The Amazon from an International Law Perspective

404 Pages·2011·2.57 MB·English

by  Beatriz Garcia

The Amazon from an International Law Perspective
With a vast river network and rain forests extending over eight South American coun-
tries, the Amazon plays a vital role in maintaining biodiversity, regional hydrology, and
terrestrial carbon storage. Due to its ecological characteristics, this region benefi ts not
only the Amazon States, but also the international community at large. The rapid clear-
ing of the Amazon forests, in particular, affects the balance of the global environment,
exacerbating global warming trends and contributing to biodiversity loss. This book
examines whether international law has an impact on the preservation of the Amazon
and to what extent international cooperation can help protect this region. It examines
both how the Amazon countries cooperate with each other, as well as how they coop-
erate with the broader international community. The book also explores whether the
Amazon should be granted a special legal status and the possible implications in terms
of international cooperation.
Beatriz Garcia is a Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Climate and Environ-
mental Law at Sydney Law School. She completed her PhD at the Graduate Institute of
International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. She has worked at the
Biodiversity and Climate Change Section of the United Nations Conference on Trade
and Development, particularly on projects related to the Amazon. She has held positions
at government agencies in Brazil and provided advice to institutions such as the Amazon
Cooperation Treaty Organization.

The Amazon from an International
Law Perspective
BEATRIZ GARCIA
Doctor in International Relations (International Law),
Graduate Institute of International and
Development Studies, Geneva
cambridge university press
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Cambridge University Press
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© Beatriz Garcia 2011
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2011
Printed in the United States of America
A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data
Garcia, Beatriz, 1974–
The Amazon from an international law perspective / Beatriz Garcia.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-521-76962-4 (hardback)
1. Natural resources – Law and legislation – Amazon River
Region. 2. Environmental law – Amazon River Region.
3. Environmental law, International. I. Title.
kh642.a46g37 2011
344.81′1046–dc22 2010039404
isbn 978-0-521-76962-4 Hardback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or
accuracy of urls for external or third-party Internet Web sites referred to in
this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Web sites is,
or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
For Laurent

Contents
List of Maps and Figures page xi
List of Tables xii
Preface xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Abbreviations and Acronyms xix
1 Introduction 1
1.1. International Cooperation in the Field of
Environmental Protection 3
1.2. The Context and Meaning of International Cooperation 5
1.3. Limits to International Cooperation in the
Environmental Field 10
1.4. International Cooperation in the Context of the
Present Study 16
2 The Characteristics of the Amazon Region 23
2.1. Physical Characteristics 23
2.1.1. Land Area 23
2.1.2. Hydrological Characteristics 26
2.2. Socioeconomic Characteristics 29
2.2.1. Population 29
2.2.2. Economic Development and Trade 32
2.3. Current Threats to the Amazonian Environment 34
2.3.1. Deforestation in the Amazon 36
2.3.2. Impacts of Deforestation on the Amazon 46
vii
viii Contents
3 The Origins of Regional Cooperation in the Amazon 50
3.1. International Boundaries Delimiting the Amazon Region 50
3.1.1. The Uti Possidetis as a Principle for Establishing
International Boundaries 51
3.1.2. International Boundaries between Brazil and the
Other Amazon States 54
3.2. Commerce and Navigation 60
3.3. Early Forms of Cooperation in the Amazon Region 66
3.3.1. Treaties of Friendship and Cooperation 66
3.3.2. Environmental Conservation 67
3.3.3. Toward Regional Cooperation 70
Conclusions 72
4 The 1978 Amazon Cooperation Treaty 74
A. Origins of the 1978 Amazon Cooperation Treaty 75
4.1. The Rationale of a Regional Cooperation Treaty 75
4.2. The Negotiation of a Regional Cooperation Treaty 82
B. An Overview of the 1978 Amazon Cooperation Treaty 85
4.3. Normative Framework 85
4.3.1. Spatial Domain of Validity 86
4.3.2. Principles and Obligations 88
4.3.3. Implementation Mechanisms 95
4.3.4. Normative Evolution 97
4.4. Institutional Framework 100
4.4.1. Meetings of the Presidents 100
4.4.2. Meetings of Ministers of Foreign Affairs 101
4.4.3. Amazon Cooperation Council 103
4.4.4. Permanent National Commissions 104
4.4.5. Special Commissions 105
4.4.6. From Pro Tempore Secretariats to a Permanent
Structure 107
4.4.7. The Functions and Structure of the Permanent
Secretariat 110
4.4.8. The Permanent Secretariat Today 113
4.4.9. Financial Mechanism 117
4.5. Assessing the Effectiveness of the 1978 Amazon
Cooperation Treaty 118
Conclusions 123
Contents ix
5 Regional and Subregional Organizations 127
5.1. Organization of American States 129
5.2. Andean Community 132
5.3. Caribbean Community 137
5.4. Common Market of the South 140
5.5. Inter-American Development Bank 145
5.6. Andean Development Corporation 148
Conclusions 149
6 Other Legal Instruments Adopted by the Amazon
States I nter Se 151
A. Cooperation among the Amazon States Inter Se 152
6.1. Freshwater Resources 153
6.2. Biodiversity 159
6.2.1. Genetic Resources 162
6.2.2. Wildlife Species of Fauna and Flora 164
6.3. Health, Food Safety, and Sanitation 166
6.4. Forests 170
6.5. Hazardous Substances and Activities 174
6.6. Disaster Prevention and Management 174
6.7. Indigenous Populations 175
B. Cooperation among the Amazon States and Other
Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean 184
Conclusions 186
7 Multilateral Treaties and Global Actors in the Amazon 188
A. Multilateral Environmental Agreements 188
B. Global Actors 196
7.1. International Organizations 196
7.1.1. The United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization 196
7.1.2. United Nations Environment Programme 198
7.1.3. United Nations Development Programme 200
7.1.4. The World Bank and the Global Environment Facility 201
7.1.5. The Pilot Program to Conserve the Brazilian Rain Forest 207
7.2. International Nongovernmental Organizations 210
C. Synergies and Confl icts between Norms and Institutions 214
Conclusions 224