Search

Abstract This article takes the opportunity of the recent establishment of two large and remote marine protected areas (MPAs) in Brazilian jurisdictional waters to discuss the role played by large-scale MPAs and their impacts to achieve international goals. After the launching of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in 2010, especially Target 11, which concerns marine areas, some coastal states have created large-scale MPAs as a way of attaining a numerical target, though not necessarily fulfilling other ecosystem commitments. Brazil is the most recent example of this strategy through the establishment of MPAs that seem primarily concerned with international goals rather than effective biodiversity protection. Since the management of these protected areas will be shared between a technical body (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation) and the Navy, and only a small portion of which will have similar status to "no-take" zone, the new MPAs can hardly be identified as being strongly committed to the marine environment protection. The article ends with some suggestions for improving biodiversity conservation in the Brazilian large-scale MPAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the effects that the Itaipú Hydropower Plant has had in the development of capabilities and the evolution of energy security aspects in Paraguay and Brazil. To do this, it applies a theoretical framework that integrates elements from the energy security literature with the concept of capabilities. Applying the framework sheds light on the evolution of the financial, organisational, and technical capabilities that developed in connection with the building and operation of the dam and its impact on energy security in both countries. The research design of the study is an in-depth case study drawing on qualitative data including original interviews collected between 2020 and 2021 as well as on an extensive review of official documents and statistical data. The paper finds that the dam had a deep and lasting impact in the evolution of the electricity sector in both Paraguay and Brazil with positive as well as negative impacts in energy security across all the analysed dimensions. The paper presents relevant case specific conclusions as well as general implications of the findings that emerge and can potentially inform similar situations in other settings where large electricity endowments are shared by two or more countries, irrespective of the technology. • Integrates elements of energy security and technical, organisational, and financial capabilities • Presents original research on the impacts of the Itaipú hydropower plant • Contrasts impacts of transboundary hydropower in Paraguay and Brazil • Draws on original qualitative and quantitative data collected in three countries [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low carbon agricultural techniques, which aim to reduce agricultural emissions without compromising productivity, are being widely adopted as one strategy to promote more sustainable food systems. Evaluating the impact of such practices requires an effective monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system. To our knowledge, no MRV system has been designed or implemented for monitoring and measuring the impacts of the adoption of low carbon agricultural practices. The goal of this paper is to explore the opportunities and challenges of developing a large scale MRV system for low carbon agriculture in Brazil - a major global food producer. The analysis presented in this paper is based on primary data, collected through interviews and conversations with experts, and secondary data from a literature review as well as from public and private databases. Hence, we discuss the three phases of monitoring, reporting and verification. In each case, we analyze the informational needs of an MRV system, evaluate the strengths and limitations of available tools to collect and process these data, and present a vision of how these constituent parts could form a comprehensive MRV system for Brazil. Our analysis reveals technical and governance challenges. On the technical side, challenges include the need to develop emissions factors to calculate mitigation across a range of biomes and low carbon agricultural techniques, and the high costs of gathering and verifying information on farm level. On the governance side, there is a need to generate economic incentives for farmers to share private, farm-level data with a public MRV system. The MRV system could help producers to demonstrate adoption and mitigation, giving them improved access to low-interest credit or certification programs. We conclude that the implementation of a large scale MRV system for low carbon agriculture demands an integrative approach based on a hybrid public-private governance system that prioritizes cost-effectiveness and facilitates smooth information transfer. • Low carbon agriculture needs Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems for measuring and reporting GHG emissions. • We propose an MRV system for Brazil, a country that has huge mitigation potential due to its agricultural activity. • Primary farm-level data about adopted techniques could be combined with remotely-sensed and secondary data about land use. • A hybrid public-private governance strategy could reduce costs and create incentives. • Brazil's case is a relevant benchmark for MRV systems in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of journal articles, events and research projects dedicated to the topics of emotions, affect, and spatial experiences in Brazil and Portugal. In this context, collaboration between Brazilian and Portuguese geographers is also increasing, despite the different epistemological traditions of the two geographic communities. With this in mind, in this paper, we reflect about the originality of Luso-Brazilian emotional geographies by looking at three dimensions: epistemologies, research agendas, and collaboration. We focus on how the epistemological perspectives and the social concerns of Brazilian and Portuguese geographers have shaped Portuguese-speaking emotional geographies, leading to the emergence of a research area for the study of the relations between emotions and space. We conclude this paper by calling for more attention to the constraints that Luso-Brazilian emotional geographies are facing. • Discusses the epistemological underpinnings of Luso-Brazilian emotional geographies. • Reviews the ongoing research agendas of Luso-Brazilian emotional geographies. • Debates the current challenges and future paths for Luso-Brazilian emotional geographies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the disappointing outreach of Brazilian urban reform by analyzing the underlying tensions and contradictions of its key principle, that is, the social, function of property (SFP), from a perspective of contemporary theoretical debates on the double nature of rent (i.e., related to monopoly positions and emerging from market, circulation). The SFP principle is grounded in anti-rentier, agrarian reform thinking, which stressed that individual monopoly landowners should not be allowed to retain their property for speculative purposes and use it productively to increase food supplies. In contemporary dense cities, however, using property "productively" implies redevelopment, that is, transformation of existing structures of the built environment, into alternative ones. This has two implications, one related to the essence of the SFP, (its being), the other regarding what it means having a SFP in an urban setting. In relation to the former, despite its anti-rentier stance, in cities the SFP triggers a redevelopment-rent nexus due to the circulation of rents in non-competitive markets. Regarding the latter implication, having a SFP in cities requires complex, open-ended and utilitarian negotiations between state and non-state actors aimed at the appropriation of rents to articulate the conflicting interests of individual property owners with the collective good. The theoretical argument of the paper is illustrated with a short, heuristic case on redevelopment in the city of São Paulo, while its conclusion provides elements for a research agenda on the limits of market-based, reformist versus right- based planning beyond this specific context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study offers an extensive overview on the evolution and current state of marine oil spill research in Brazil and then discusses further directions. Given the historical and current relevance of this issue, this paper also aims to summarize the exploration, geological background, design of oil spills timeline and assessment of the most important of them. Moreover, it includes a critical comparison of Brazilian oil spill models in terms of their simulation abilities, real-time field data assimilation, space and time forecasts and uncertainty evaluation. This study also presents the perspectives of the Multi-User System for Detection, Prediction, and Monitoring of Oil Spills at Sea (SisMOM) the largest and most important Brazilian project to face the offshore oil spills. [Display omitted] • The Brazilian coast is frequently reached by illegal dumping. • Oil spills in Brazil are classified as small but impactful events. • SISMOM is the new Brazilian system to track oil spills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We compare ten conferences in Brazil with over 1600 papers and 2600 authors. • These events aided capacity-building through decentralized concentration. • Mobile and stationary locations created clusters of authors and study sites. • Sites of study were more diverse than spaces of knowledge production. • Both cyclical events mitigated regional disparities and built knowledge hubs. This article advances research on the geographies of science, higher education, and knowledge production by analysing how the material, social, and intellectual geographies of academic conferences have shaped capacity-building in Brazil. Drawing upon debates about conferences as temporary and cyclical knowledge clusters, mobilities of knowledge, and triadic thought, we present the first longitudinal and comparative geographical analysis of academic conferences by examining Brazil's two major biannual conferences on urban and regional development and planning—the mobile ENANPUR events and the stationary SIDR meetings—over a ten-year period. Our multi-dimensional and multi-scalar comparative analysis of ten events with more than 1600 conference papers and 2600 contributing authors reveals that in the context of an expanding Brazilian higher education system, both conferences acquired national reach of paper authors and study sites but with persisting east-west and south-north disparities. We discuss how ENANPUR and SIDR contributed to national capacity-building through 'decentralized concentration' of knowledge production and exchange, mitigating regional disparities via the decentralization of epistemic communities but reinforcing regional imbalances through the concentration of resources in conference locations, coastal states, and the two southern regions. We argue that conferences are an important tool for urban and regional development because they put places and people 'on the map' of epistemic communities and policy agendas, thereby helping to provide expertise for local and regional problem-solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research indicates that a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is an effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, there are no studies to date of ACT for OCD in Latin American populations. Because socio-cultural context influences OCD symptomatology, it is worth adapting and testing ACT for OCD in such cultures. Three patients seeking treatment for OCD at a public health center in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil were treated with 16 sessions of ACT and ERP. All participants showed decreased OCD scores from baseline to post-treatment that remained lower at follow-up, suggesting that a version of ACT for OCD adapted for a Brazilian cultural context was effective. The intervention also had positive effects on depression, quality of life, and psychological flexibility. This paper focuses on the adaptations that reflect the unique needs of Brazilian culture, as well as how to integrate ACT within existing systems of care. This study shows the effectiveness of this approach in Brazil and offers promise for future cultural adaptations of ACT in other Latin American contexts. • A protocol combining ACT and ERP was culturally adapted for Brazilian clients. • Results show a reduction of OCD, depression, psychological inflexibility and an apparent increase in quality of life. • Clinical improvements were not fully maintained at follow-up, which may reflect the COVID-19 pandemic. • The adapted protocol may be a potential psychosocial treatment option for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder clients in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cerrado is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, a key hydrological area of Brazil and home to socio-culturally diverse groups. However, the expansion of agribusiness activities in the Cerrado biome has led to acute social-ecological disturbances. Deploying strategies that promote socially and ecologically sustainable land use therein is hence imperative. One such strategy encompasses the harvesting, processing and commercialization of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs). This paper thus aims to uncover what interdependent social-ecological dynamics hinder and/or facilitate the consolidation of NTFP activities as a strategy to promote sustainable land use in the Cerrado and how to overcome the challenges permeating these activities. It does so by analyzing NTFP activities in Pirenópolis, Goiás, originally combining different fields of research. This research highlights social-ecological dynamics resulting in positive outcomes, such as the satisfaction of material and socio-cultural needs, the protection and planting of tree species, and a sound knowledge on the ecology and phenology of NTFPs, as well as on sustainable harvesting techniques. Notwithstanding, the results also demonstrate that power imbalances, insufficient local capacity and the agribusiness hegemony hamper NTFP activities in Pirenópolis. This paper emphasizes the urgency of addressing power asymmetries, especially considering the need for the formulation of land use policies that can tackle issues of access to land and NTFPs. This research moreover points to the importance of stronger social relations that can enhance the role of NTFP activities as a strategy to promote sustainable land use. • This paper provides an original analysis on the role NTFPs as a strategy to promote sustainable land use. • The case study encompasses NTFP activities in Pirenópolis, a municipality located in Brazil's Cerrado. • Positive social-ecological outcomes of NTFP activities are observed in Pirenópolis. • However, power asymmetries and the path-dependent legacy inherent in the agribusiness hegemony hamper NTFP activities therein. • A socio-political environment enabling the tackling of power asymmetries is key for overcoming the challenges permeating NTFP activities in the Cerrado. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetry is a common phenom among invertebrates. A consequence of this phenom is the rise of chiral forms (or enantiomorphs), which are structures that are mirror images of each other. The asymmetry can be divided into two: directional asymmetry, when only one of the enantiomorphs exists in nature, and antisymmetry, when both chiral forms exist in nature in equal frequencies, a much rarer phenom than the prior. In this paper, I describe the unknown male and redescribe the female of Isagoras paxillus (Westwood) and a new species of Isagoras Stål from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Isagoras sobrali sp. nov. (based on males from Rio Grande do Norte: Natal). Furthermore, I also describe the first case of antisymmetry in Phasmatodea in these two species and discuss the relevance of this finding within a morphological, behavioral, and systematic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Over the last few decades, an emerging, thoroughly globalized market for halal products has been generating increasingly sophisticated, diverse, contested halal regulations. Today, the Brazilian halal meat and poultry industry is among the world's largest exporters of halal meat and poultry. Against this backdrop, this paper examines how halal meat and poultry production has been assembled in Brazil. Drawing on assemblage thinking and ethnographic fieldwork, this paper traces assembling practices of halal meat and poultry production and sheds light on how halal standards have been taken on board. Current research has conceptualized halal and other food standards predominantly as mobile, globalized knowledge objects through which centres assemble and govern food production at a distance. However, I argue that halal meat and poultry production is assembled through sites and their interconnections – including sites of production and others – rather than globally. The assemblage is constituted and shaped as power is transmitted through assembling practices (e.g. the mobilization of Muslim labour from abroad), and sites (e.g. meat processing plants, agribusiness cities, sites of Muslim workforce recruitment and migration networks). The findings suggest that future research on the "bigger picture" of halal should take the role of sites, practices and transmission of power into closer consideration, and address the nexus between halal standards, skilled Muslim labour and migration. Like Brazil, most of the world's large halal producers are countries where Muslims are a minority population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Evaluation of Brazilian State Forest Institutions (SFI) in charge of forest concessions and planted forests is proposed. • SFI performance is measured against forestry goals by using the 3 L Model and criteria and indicator approach. • The 3 L Model produced a comprehensive overview of the selected Brazilian SFIs in practice. Abstract More than half of Brazilian territory (54%), or approx. 463 million ha, is covered by forests. Public forest ownership dominates with up to 80%, private forests cover cca. 20% and cca. 8% is unclaimed. In public forests the practice of concessions is growing, with the expectation of reducing the problem of Amazonian illegal loggings. Private forests are mainly under plantation management, which generates 5.5% of the country's industrial gross domestic product. Relevance of both is accordingly high, although not dominant in forest share. A key question for forest policy is how successfully the state regulates both issues in practice. Our paper accordingly focuses on the Brazilian Forest Service and the Ministry of Agriculture, which are state forest institutions in charge of forest concessions and planted forests. We look at their performance against legally based forestry goals and rely on primary (participatory observation, semi-structured personal interviews and questionnaire) and secondary sources (documents) for empirical evidence. The 3 L Model serves as a theoretical basis. It was selected while applying criteria and indicators for evaluation of public institutions´ comprehensive performance with respect to sustainable forest management. The results show that Brazilian forest policy strives toward sustainable forest management, as an overall goal. In more particular, the performance of both examined state forest institutions is more market (than public demand) oriented and moves towards strengthening market competences. At the same time, there are constrains in sustaining forest stands. Due to permanent and strong conflicts related to land use changes in Brazil, the relevance of a mediator, aiming to harmonize all different interests related to forest protection and use, is high, but this role is still not taken, at least not by the evaluated state forest institutions. This represents new task for the forestry practice, while facilitating diverse interests in Brazilian forests could not only be a contribution toward conflict management between environmental, forestry and agribusiness actors but could also grant stronger political role to respective state forest institution(s). For attending this role, the performance evaluation of the whole and rather complex forest-related institutional setting in Brazil could provide relevant science-based policy arguments. This paper shows that the 3 L Model could be applied for such evaluation, as it was possible to adapt it to a non-European country and get a comprehensive overview of Brazilian plantation and concession forestry in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The impact of water-related disasters has become more acute in cities of the Amazon Basin. Socio-economic impact assessments have a key role in improving sustainable mitigation projects in order to increase resilience and reduce societal vulnerability. This paper reviews the current state of loss assessments and then explores how to improve estimates for the 2015 flood affecting the city of Rio Branco, Brazil, located on the headwaters of the Amazon Basin. Prevailing models, loss assessments, and databases are not applicable in this Amazonian context due to the lack of detailed cost administration, low levels of human and financial capital, and limited insurance coverage. This paper uses uncertainty ranges of the costs of water-related disasters to provide an assessment of the total impact. Our estimate ranges from 60 to 200 million USD of losses and damage solely due to this flood event, compared to the official estimate of 98 million USD. As floods in Rio Branco are recurrent nearly annually, the cumulative losses over the years may be significantly higher. Our study illustrates the need for improving impact assessments in order to increase the knowledge on the actual costs of flood disasters and avoiding silent impoverishment. Outcomes of impact assessments can show the necessity of mitigation activities which will reduce vulnerability of societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic (SARS-CoV-2 virus) is the global crisis of our time. The absence of mass testing and the relevant presence of asymptomatic individuals causes the available data of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil to be largely under-reported regarding the number of infected individuals and deaths. We develop an adapted Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model, which explicitly incorporates the under-reporting and the response of the population to public health policies (confinement measures, widespread use of masks, etc). Large amounts of uncertainty could provide misleading predictions of the COVID-19 spread. In this paper, we discuss the role of uncertainty in these model-based predictions, which is illustrated regarding three key aspects: (i) Assuming that the number of infected individuals is under-reported, we demonstrate anticipation regarding the infection peak. Furthermore, while a model with a single class of infected individuals yields forecasts with increased peaks, a model that considers both symptomatic and asymptomatic infected individuals suggests a decrease of the peak of symptomatic cases. (ii) Considering that the actual amount of deaths is larger than what is being registered, we demonstrate an increase of the mortality rates. (iii) When we consider generally under-reported data, we demonstrate how the transmission and recovery rate model parameters change qualitatively and quantitatively. We also investigate the "the uncertainty tripod": under-reporting level in terms of cases, deaths, and the true mortality rate of the disease. We demonstrate that if two of these factors are known, the remainder can be inferred, as long as proportions are kept constant. The proposed approach allows one to determine the margins of uncertainty by assessments on the observed and true mortality rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the role played by the Brazilian economy in global value chains with reference to global and regional contexts. To this end, we calculate downstream and upstream indicators of global and regional integration and fragmentation of global value chains. We use the full Eora Multiregional Input-Output Table for the period from 1990 to 2015. The main results indicate that Brazilian participation in global value chains increased during this period and became more fragmented internationally, mainly in global terms, but its regional insertion has increased more than its global insertion. Although South America has a small share in value-added trade, Brazil operates as a regional hub, as it is a reference for international trade in this region. In the global context, Brazil plays the role of supplier of intermediate inputs, while in the regional context, it serves as the main production center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local governments play a strategic role in adapting to climatic changes. However, understanding the factors that explain why local governments make commitments to act remains challenging for scholars and practitioners. Thus, this paper considers the analysis of two important factors that might influence local governments to plan for climate adaptation: Risk Management Capacity (RMC) and Transnational Municipal Networks (TMN). We examined whether RMC and participation in a TMN (ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability) are determinant factors for the existence of local climate change plans in Brazilian municipalities. Statistical analysis shows that municipalities with larger populations and higher education index are more likely to develop plans addressing adaptation to climate change. We found that not only is the presence of TMNs important, but the period a municipality has a partnership with the TMN influences planning for adaptation. Surprisingly, a stronger RMC and the number of disasters in a municipality do not imply a higher likelihood of developing municipal climate change plans. In a textual analysis, we also argue that the plans to combat climate change are still insufficiently developed as they do not always discuss adaptation. • City's participation in a TMN increases the propensity to develop climate plans. • Risk Management Capacity does not impact city's development of climate change plans. • Brazilian cities do not always discuss adaptation in climate change plans. • A sustainability office enhances the propensity to develop climate plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ocean economy is becoming more than ever a key to job creation, value addition, and sustainable development of countries and regions. Given the growth of the world population and the pressure on onshore resources, the demand for marine resource exploration and maritime activities is growing, leading to different policies around the world. In the case of Brazil, a country with an extensive coastline, there are still few public policies and official definitions/data capable of fostering the ocean economy. Hence, this paper aims to map the sectors of the ocean economy of the state of Rio de Janeiro (SRJ), highlighting its potential for recovery of the local economic dynamics. To this end, the methodology considers the economic sectors that present a direct influence from the sea, encompassing 89 economic activities that were divided into 6 sectors. The treatment, cleaning, graphics, and maps created from R 4.2.2 used the following packages: tidyverse, basedosdados, paletteer, ggthemes, systemfonts, ggtext, sf, geobr. 2021 is the base year for the data, which used two main official Brazilian bases: Annual Social Information Report (RAIS) and tax data from the Internal Revenue Service, compiled by Datalake Neoway. Among the main results, we highlight the relevance of the service sector, particularly those related to the oil and gas industry (P&G) and tourism. • The ocean economy should be taken as a vector of sustainable development in Brazil. • Promoting the ocean economy requires a reformulation of public policies. • There are many industries and stakeholders involved in SRJ's ocean economy. • Like other countries, the service sector stands out in SRJ's ocean economy. • Despite its informality, tourism generates more jobs in SRJ's ocean economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between advergame design, advergame experience and consumer behaviour across cultures. For this purpose, a study was designed to compare and contrast behaviour patterns across Brazilian and British cultures. An advergame ( Colheita de Café (CC)), featuring the Fairtrade mark was developed through a semiotics approach. Participants from both Brazil (N = 30) and the UK (N = 34) were invited to play the advergame and answer a questionnaire before and after gameplay. The results indicate that Brazilians felt more familiar with the visual elements incorporated by the advergame when compared to British consumers. Brazilians also had more favourable attitudes towards the brand, suggesting that visual familiarity could influence consumer behaviour. Contrary to our expectations, both Brazilian and British respondents had the same attitudes towards the advergame, showing that visual familiarity did not particularly influence the advergame experience. The main contribution of this paper is the suggestion that visual familiarity could influence consumer behaviour across cultures. We expect that our findings can be used in future research that examines cultural nuances in advergame design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the production of ethanol in Brazil using an extensive, plant-based, ethanol and sugar production database, including multiple variables involved in the ethanol production chain. To this end, a generalized mixed model was used with the Markov Chain and Monte Carlo methods by applying the MCMCglmm package in the R software environment. The results obtained not only confirmed the expected signs between ethanol production and its major drivers or contextual variables, but also shed light in terms of their relative importance and their nature: whether structural, conjunctural or exogenous. The main conclusions of this paper are that the contextual variables that contribute the most to the increase in ethanol production in Brazil were, in order of importance, sugarcane milling, sugar production, and the price ratios between ethanol and sugar. Policy implications to the sector are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of ecosystem services acquired a growing attention in Brazil in the last fifteen years. This fact was observed in the development of legal norms and court decisions throughout the country. Using the theory of densification normative by Thibierge et al. (2013), this paper analyses the theory’s seven parameters in two legal sources – legislation and jurisprudence – which identify a densification normative process over the concept of ecosystem services . This paper concludes that, under the prism of this theory, this densification normative process is being observed and it may contribute to the assignment of legal value to ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides two contributions to the research on urban planning and the financialization of land use. Instead of stressing the consequences of finance on others, it prioritizes the analysis of the social-technical constitution of finance itself within urban planning, and does so in an emerging country setting, which is still relatively understudied in the existing literature. We analyse a specific Brazilian planning instrument, i.e., the sale of securitized building certificates (CEPACs) in large urban (re)development projects (UDPs), as a potential constituent space of urban financialization. The paper explores how planners, financial consultants, contractors and builders/developers effectively shape the contradictory financial and physical design and implementation of UDPs with CEPACs. Although the initial evidence shows that there are still clear limits to the penetration of financial logics into land use planning, continuing regulatory rollout and the increasing activism of foreign investors suggest the instrument’s open-ended trajectory, with a potentially more significant role for financial actors in constituting urban financialization through CEPACs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the legitimacy of pilot projects in Kilosa and Kondoa districts of Tanzania and the Amazon region in Brazil. The analysis is both normative – i.e., based on external criteria – and sociological – i.e., based on local people’s perceptions. Results show that the quality of decision-making in terms of local participation, balanced representation, openness and sufficient information increases local acceptability of REDD+. The research also suggests that power asymmetries may undermine legitimacy if not dealt with. Finally, the paper reveals that legitimacy outcomes differ under various contexts, which calls for REDD+ processes to be flexible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressures are mounting for the simplification of environmental impact assessment (EIA). This phenomenon is drawing increasing scholarly attention, but studies have not gone far beyond speculating what could happen as a result of recently implemented or proposed regulatory changes. This paper takes a more longitudinal look at simplified EIAs. The main objective was to analyze the perceived outcomes of a number of simplified EIA processes, using Brazil as the empirical context. More specifically, this paper aimed at understanding: 1) how simplified EIAs have been conceptualized and implemented in southeastern Brazil; and 2) how developers and civil servants in that region perceive the outcomes of simplified EIAs. This study adopted a sequential mixed method research approach. Data was collected through literature reviews, 261 telephone-based interviews and 10 face-to-face interviews. Degrees of EIA simplification can vary significantly within and across jurisdictions. In any case, simplification is often framed as a win-win solution to EIA ineffectiveness, through which regulatory and procedural changes are made to ease the process, while, at the same time, maintaining or providing better environmental protection. This approach is more frequently applied to potentially low-impact processes. Chi-square tests of the data collected through telephone interviews in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais indicated that developers tend to perceive EIA processes as difficult and slow regardless of how simplified it is. Most civil servants, who were directly involved in the implementation of simplified EIAs in state environmental agencies, argued that simplified EIAs are driven mostly by environmental agencies, as these institutions have long been unable to cope with an ever-increasing load of license applications. Policy outcomes of simplified EIAs in the territory are not sufficiently monitored by state agencies. Civil servants revealed concerns about the potential long term effects of EIA simplification on the ground, as they have had limited resources for audits and inspections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objective in this paper is to build expectations anchoring indexes for inflation in Brazil that are fundamentally driven by the monetary authority's capacity to anchor long-term inflation expectations. The expectations anchoring indexes are generated from a Kalman filter, based on a state-space model that also takes into account fiscal policy dynamics. The model's signals are constructed using inflation expectations from the Focus survey of professional forecasters, conducted by the Central Bank of Brazil, and from the swap and federal government bond markets, which convey daily information of long-term inflation expectations. Although varying across specifications, the expectations anchoring indexes that we propose tend to display a downward trajectory, more clearly in 2009, and show a recovery starting in 2016 until the end of the sample (mid-2017). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Very few transdisciplinary approaches are found in nexus research in the Brazilian context. • Quantitative methods are predominantly used over qualitative and hybrid methods. • Natural scientific, engineering and economic fields prevail in Brazilian research on the nexus. • The technocratic water-energy nexus in the hydropower and biofuels sectors is dominant. • The Brazilian research agenda overlooks the effect of rapid urbanization and poverty on the nexus. The water-energy-food nexus has gained particular momentum in the fields of sustainable development and resource security in the last years. However, some scholars critically question the nexus by arguing that research is strongly shaped by western knowledge with a bias towards natural scientific, engineering and economic perspectives; whereas there is a lack of attention on local socio-political aspects and little contribution from social sciences. This paper provides a critical analysis of studies focused on the nexus in the Brazilian context or by Brazilian institutions. The main objectives are to assess whether research on the nexus in the Brazilian context shares common features with the international research; to identify the main nexus topics in this geographic context; and to examine if socio-economic challenges are considered, specifically regarding urbanization and poverty. Through a quantitative and qualitative analysis, the results show that Brazilian institutions lead research on the nexus in the Brazilian context, however the contribution from the social sciences remains marginal. Furthermore, quantitative methods are predominantly used over qualitative and hybrid methods. The research largely focuses on connections between water and energy in the hydropower and biofuels sectors, and it is based on discourses of efficiency, optimization, modelling and technological innovation. In addition, scholars have so far failed to address other important issues for sustainable development in Brazil and the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a novel comprehensive conceptualization of Energy Technology Foresight (ETF) in emerging economies, including development trajectories, key methodological tools and elements, major challenges and weaknesses. ETF allows the emerging economies to provide the basis for government's energy policy, to create a common vision among the various actors and to strengthen R&D and innovation basis in the energy sector. The author presents five basic premises to conceptualize the ETF approach in emerging economies: the need to take into account higher risks and uncertainties; integration of foresight outcomes in national and corporate strategic planning; constant revision of ETF methodology; dominance of economic, technological and security considerations; and the inability to catch-up with the energy technology development of the world leaders. Three case-studies (Russia, Brazil and China) of ETF in emerging markets are presented to illustrate and substantiate the conceptual approach. The paper is of interest for researchers that are involved in future studies, as well as decision-makers, who commission such studies and use their outcomes to advance the policy processes and documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disaster risk studies at the micro-local level enable a thorough analysis of vulnerable communities, integrating environmental and societal aspects to support the implementation of specific public policies. This article draws on the results of the discussions that yielded the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030), especially its priority 1—understanding disaster risks. The case study area was the Vila Embratel district in the municipality of São Luís, state of Maranhão, in Northeastern Brazil. This district is one of the disaster risk priority areas in São Luís due to processes related to mass movement, according to reports from the São Luís Civil Protection Office and the Mineral Resources Research Company (2017). Hence, this paper proposes indicators for the mass movement disasters risk at the micro-local level. To this end, field activities were carried out and questionnaires were applied to the local population. The Delphi method and statistical analyses were also employed. The results showed that attributing categories, indicators, and variables in Risk analyses at the micro-local level effectively identifies whether the area is more precarious in terms of Structure or Physical-Natural elements and contributes to the creation of public policies to prevent and/or mitigate disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural trade and climate change have altered land cover and land use worldwide. For example, the recent growth of international soybean demand has been associated with 1.3 Mha primary Amazon forest loss and up to 13-fold increase in double-cropping areas in Brazil. Many studies have tried to understand which and how global and local drivers affect deforestation and agricultural intensification processes at the landscape level, yet few have incorporated the direct perspectives of actual land users. Under the influence of a variety of social, economic, and cultural factors, producers are the ones who make decisions that will cause a significant impact on the environment. In this paper, we adopted Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs), a semi-quantitative modeling approach to represent complex decision-making systems, and we modeled land use and agricultural management perceptions of 27 crop producers from the three states - Mato Grosso, Goiás, and Tocantins - important soybean production and export areas in Brazil. We analyzed individual models and integrated them into aggregated regional models to compare individual and regional differences among the producers. In addition, we simulated how producers from the three states will make land-use decisions under more trade and extreme climatic events scenarios using the FCMs. Our results indicate that extreme climatic events are among the most important factors producers consider when it comes to the sustainability of their operations. Climate change scenarios have a stronger overall impact than trade scenarios on local land-use changes, causing a 12% reduction in total agricultural production. The improvement of technology packages can effectively mitigate climate change risks and has an overall positive impact on land-use intensification than expansion. On the other hand, sharing accurate climate information and socio-economic improvements such as credits have larger impacts on agricultural expansion than productivity itself. Moreover, the model complexity shows differences among the three states. Soybean trade has more weight in the perception of producers in Goiás and Tocantins than Mato Grosso. Based on the results, we discuss the importance of co-designing place-based, alternative policies and mitigation options for both agricultural intensification and environmental conservation, taken into consideration through the intertwined global and local forces. • Mapping perceptions of soybean producers across Brazil reveals heterogeneous characters, concepts, and relationships. • Climate change has vast and more severe impacts to land-use change decisions than trade. • Producers acknowledge the contribution of international trade to local production, social, and infrastructure development. • Land actors' varied perceptions demand place-based policies, balancing environmental and agricultural sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first record of a rich palynoflora within the Bauru Group (Cretaceous of southeastern Brazil). The Bauru Group is rich in animal fossils, but has been virtually barren in palynomorphs. There are only two previous palynological works from the Bauru Group: (1) that of the São Carlos Formation, whose outcrop is located outside the formal boundary of the Bauru Basin, and (2) the extremely poor and poorly preserved palynoflora from a coprolite of the Marília Formation. The material studied here, from the Araçatuba Formation, is the only one palyniferous sample from a groundwater well drilled in the central-west region of the state of São Paulo. The Araçatuba Formation, constituted by swamp deposits, rests directly on the basalts of the Serra Geral Group. The Araçatuba palynoflora contains index palynomorphs – Cretacaeiporites polygonalis , C. scabratus and Hexaporotricolpites emelianovi – signifying an early Campanian age. Moreover, the absence of Santonian indices and of older ages, confirms attribution to the lower Campanian. In paleoclimatic terms, the assemblage suggests aridity, given the abundance of ephedroid pollen grains and the low frequency of pteridophytic spores. The occurrence of spores of water ferns confirms the paludal setting. The aqueous environment is also suggested by the occurrence of zooclasts derived from crustacean eggs. However, the virtual absence of phytoplankton may indicate the ephemeral nature of the water body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the perception of young generation (from 19 to 39 years old) about on-demand delivery services. An exploratory analysis was performed using data from a social media questionnaire and estimating a structural equation model. The findings showed that the perception of on-demand services and on-demand deliveries influenced on-demand purchases before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the consumer profile influenced on-demand purchases before the COVID-19 pandemic. The practicality of buying and receiving products at home is the main motivation of the young generation regarding the use of on-demand delivery services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings showed the importance of extending this exploratory analysis to other age groups in the post-pandemic time due to the increase in on-demand deliveries and the related impacts of this delivery service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Initiatives led by grassroots actors achieve better social-ecological outcomes. • Multi-specialization of activities promotes positive sustainability transformations. • Initiatives with cross-sectoral and -scalar partnerships are more successful. • Place-based initiatives promote sustainable pathways and transformative change. • Grassroots empowerment is key for external actors seeking to promote sustainability. The Amazon has a diverse array of social and environmental initiatives that adopt forest-based land-use practices to promote rural development and support local livelihoods. However, they are often insufficiently recognized as transformative pathways to sustainability and the factors that explain their success remain understudied. To address this gap, this paper proposes that local initiatives that pursue three particular pathways are more likely to generate improvements in social-ecological outcomes: (1) maintaining close connections with local grassroots, (2) pursuing diversity in productive activities performed and partnership choices, and (3) developing cross-scale collaborations. To test these ideas we collected and analyzed observations of 157 initiatives in Brazil and Peru, applying a combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses. Our results show that initiatives maintaining groundedness in representing the interests and concerns of local actors while partnering with other organizations at multiple scales are more likely to develop joint solutions to social-ecological problems. Partnerships and support from external organizations may strengthen and enhance local capabilities, providing a platform for negotiating interests and finding common ground. Such diversified pathways demonstrate the power of local actors to transcend their own territories and have broader impacts in sustainability objectives. Our findings highlight the need to make governmental and non-governmental support (e.g., financial, technical, political) available according to local needs to enable local initiatives' own ways of addressing global environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental consciousness of customers and the emergence of stricter environmental regulations has pushed industries to think about environmental management by means of reverse logistics (RL) implementation. In order to implement RL systems, a careful analysis of barriers that hinder the reverse flow must be taken. However, most existing research on the barriers for RL implementation is focused on developed countries. Among the most important emerging economies, Brazil, the largest Latin America economy, faces challenges such as a deficient logistics infrastructure and the recently enacted National Policy on solid waste. To bridge this gap, this paper identifies and evaluates the barriers for RL in the Brazilian context. An eleven-step research methodology is proposed. First, literature was thoroughly reviewed. fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) was used to obtain the critical list of barriers by experts and industrial managers’ opinions. Then, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) questionnaires were answered by electrical–electronic equipment (EEE) industry sector experts in order to obtain the priority ranking of barriers. This paper contributes with a compilation of the RL barriers from a systematic literature review process, a list of most common RL barriers accepted by Brazilian organizations, and a priority ranking of RL barriers for the electrical-electronic industry sector in Brazil. The “Economic related issues” category of barriers seems to be the first priority. The financial burden of tax and the uncertainty related to economic issues appear to be major obstacles for RL implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the historical evolution and geographic biases of the Initiative for the Integration of South America’s Regional Infrastructure (IIRSA). The study presents an analysis of the initiative’s origins in the neoliberalization of Brazilian planning in 1990s; the characteristics of its first round of cross-border infrastructure investments during the 2000–2010 period and its unaltered incorporation into the UNASUR institution, following South America’s recent post-neoliberal transition. The paper conceptualizes IIRSA’s spatial planning framework of ‘integration and development axes’ as an enduring form of neoliberal territorial design. By prioritising public investment in logistics corridors, IIRSA has privileged the global competitiveness of select export sectors over all other infrastructure provision and macro-regional planning considerations. It also aggravates geographically uneven development and fails to reflect extensive urbanization dynamics. The analysis is supported by archival research, a careful reading of policy documents and primary fieldwork conducted in the borderland Brazilian state of Roraima which illustrates the socio-spatial impacts that IIRSA has produced on the ground through its selective roadway development and lack of comprehensive planning in the Guianese Shield Axis – the designated corridor with the lowest level of investment. In addition to presenting a comprehensive empirical assessment of IIRSA, the paper aims to contribute to the literature on the variegated geographies of neoliberalism and emerging debates on planetary urbanization by emphasizing the ways in which state intervention (re)shapes extensive networked infrastructures, which, in turn, condition urbanization processes and inter-urban relations. The paper’s conclusion includes policy recommendations and suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rio de Janeiro is undergoing a makeover that is undeniably spectacular. Redevelopment schemes are dramatically rearranging the urban landscape, and crucially, this economic growth hinges on the production and circulation of images of the city. This paper explores a site of alterity and resistance where a favela youth collective has re-created Rio from its margins. This miniature world, known as Morrinho and built of bricks, mortar, and re-used materials, hosts a role-playing game featuring thousands of inch-tall avatars. This paper argues that re-visioning the world anew through play makes the society of the spectacle inhabitable and thus contestable. How does the society of the spectacle become a terrain for struggle in Rio? Locating spectacle production in nation-state formation and the urban process, the paper provides a genealogy of the spectacle beyond the modern North Atlantic metropole. Locating the favela within a Brazilian geographical imagination frames ethnographic data collected as an observer and participant in the Morrinho game. While the spectacle may hinge on the relationship between visuality and power, this essay observes how signs take on material lives through ludic re-appropriation. Play becomes a form of commentary, an alternative mode of knowledge about the city, and functions dually as both description of and participant in the social world in which it is embedded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The SNP for ID 52-plex system was analyzed in a Brazilian population sample (n = 340). • Next-generation sequencing was performed with the HaloPlex and MiSeq approaches. • On average, 50.5 genotypes were called in each sample. • Combined match probability of 6.48 × 10−21 and exclusion power of 0.9997 were found. • Admixture tools revealed predominant European contribution and low Amerindian input. Abstract SNP analysis is of paramount importance in forensic genetics. The development of new technologies in next-generation sequencing allowed processing a large number of markers in various samples simultaneously. Although SNPs are less informative than STRs, they present lower mutation rates and perform better when using degraded samples. Some SNP systems were developed for forensic usage, such as the SNP for ID 52-plex, from the SNP for ID Consortium, containing 52 bi-allelic SNPs for human identification. In this paper we evaluated the informativeness of this system in a Brazilian population sample (n = 340). DNA libraries were prepared using a customized HaloPlex Target Enrichment System kit (Agilent Technologies, Inc.) and sequenced in the MiSeq Personal Sequencer platform (Illumina Inc.). The methodology presented here allowed the analysis of 51 out of 52 SNP for ID markers. Allele frequencies and forensic parameters were estimated, revealing high informativeness: the combined match probability and power of exclusion were 6.48 × 10−21 and 0.9997, respectively. Population admixture analysis indicates high European contribution (more than 70%) and low Amerindian contribution (less than 10%) in our population, while individual admixture analyses were consistent with the majority of individuals presenting high European contribution. This study demonstrates that the 52-plex kit is suitable for forensic cases in a Brazilian population, presenting results comparable with those obtained using a 16 STR panel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Expert framings led some previously excluded actors to have their voices heard. • Common discursive framings led to new alliances. • Not all actors have access to technical and scientific knowledge. • Interests that cannot be expressed in expert terms remain excluded. Abstract In the last twenty years, participatory forums have been increasingly used to manage water basins around the world. The implementation of participatory forums has sought to prevent and overcome conflicts by bringing together a multiplicity of stakeholders in joint efforts to deliberate, achieve mutually agreed upon decisions, and distribute limited water resources. Different literature streams have evaluated the benefits and challenges of participatory forums in practice, such as the difficulties some forums have had when confronting existing power structures. Separately, research on water governance has paid particular attention to the ways in which expert discourses are used by traditionally powerful actors to exclude less powerful others. This paper draws from the literatures on participation and discourses in environmental governance to empirically investigate how expert discourses may empower or disempower certain actors in four basin councils – two in Peru and two in Brazil. Through qualitative thematic analysis of 116 interviews and observation notes, we specifically investigate the extent to which expert discourses in these basin councils help empower previously excluded actors. Our findings indicate stakeholder interests that are not, or cannot, be expressed within the frame of expert discourses are often marginalized. This suggests participation has made it possible for some previously excluded actors to have a voice, yet their potential influence is seemingly confined to a restricted space beyond which their voices will have little effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Between 2013 and 2015, São Paulo experienced a major drought. With drinking water reservoirs reduced to 5% of their capacity, the water supply company, SABESP, implemented measures to reduce household water consumption, and the government of São Paulo state overruled watershed committees to prioritize the supply of water to SABESP. While attention centered on freak meteorological conditions, the management of water resources and water services also played a role; in particular the conversion of SABESP from a state utility to a mixed capital company in which the state government held a majority stake. As the crisis abated, the state government announced measures to increase 'water security', comprising water diversion infrastructure to increase supply alongside governance reforms to improve state-led responses. This paper examines the relationship between water security and water governance in the context of the São Paulo water crisis. We demonstrate how processes and structures that are broadly characteristic of 'good governance' both exacerbated the effects of the drought and constrained responses to it. We make two related arguments. First, the mutually-beneficial commercial relationship between the state government and SABESP was fundamental in shaping these dynamics. Second, the drought experience, shaped by these dynamics, has legitimized a shift back towards a centralized, top-down and supply-led approach to water. This is discursively framed as envisaging future 'water security', yet serves to enhance SABESP's revenue streams, and consequently state government finances. We thus contend that the conventional view that good governance is conducive to water security needs to be reevaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Specialisation at national level hampers mitigation-adaptation integration. • Local actors prioritize climate adaptation but lack of influence hinders action. • Decentralisation affects cross-level power differentials in land and climate domains. • Dominant national level communities exclude localities from policy decisions. Abstract This article proposes an innovative theoretical framework that combines institutional and policy network approaches to study multi-level governance. The framework is used to derive a number of propositions on how cross-level power imbalances shape communication and collaboration across multiple levels of governance. The framework is then applied to examine the nature of cross-level interactions in climate change mitigation and adaptation policy processes in the land use sectors of Brazil and Indonesia. The paper identifies major barriers to cross-level communication and collaboration between national and sub-national levels. These are due to power imbalances across governance levels that reflect broader institutional differences between federal and decentralized systems of government. In addition, powerful communities operating predominantly at the national level hamper cross-level interactions. The analysis also reveals that engagement of national level actors is more extensive in the mitigation and that of local actors in the adaptation policy domain, and specialisation in one of the climate change responses at the national level hampers effective climate policy integration in the land use sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A harmonized water footprint assessment is proposed for micro- and macro- decisions. • The assessment allows for product- and water management-focused approaches. • We apply the assessment to soybean production in Mato Grosso, Brazil. • The harmonized assesment overcomes limitations of individual approaches. Abstract The water footprint (WF) has introduced a much-needed perspective for decision-makers on the use of water resources in supply chains. It has been used as a tool to assess and improve water use efficiency and water resources management, as well as inform on potential environmental impacts of water consumption in products. This paper is a contribution towards harmonizing WF assessments within decision-making contexts as they relate to their specific focus on either products or water management. First, we describe the relationship between product- and water management-focused WF approaches and their distinct perspectives, priorities and reliance on specific academic fields in relation to water resources decision-making. We then propose a harmonized WF assessment that observes both hydrogeographic and product system boundaries. We apply this harmonized WF assessment to the case of soybean production in Mato Grosso, Brazil, to illustrate how micro- and macro-level decision-making can be combined for a more complete set of policy responses affecting water resources. Our contribution aims to better highlight the strengths and limitations of individual WF approaches and assessments which can be overcome by a harmonized approach. By focusing the conversation on a more integrated assessment of water use in relation to decision-making, we show the range of different purposes and useful WF results that, together, can promote responses for greater local and global water security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Seafood imports have increased strongly in emerging economies during the last decades. However, the impacts of increased imports on price determination process, local fishers' income and fish stocks have received limited attention. This paper presents a market integration and price transmission analysis for the Brazilian sardine market, comprising the fresh and canned sardines segments, to shed light on these issues. Imports currently supply about one-half the sardines in the Brazilian market, and even more when the domestic fishery landings are low. The results suggest not only a fully integrated market but also a complete price transmission in both sardine value chains. Hence, import competition with domestic fisheries limit price increases in the domestic fishery and reduce fishers' income and fishing effort. However, the canneries, consumers and fish stocks are better off. Highlights • Sardine imports have increased in Brazil, especially when the domestic fishery fails. • Brazilian sardine and imports form a fully integrated market. • Complete price transmission is found for both canned and fresh sardines value chains. • Import competition may limit price increase, reduce fishers' income and effort. • Findings highlight the importance of market integration for fisheries management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Aviation is a key component of the economy of Queensland, Australia, but the State currently lacks an overarching aviation network strategy to enable improved consistency between state, regional and local policies for economic growth. The objective of this paper is to learn lessons from three international aviation networks to assist the development of an aviation strategy. The Resource-Based View has been mobilised accordingly as a lens for identifying and explaining the benefits and shortfalls of different governance models for aviation networks around the world, with the aviation networks of Florida, California, and Brazil reviewed. Lessons from each network are discussed for the context of the Queensland aviation network, which is framed as a multi-hub network split between the North and South East regions of the State. The three vignettes demonstrate that a more formal network-level approach to generate whole-of-state objectives for aviation is a plausible option for Queensland to pursue, enabling the state to define an overarching strategy that appreciates the reality of a resource-constrained future while pursuing the State's objectives for overarching social, economic and strategic needs. Highlights • A more formal aviation approach is plausible for Queensland. • US State vignettes have a defined aviation policy network. • Further centralisation is possible in dense South East Queensland region. • North Queensland routes could feed more into the South East sub-region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents two low GHG emission scenarios for Brazil up to 2050, and discusses the impact in the implementation of a deep decarbonization scenario of a financial device allowing for decreasing capital costs of mitigation investments. Specifically, we consider (i) a governmental plan scenario assuming the achievement of NDC targets up to 2030 and the extension of current policies up to 2050; and (ii) a deep decarbonization scenario leading to a national GHG emission pathway compatible with an international effort targeted to stabilize the global temperature at 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. We present a comparative analysis of the scenario results for key economic and social indicators, and simulate the adoption of a new financial device allowing to decrease capital costs of low carbon investments in Brazil. Our conclusions highlight the potential of innovative financial mechanisms to foster the transition to a low carbon society in developing countries, as illustrated in the case of Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Here, we clarify the events described on a recent paper by Soares & Lucas in Marine Policy 93 (2018) that resulted in the establishment of large marine protected areas (MPAs) in Brazil. We describe crucial aspects of the planning process that were not addressed by the authors, particularly: (i) top-down changes on the original design that left the most diverse, unique and vulnerable ecosystems poorly protected; (ii) the permission of fishing activities within no-take areas; and (iii) shortfalls in using these MPAs for quantifying progress towards the Aichi Target 11. The spatial configuration of MPAs was modified by the government in a typical top-down scenario that received neither public nor scientific input. We call for a ban on fishing activities around the islands and on mining activities within all MPAs. We emphasize the need for reconciling qualitative aspects of Aichi Target 11 when establishing new MPAs as a strategy for enhancing conservation outcomes. The establishment of these large MPAs should not divert attention from actions needed for the protection of priority sites based on scientific evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • First analysis of top income shares in Brazil from 1926 to 2015. • Concentration of income at the top follows a sine wave pattern. • Changes correlate closely with political-institutional disruptions. • “Tax-adjusted” Ginis suggest surveys overstate the recent decline in inequality. Abstract This paper uses income tax tabulations to estimate top income shares in Brazil over the long run. Between 1926 and 2015, the concentration of income at the top remained very high, following a sine wave trend: top shares ebbed and flowed over time, frequently in tandem with political and institutional disruptions. There is some evidence in favor of Williamson’s “missed leveling” hypothesis regarding the origins of Latin America’s exceptionally high levels of inequality, but the recent decline in inequality is cast in a more dubious light, since top income shares remained quite stable since 2000 and the "tax-adjusted" Gini coefficients show a smaller and shorter, though still sizeable, decrease. The nature of the political regime matters, but democracy is not a sufficient condition for redistribution. Brazil’s tumultuous political history suggests top income shares change substantially mostly during political-institutional crises, when the typical quid pro quo of more liberal regimes in normal times collapses. I complement the analysis with international comparisons and a discussion of the role of institutions in shaping inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of neoliberal market management has contributed to an incontrovertible 'truth' that regional tourism organizations (RTOs) established and led by business actors are more effective in leading regional tourism development. Despite this assertion, little evidence has surfaced to support the idea that market-led governance offers a superior model of leadership for regional tourism. This paper adopts an embedded case study approach, undertaking a comparison of leadership in two RTOs that are operating in the same geographical location but under different governance regimes. Semi- structured interviews with executives/leaders and stakeholders/followers were undertaken in two RTOs: a market-led organization and a government-led organization. The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of governance arrangements on the capacity of these RTOs to lead tourism. Findings reveal that while dimensions of governance such as participation, efficiency, legitimacy, accountability, effectiveness and transparency influence a RTO׳s capacity to lead, good governance and strong leadership were not necessarily synonymous. RTOs can demonstrate varying levels of effectiveness in different dimensions of governance and leadership can be strong in some aspects and weak in others at the same time. The paper argues for a more nuanced approach to understanding governance and leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has led governments worldwide to impose extensive restrictions on citizens, some of which may have long-term impact after their removal. Education is arguably the policy domain where closure policies are anticipated to lead to greatest lasting loss, in this case learning loss. Currently, limited data exists from which researchers and practitioners can draw insightful conclusions about how to remedy the problem. In this paper, we outline the global pattern in pandemic school-closure periods and illustrate data needs through the examples drawn from Brazil and India, two large countries which experienced prolonged periods of school closures during the pandemic. We conclude with a series of recommendations for building an improved data environment at government, school and household levels, to serve the building back agenda in education, and to provide better opportunities for evidence-based policymaking thereafter. • Centralized data platforms at the government level are critical for the COVID-19 recovery agenda in education. • Data collection and provision should focus on supporting school professionals. • Alternative assessments such as household surveys can complement traditional classroom assessments to support decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The conventional understanding of environmental governance implicitly assumes a priori presence of citizen rationality that underpins constitution of civil society vis-à-vis state. This assumption tends to overlook the economic and ecological consequences of social interactions through which people with diverse forms of rationality gradually produce distinction between state and society and shape environmental governance as an embedded process. This paper presents a case study of spontaneous settlers called posseiros in the south-east of the state of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon and examines ways that their social interactions lead to the so-called emancipation movements for municipal making on the agrarian frontier and open civic places in which environmental governance is negotiated. It pays particular attention to the role of religion, especially the Pentecostal Church of Assembly of God in relation to the traditional Catholic Church, in influencing the posseiros' ecological rationality and the articulation of emancipation movements and argues that the focus on religion sheds new light on the linkage between the environment, livelihoods and local governance. The paper concludes by discussing pragmatic implications of the case study for promoting sustainable rural development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Over the last decades, hundreds of thousands of families have settled in the Brazilian Amazon within the framework of the Agrarian Reform Program (ARP). The rationale behind the program is to enable settlers to earn their living by small-scale farming and producing an agricultural surplus for the market. This paper aims to analyze the settlers' livelihood strategies under the framework of the ARP and its objectives. The paper considers more than just land use shares. Income composition, capital (human, physical, natural, social, and financial), mediating process, and context are also included, and these reveal three groups of livelihood strategies. Most of the settlers have achieved the ARP goals, mainly by deploying livestock strategies, particularly milk production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Since the turn of the century, Brazilian sugarcane production has increased and the area under sugarcane cultivation has expanded considerably, moves primarily driven by the use of ethanol as a fuel source. The crop’s expansion has impacting land use patterns and employment trends in several of Brazil’s regions. This study assesses the dynamics of land use competition in São Paulo, Brazil, the state responsible for the largest share of sugarcane production and fuel ethanol refining in the country. The assessment employs shift-share analysis carried out in two stages and data from 2000 through 2015. Results indicate that cultivated area dedicated to sugarcane increased dramatically over this period to the detriment not only of pasture areas, as is commonly emphasized in relevant literature, but also of land formerly dedicated to annual and perennial food crops, such as rice, beans, corn, potatoes, cassava, and fruits. The shift in agricultural land use has given rise to three main concerns: (1) land price increases; (2) food price increases; and (3) possible challenges to the use of sugarcane as an economical fuel source. The study analyzed the viability of sugarcane ethanol as a competitive alternative to other energy sources and the risks its use presents to food security. This paper also contains a summary of the "food vs. fuel" debate, adding new elements to refine the discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on rural development focuses on the socio-economic effects of agricultural support policies; the process of policy design, however, is devoted less attention. Identifying policy coalitions may help provide clarity on the motivations behind a given agricultural support system. Using Discourse Network Analysis, this paper studies the debates preceding the approval of the National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture (Pronaf) in Brazil in the Nineties. This represented a relevant overturn of the preceding policy framework. Two coalitions that opposed each other have been identified: while large farm business associations favoured measures to enhance productivity, movements comprising of family farmers aimed at introducing credit instruments for small producers. The strong pressure from social movements was key to the adoption of Pronaf. However, findings suggest that the Workers’ Party, which found itself in a less conflicting position, played a brokerage role in the negotiation of the final policy package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]