion of extractive reserves in Rondonia, one of the Brazilian states we'll be visiting. (Indeed, the concept of extractive reserves is one you should all be familiar with before we arrive.) You might also want to browse elsewhere in this long article.
If, once you've opened the article, you scroll down to Section 5.2, you'll find a discussion of extractive reserves in Rondonia, one of the Brazilian states we'll be visiting. (Indeed, the concept of extractive reserves is one you should all be familiar with before we arrive.) You might also want to browse elsewhere in this long article.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
soybeans and the Brazilian Amazon
Old images of Brazil as a country covered with jungle from top to bottom are in danger of being replaced by images of Brazil as one enormous field of beans.
This article, from the US Department of Agriculture, gives you some background into the changing place of soybean cultivation in the Brazilian Amazon. The report is from January 2004, but may well give you some valuable context for our travels. After all, one of the reasons for the road we're studying is to enable Brazil to export its beans to China more easily than by shipping them to the distant Atlantic coast.
This article, from the US Department of Agriculture, gives you some background into the changing place of soybean cultivation in the Brazilian Amazon. The report is from January 2004, but may well give you some valuable context for our travels. After all, one of the reasons for the road we're studying is to enable Brazil to export its beans to China more easily than by shipping them to the distant Atlantic coast.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Bolivia photos from the last Luther J-Term (2007)
Alan Perry, our main man in Bolivia, has posted some photos from the last Luther group to visit the area, in 2007. This time, we may or may not visit the same community (Sani), but the photos give you a good general idea of the region.
(There are photos of some other groups as well; just click on Sani/Luther College.)
(There are photos of some other groups as well; just click on Sani/Luther College.)
Friday, August 29, 2008
U of Texas website on Latin America
A useful resource for many of the topics related to this course - and for your own specific interests - can be found here. Just browse around and report back on what you find.
As some of you may know, the Latin American programme at U of T is particularly strong. Who knows? Some of you may consider it for graduate school.
As some of you may know, the Latin American programme at U of T is particularly strong. Who knows? Some of you may consider it for graduate school.
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