Brazil: economic growth and environmental threat

Marcelo Gordo is in the backyard of a small house on the outskirts of Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is expecting to see a bald tamarin, a primate species in danger of extinction.


 These small and omnivorous animals live only in the rainforest that surrounds the city. As Manaus is expanded, the tamarins are being trapped in isolated patches of forest.Related ContentAmazon deforestation, a story of destruction with a happy ending"We are not the villains"
 Gordo, a researcher at the Federal University of Amazonas, takes about 14 years studying primates and has already found a group of eight who lives in a jungle ravine that lies behind this row of houses."They have a very strict geographical distribution and in recent years have been losing that space," he says."If these animals had a small geographic distribution elsewhere, where there were competing with humans, then there would be no problem. But just where is Manaus live."Located deep in the Amazon, Manaus is located in an unusual place for a city.Shone when it was built originally as the center of the rubber boom around 1870.But once began to develop rubber plantations elsewhere, Manaus went into a period of gloom.That began to change in the 1960s, when the military government that took power through a coup, was trying to consolidate control over the country through economic development and trying to boost its control of the Amazon .He encouraged the expansion of businesses in the area by offering generous tax breaks.Technology companies
 The growth of Manaus threatening several species such as tamarins.Since then, Manaus has grown and now, thanks to the healthy economy of Brazil, the city experienced a boom again.Its population is 1.8 million people, almost double what it had in 1990.Many multinational technology, such as LG, Samsung and Philips, have a presence here and your business is on the increase even more."It's not easy to find employees with the profile that we, the companies, we are looking for," Wilson says Perico, the director of the Technicolor factory, which produces modems and satellite decoders."Therefore, some companies bring experts from other states or countries to help the new, to develop their activities here."The increase in the number of workers led to the decision to build a bridge over the Amazon River to develop projects in the south shore.Opened at the end of 2011, the Black River bridge will give workers access to neighborhoods called bedroom, where more homes are being built.It is not the only change. Manaus is one of the cities that will host World Cup matches in 2014.It is building a stadium for 40,000 spectators and there are plans to build several hotels for amateurs and tourists.Tournament organizers promise that the stadium will respect the environment, use energy-saving lights and collect rainwater.Construction of streets
 Some neighborhoods in Manaus increasingly penetrate the jungle.But even with these "green" credentials, the expansion of Manaus is still a threat to the environment around it.There are few roads connecting the city with the outside world and most visitors arrive by air or by boat, crossing the vast Amazon River.


 As the city grows, there is concern that more roads are required. And there are environmentalists who say that by building roads can damage the forest."Much of the land which is public domain end up becoming private property as a result of people who arrive illegally," says PhilipFearnside, an American academic who lives and works in Manaus for more than 30 years."There is tremendous pressure on the land that emerge when building any street," he says.Manaus symbolizes one of the dilemmas faced by developing countries.In June, leaders of some of them will gather in Brazil for the United Nations Conference for Sustainable Development, also known as Rio +20.The question we try to find an answer is whether it is possible to create jobs and growth to eradicate poverty at the same time without destroying the environment.