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This executive summary analyzes whether the substantial decline in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between 2004 and 2009 was driven by agricultural price fluctuations or government conservation policies. Using regression techniques and counterfactual simulations, the authors conclude that conservation policies implemented at two key turning points (2004 and 2008) were responsible for approximately half of the avoided deforestation during this period.

This report synthesizes findings from the IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Promote Adaptation to Climate Change (SREX), specifically focusing on the implications for Latin America and the Caribbean. It examines the interaction between climate extremes, human factors, and the environment, emphasizing that disaster risk is increasing due to rising vulnerability and exposure, even independent of climate change.

The document contains the minutes of the Seventeenth IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP), held on June 9-10, 2010, in Brasilia, Brazil. The meeting focused on the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research's (IAI) financial status, the approval of its 2010-2011 core budget and annual program, and the election of members to its Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and Executive Council (EC). It also details national reports on climate change mitigation and adaptation from member countries and discusses the development of a new strategic plan and potential involvement in REDD+ initiatives.

This 2010 policy report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the relationship between international trade and food security in Brazil. It concludes that while Brazil has become a major global food exporter and maintains sufficient national food availability, chronic food insecurity persists due to income inequality and poverty rather than trade-driven shortages. The report details the role of government price supports, the impact of fertilizer costs, and the transition of the Brazilian diet due to urbanization.

This report by Friends of the Earth International critiques the World Bank's role in international climate finance, arguing that the institution's history of financing fossil fuels and deforestation contradicts its claims of leading climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.

This policy briefing examines the evolving relationship between the United States and Brazil, noting that while the US now recognizes Brazil as a genuine emerging power and a vital player in global politics, translating this awareness into a concrete 'special relationship' is hindered by divergent priorities in security, trade, and regional leadership.

The report details the second year of project CRN-2094, which investigates how land cover and land use changes (LCLUC) affect the hydroclimate and extreme weather events in the La Plata Basin. Key activities include the development of a Land Data Assimilation System, the use of Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs) to improve regional climate models, and the implementation of agricultural monitoring tools in Paraguay.

This 2010 report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the challenges and opportunities for energy security and integration in South America, focusing on the pivotal role of Brazil. The author argues that while the region possesses vast energy resources, national regulations and a lack of multilateral frameworks create insecurity and underutilization of low-cost resources. The report proposes a Multilateral Energy Security Reserve (RMSE) treaty to stabilize supply and suggests that Brazil's market size and leadership in renewables make it the ideal coordinator for a secure, competitive regional energy market.

This 2010 policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines Brazil's climate change strategy, noting a transition from treating the issue as an international relations matter to a central domestic political priority. While Brazil possesses a low-carbon energy matrix and has reduced deforestation, rapid economic growth and the discovery of pre-salt oil reserves threaten to increase energy-related emissions.

This research paper describes Alcoa's 'Sustainable Juruti Program' for its bauxite mine in the Brazilian Amazon, which aims to establish a sustainability benchmark for mining in ecologically sensitive regions through a combination of environmental respect, social responsibility, and economic success.

This report examines the integration of sustainable development—specifically environmental, labor, and social concerns—into Peru's trade and investment agenda. It analyzes the shift from a 1990s policy of prioritizing foreign investment with minimal standards to a current framework where sustainable development commitments are largely driven by external requirements from free trade agreements (FTAs) and international trade partners.

This report examines how sustainable development issues are integrated into Brazil's international trade and investment agenda, noting a shift from official government resistance to practical adaptation by economic actors due to international pressures and domestic political evolution.

This 2009 report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA) for Ecuador. It analyzes the intersection of international trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), and environmental sustainability, focusing on five key sectors: flowers, shrimp, timber, tourism, and mining. The document highlights a systemic tension where economic growth driven by raw material exports often occurs at the expense of critical ecosystems, such as mangroves and native forests, and notes a lack of coordinated state policy to integrate environmental costs into productive models.

This report by Friends of the Earth International criticizes the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for financing large-scale, export-oriented agrofuel projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. The document argues that these projects exacerbate social and environmental inequities, threaten biodiversity, and may increase greenhouse gas emissions due to land-use changes, rather than serving as a viable climate solution.

This strategy report, prepared following a February 2006 meeting in Nairobi, examines the intersection of biodiversity conservation and social-political conflict within the Albertine Rift. It advocates for adaptive conservation interventions to minimize risks and address root causes of threats, while analyzing seven conflict assessment tools to help practitioners avoid or mitigate conflict in project areas.

This report by Friends of the Earth International (FOEI) examines how multilateral trade negotiations within the World Trade Organization (WTO) could negatively impact the rights of Indigenous Peoples, specifically regarding territorial rights, traditional knowledge, and the management of protected areas and natural resources.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) submitted comments to the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) arguing that traditional knowledge of biological diversity is frequently overlooked as prior art, leading to the improper granting of patents. The document recommends stricter disclosure requirements for applicants, the systematic use of ethnobotanical databases and herbarium specimens in searches, and the consideration of moral grounds for denying patents on sacred indigenous resources.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) details a legal challenge to Plant Patent No. 5,751, issued to Loren Miller for a variety of the Amazon rainforest plant Banisteriopsis caapi (used to make ayahuasca). The challenge, supported by COICA and the Amazon Coalition, argues the patent is invalid because the plant's medicinal properties and physical features are already known as 'prior art' and the plant exists in an uncultivated state. Beyond this specific case, the authors call for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to review how traditional knowledge and biological diversity are treated under patent law to prevent the appropriation of indigenous resources without consent.

This document is a detailed statement submitted by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) requesting the reexamination of U.S. Plant Patent No. 5,751. The patent, issued to Loren S. Miller for a cultivar of Banisteriopsis caapi named "Da Vine," is challenged on the grounds that the plant is neither new nor distinct, is found in an uncultivated state, and violates public policy and morality by appropriating sacred indigenous knowledge.

This research paper analyzes public spending on climate change in Peru, specifically focusing on the Adaptation and Mitigation for Climate Change (AMACC) budget. The author argues that current spending trends and allocations are insufficient to meet Peru's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2030, noting a lack of territorial focus and a significant decline in funding in recent years.