The high rates of deforestation in the Amazon are closely linked to the
road-wood-agribusiness cycles model of natural resources exploitation. However,
it is recognized that the road-wood-agribusiness model does not exhaust the set
of factors, and causes of deforestation in the Amazon. The factors responsible
for deforestation in the Amazon include (i) tax incentives and policies of
colonization, which triggered a strong migratory flow associated with
'recurrent land disputes motivated by the lack of land tenure and the pressure
of agrarian reform', (ii) advance exploration of the wood, (iii) livestock and
agribusiness boom, 'notably the expansion of soybean on pasture areas', and
(iv) investments in infrastructure,' which promote the economic viability of
agriculture and logging in central Amazonia, with subsequent recovery of their
lands. However, we believe that this set of factors is articulated in a unique
traditional model of exploitation – the road-wood-agribusiness cycles model.
The order of the model cycles do not necessarily respond to the sequence
road-wood-agribusiness, since there are cases where landowners related to
agribusiness establish agreements with logging companies to fell trees and
'clean' the land for grazing or planting. The revenue earned with the timber
exploitation thus financing the system where the owners of the land start their
activities relating to agribusiness.
In our research it is considered two alternative models of sustainable
exploitation of natural resources in the Amazon: (i) logging techniques based
on sustainable forest management; and (ii) the exploitation of raw materials for
the cosmetics industry. We believe that the conclusions obtained in this second
case can be generalized to other industries of biodiversity, such as the food
and herbal medicines. Finally, we analyze how this set of sustainable
exploratory activities could be articulated in a new exploration model with the
ability to replace the traditional model of Amazon exploitation.
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