urban violence. The Project, nicknamed in Brazil as the “PEC of the end of the
world”, was nonetheless approved in the Parliament. As of April 2020, domestic
austerity measures and the looming economic crisis expected to follow the pandemic
of COVID-19 do not allow for the anticipation of brighter days ahead. Such
contingencies not only contribute to Brazil exercising a less relevant role in international fora, but also place enormous challenges to the country’s marine policies.
9.3 Partial Conclusions
Brazil is entangled in a complex web of policies, plans, and concrete actions which
enable the environmental governance of its maritime spaces. The general policies—
National Maritime Policy; National Policy for the Environment; National Policy for
Marine Resources—share common principles and objectives. With respect to marine
resources, several other plans have been put in motion under the PNRM umbrella
and the CIRM coordination: the quinquennial National Sectorial Plans for Marine
Resources; the Brazilian Continental Shelf Survey Plan; and the National Coastal
Management Plan. The bulk of those policies, plans and actions conform what could
be called a decentralized “Brazilian ocean strategy”.
The balance of those marine environmental governance efforts is a rather difficult
one to make, as there are records of successfully implemented actions and neglected
ones. Under the quinquennial Sectorial Plans, specific actions have been designed
and effectively executed, such as REVIZEE and LEPLAC—the former mapped out
the living resources of the Brazilian EEZ and published extensive reports with the
main findings. The latter was responsible for collecting massive amounts of data on
the Brazilian seabed morphology which grounded the country’s submissions for
outer continental shelf limits before the CLCS. Yet, not-so-successful actions also
exist, such as REMPLAC—concerned with the detailed evaluation of the mineral
potentiality of the continental shelf—a survey program with parallel capability to
increase scientific knowledge on the marine environmental features and ecosystems
of the Brazilian seabed. Insider information from CIRM members, obtained via
interviews, hinted at the likelihood of Brazilian authorities relaunching REMPLAC.
Now, under a different work methodology and taking into account the relevance of
marine mineral resources to the Brazilian socioeconomic development.
This chapter stressed the relevance of recognizing the complexity inherent to the
governance of the oceans. A quick glimpse at the policies, programs, actions and
institutions participating in the Brazilian ocean governance reveals the complexity of
such a process in the historic era that scientists have agreed to refer to as the
“Anthropocene”. Hence, complexity is expected to increase, as new policies are
about to come to life, the case of the National Policy for the Conservation of the
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9 The Environmental Dimension of the “Brazilian Blue...
world”, was nonetheless approved in the Parliament. As of April 2020, domestic
austerity measures and the looming economic crisis expected to follow the pandemic
of COVID-19 do not allow for the anticipation of brighter days ahead. Such
contingencies not only contribute to Brazil exercising a less relevant role in international fora, but also place enormous challenges to the country’s marine policies.
9.3 Partial Conclusions
Brazil is entangled in a complex web of policies, plans, and concrete actions which
enable the environmental governance of its maritime spaces. The general policies—
National Maritime Policy; National Policy for the Environment; National Policy for
Marine Resources—share common principles and objectives. With respect to marine
resources, several other plans have been put in motion under the PNRM umbrella
and the CIRM coordination: the quinquennial National Sectorial Plans for Marine
Resources; the Brazilian Continental Shelf Survey Plan; and the National Coastal
Management Plan. The bulk of those policies, plans and actions conform what could
be called a decentralized “Brazilian ocean strategy”.
The balance of those marine environmental governance efforts is a rather difficult
one to make, as there are records of successfully implemented actions and neglected
ones. Under the quinquennial Sectorial Plans, specific actions have been designed
and effectively executed, such as REVIZEE and LEPLAC—the former mapped out
the living resources of the Brazilian EEZ and published extensive reports with the
main findings. The latter was responsible for collecting massive amounts of data on
the Brazilian seabed morphology which grounded the country’s submissions for
outer continental shelf limits before the CLCS. Yet, not-so-successful actions also
exist, such as REMPLAC—concerned with the detailed evaluation of the mineral
potentiality of the continental shelf—a survey program with parallel capability to
increase scientific knowledge on the marine environmental features and ecosystems
of the Brazilian seabed. Insider information from CIRM members, obtained via
interviews, hinted at the likelihood of Brazilian authorities relaunching REMPLAC.
Now, under a different work methodology and taking into account the relevance of
marine mineral resources to the Brazilian socioeconomic development.
This chapter stressed the relevance of recognizing the complexity inherent to the
governance of the oceans. A quick glimpse at the policies, programs, actions and
institutions participating in the Brazilian ocean governance reveals the complexity of
such a process in the historic era that scientists have agreed to refer to as the
“Anthropocene”. Hence, complexity is expected to increase, as new policies are
about to come to life, the case of the National Policy for the Conservation of the
292
9 The Environmental Dimension of the “Brazilian Blue...