finally, to increase the total number of marine protected areas to 4% of the territorial
sea and EEZ (3.5 million km
2 )—this is the only goal which was objectively fulfilled.
Apart from public policies and strategies for the maritime spaces under national
jurisdiction, Brazil has also devised the 2009 Program for the Prospection and
Exploration of Mineral Resources of the International South Atlantic and Equatorial
Area (PROAREA).
56 This action resulted from the VII PSRM, with the objectives of
expanding Brazilian strategic presence in the South Atlantic and Equatorial Oceans
(considered by the Navy as zones of natural Brazilian influence); collecting data to
support future Brazilian requests for mineral exploration before the ISA; obtaining
technical, economic and environmental information; preparing and qualifying
human resources to implement activities in the Area. Given that the PROAREA
does not relate to the Brazilian Blue Amazon, in that it focuses exclusively on the
Area, it lays beyond the scope of this study.
9.1.2 Core Institutional Actors at the Federal Level
Charged with the implementation of the multiple actions and measures examined
supra is an equally complex net of institutional actors. They participate in setting the
agenda, debating approaches to the implementation of specific actions, and evaluating the overall compliance to the plans and programs’ objectives. Depending on the
problem to be solved, they may be the legislature, government leaders, technicians
from ministries and various public administration bodies, political parties,
non-governmental organizations, interest groups, unions, academia, others.
The first and crucial governmental body tasked with the coordination of the
Actions referred to supra is the Interministerial Commission for Marine Resources
(CIRM). The Commission was created in 1974,
57 just a year after the creation of the
Brazilian Secretariat for the Environment, as a result of the bureaucracy’s awareness
of the importance of the marine environment in whichever national development
strategies. The Commission’s main task is to coordinate the 2005 National Marine
Resources Policy, as well to oversee the implementation of the National Coastal
Management Plan and other programs and actions stemming from the quinquennial
PSRMs. As the name itself suggests, the Commission is composed of representatives
of several ministries, but coordinated by the Navy Commander—also known as
“Maritime Authority”.
58 In its almost 40 years of existence, the CIRM presents a
56 For more on the Program, its guidelines and objectives, see Executive Summary of the PROAREA
Program (Brasília: Comissão Interministerial para os Recursos do Mar, September 2009), 34.
57 The CIRM was instituted by Decree no. 74.557/1974 and regulated by Decree no. 3.939/2001.
58 In its composition, the CIRM has representatives from: Civil Cabinet of the Presidency; Defense
Ministry; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Transport; Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock
and Supply; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Development, Industry and
Foreign Trade; Ministry of Mines and Energy; Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management;
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation; Ministry for the Environment; Ministry for
262
9 The Environmental Dimension of the “Brazilian Blue...
sea and EEZ (3.5 million km
2 )—this is the only goal which was objectively fulfilled.
Apart from public policies and strategies for the maritime spaces under national
jurisdiction, Brazil has also devised the 2009 Program for the Prospection and
Exploration of Mineral Resources of the International South Atlantic and Equatorial
Area (PROAREA).
56 This action resulted from the VII PSRM, with the objectives of
expanding Brazilian strategic presence in the South Atlantic and Equatorial Oceans
(considered by the Navy as zones of natural Brazilian influence); collecting data to
support future Brazilian requests for mineral exploration before the ISA; obtaining
technical, economic and environmental information; preparing and qualifying
human resources to implement activities in the Area. Given that the PROAREA
does not relate to the Brazilian Blue Amazon, in that it focuses exclusively on the
Area, it lays beyond the scope of this study.
9.1.2 Core Institutional Actors at the Federal Level
Charged with the implementation of the multiple actions and measures examined
supra is an equally complex net of institutional actors. They participate in setting the
agenda, debating approaches to the implementation of specific actions, and evaluating the overall compliance to the plans and programs’ objectives. Depending on the
problem to be solved, they may be the legislature, government leaders, technicians
from ministries and various public administration bodies, political parties,
non-governmental organizations, interest groups, unions, academia, others.
The first and crucial governmental body tasked with the coordination of the
Actions referred to supra is the Interministerial Commission for Marine Resources
(CIRM). The Commission was created in 1974,
57 just a year after the creation of the
Brazilian Secretariat for the Environment, as a result of the bureaucracy’s awareness
of the importance of the marine environment in whichever national development
strategies. The Commission’s main task is to coordinate the 2005 National Marine
Resources Policy, as well to oversee the implementation of the National Coastal
Management Plan and other programs and actions stemming from the quinquennial
PSRMs. As the name itself suggests, the Commission is composed of representatives
of several ministries, but coordinated by the Navy Commander—also known as
“Maritime Authority”.
58 In its almost 40 years of existence, the CIRM presents a
56 For more on the Program, its guidelines and objectives, see Executive Summary of the PROAREA
Program (Brasília: Comissão Interministerial para os Recursos do Mar, September 2009), 34.
57 The CIRM was instituted by Decree no. 74.557/1974 and regulated by Decree no. 3.939/2001.
58 In its composition, the CIRM has representatives from: Civil Cabinet of the Presidency; Defense
Ministry; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Transport; Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock
and Supply; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Development, Industry and
Foreign Trade; Ministry of Mines and Energy; Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management;
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation; Ministry for the Environment; Ministry for
262
9 The Environmental Dimension of the “Brazilian Blue...