 Monica Julissa De Los Rios de Leal has a BA in Biology and MSc in Ecology and Natural Resources Management from Federal University of Acre (UFAC) and training in the PRODES (Deforestation Estimative Program for Brazilian Amazon) method by the National Institution of Spatial Researches of Brazil. She works as an Adjunct Researcher in the Zoobotanical Park at UFAC where she is responsible for the study of the evolution of land cover in the Acre River Basin in the tri-national area of Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. Her work is part of the project “Land use land cover changes in tri-frontier area of Brazil, Bolivia and Peru: Implications for sustainable land use in southwestern Amazon,” within the Large-Scale Biosphere Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA). She has also participated in the Initiative MAP (Madre de Dios/Peru, Acre/Brasil and Pando/Bolivia), a tri-national initiative of cooperation for sustainable development in Southwestern Amazonia, specifically in coordination with partners from these three countries for shared management of the Acre River Basin.
Southwestern Amazonia is the frontier area between Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. In recent years large investments have been made in the infrastructure of this region in an effort to integrate it with the economic centers of South America. The center of this area consists of the Department of Madre de Dios, Peru; the State of Acre, Brazil; and the Department of Pando, Bolivia; known as the MAP region. This region is one of the most biologically diverse regions of the world and is also very socially diverse with a population that speaks more than ten languages. This area is rich in resources. There is intensive gold mining activity in Madre de Dios and Pando, as well as oil and gas prospecting. All of these activities may be intensified by the infrastructure planned for this region. The acceleration of the integration process stands this region in a crucial historical moment, creating a challenge for MAP´s societies: how to combine development with environmental conservation. The MAP Initiative, a collaborative effort of individuals and academics, governmental and non-governmental organizations, is working to reach this goal, as a model of cooperation between frontiers countries.
In the order to learn more about resource extraction and its affects on the environment, to enhance the work of the MAP Initiative, and hoping to establish a cooperative relationship with the University of California, Berkeley, during her time in Berkeley Monica hopes to:
- Research current bibliography to acquire theoretic knowledge about the green governance issues;
- Participate in seminars, discussions or courses about the impacts of oil exploration on the environment;
- Write a paper about the collaboration process of the MAP Initiative, enriched by the interchange with Luce fellows and the theoretic concepts acquired in the bibliography consultation;
- Write a proposal for a workshop to discuss the infrastructure and oil exploration planned for the MAP region; the workshop will support activities of the MAP Initiative.
|
