Volume 3 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2020.00050 This article is part of the Research TopicJurisdictional Approaches to Sustainability in the TropicsView all 9 articles Voluntary commitments are playing an ever-greater role in environmental governance at all scales In the years preceding the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015 a flurry of non-state and state actors signed on to various declarations and commitments to reduce deforestation as one globally significant climate mitigation solution This paper focuses on the Rio Branco Declaration (RBD) and the 30 first-order subnational jurisdictions located in Brazil and Peru that signed it between 2014 and 2018 committing to reduce deforestation 80% by 2020 conditional upon adequate support from the international community We assess each study jurisdiction’s progress toward that commitment in terms of reducing deforestation and examine a subset of the potential factors supporting or slowing progress including the existence of commensurate targets within jurisdictions’ legal frameworks and the international financial support pledged to jurisdictions We found that progress toward achieving the target was slow and likely unattainable in most jurisdictions outside of Brazil Among the four jurisdictions likely to achieve the target under current deforestation trajectories only Mato Grosso State has a target within its legal framework that is more ambitious than the RBD target We found that the international response to the RBD was sluggish and likely inadequate – with only one financial pledge made in direct response to the declaration and the majority of funding to support jurisdictional efforts coming from one source We did not find a clear relationship between international finance pledged and progress toward the RBD deforestation target; however jurisdictions that received pledges earlier have made more progress We explore what may explain individual jurisdictions’ performance with respect to the target including specific jurisdictional circumstances if current deforestation trajectories continue the RBD signatories in our study could contribute approximately 3.7% (0.65 GtCO2e) of the greenhouse gas emissions reduction needed to keep global warming at 1.5°C compared with a potential 5.7% (0.98 GtCO2e) if they were to all meet the RBD target Nowhere is this truer than with respect to climate change mitigation and adaptation including in regard to tropical deforestation and land use The role and potential impact of voluntary commitments by subnational governments in the tropics has not been well-studied 25 additional member governments have signed the Declaration we assess and interpret progress made by 30 RBD signatories We first estimate signatories’ progress toward the central target of the RBD: to reduce deforestation 80% by 2020 We also provide an indication of the point in time at which they will theoretically achieve the committed reduction we examine the extent to which the commitment made under the RBD are reflected within signatories’ relevant laws based on the expectation that an important indicator of a government’s intent to fulfill its commitments is whether commensurate targets have been incorporated into the jurisdiction’s legal and policy framework to evaluate the conditional aspect of the RBD we catalog the international financial support provided to the signatory jurisdictions with the objective of supporting policies and actions to reduce deforestation We conclude with a discussion of how these factors among other conditions specific to each jurisdiction may be related to jurisdictions’ respective progress toward the RBD target Map of 30 study jurisdictions representing first-level subnational political and administrative divisions (e.g. and current forest area of study jurisdictions To evaluate progress toward jurisdictional targets assessed in the study, we collected historical annual deforestation data for the reference period defined by each respective target through the most recently reported observations. We obtained deforestation data from the official forest monitoring systems of Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, and Peru, respectively (Stickler et al., 2018b; Supplementary Text S1) this information is produced for national and subnational levels based mainly on interpretation of Landsat satellite images The published deforestation data meet the required levels of consistency to be used in the definition of national forest reference emission levels (FRELs) and land use activities included in national GHG emissions inventories We used the most recent deforestation data released for Peru (2018) We did not use Brazil’s most recently published preliminary deforestation figures from 2019 due to anticipated discrepancies with the final figures; we used 2018 data the RBD baseline is defined as the average annual deforestation rate from 1996 to 2010 nearly all the Brazilian states defined the deforestation targets in their published state plans using the average annual deforestation rate from 1996 to 2005 as the baseline To harmonize these with the RBD commitment in order to make a comparison we translated legal targets (those incorporated into jurisdictions’ legal frameworks) into areal deforestation targets by 2020 Peru defines its baseline by projecting a linear increase of deforestation observed between 2000 and 2014 Indonesia defines its baseline by the average annual deforestation rate in the period from 1990 to 2012 the baseline is defined by the average deforestation of the 2000 to 2010 period we compared this value with the calculated RBD target When reporting progress toward the RBD target an 80% decline in deforestation below the baseline corresponds to 100% progress toward the RBD target We also estimated the year by which study jurisdictions are likely to achieve the RBD target by extrapolating each jurisdiction’s current deforestation trajectory (a linear projection from the baseline at the time of endorsement to current levels as defined above) to the year that an 80% reduction below the baseline would be reached For jurisdictions with increasing deforestation trajectories we could not estimate the date of achievement based on current trends We supplemented that assessment through consultations with national experts who are knowledgeable of the relevant legal and institutional frameworks affecting the jurisdictions in the context of environment and REDD+ we collected the following information about the target: the intended quantitative reduction the baseline against which the reduction is measured the geographic extent over which the target applies and the year in which the legislation was established We compared the years in which each jurisdiction’s legal target was established with the year in which it signed the RBD to obtain an indication of the extent to which the RBD may have influenced establishment of the legal target We also analyzed the correspondence between the RBD commitment to reduce deforestation 80% by 2020 and each study jurisdiction’s legal targets We developed the following classification to assess alignment between legal targets and the RBD target in terms of the quantity of reduced deforestation and the target year: (a) The legal target is not both measurable and time-bound; or (b) The legal target has the same term as the RBD target or a term farther in the future (c) The legal target has the same quantitative goal as the RBD target (a) The legal target is exactly the same as the RBD target in terms of both quantitative goal and target date; or (b) The legal target date has the same term as the RBD target (a) The legal target may be measurable in theory but not in practice (e.g. the goal requires measurement of net forest loss) (b) The legal target measures net or illegal deforestation whereas the RBD target measures gross deforestation; or (c) The legal target does not apply to the entire jurisdiction (e.g. whereas the RBD target is jurisdiction-wide; or (d) The legal target appears to be based on unreliable or otherwise flawed information (e.g. the target is impossible given total forest extent (a) No legal target is identified for the jurisdiction We then calculated the projected emissions reductions of the legal targets as a percent of the corresponding country’s projected NDC emissions reductions We were unable to carry out this analysis for Peru because the data used to develop Peruvian regions’ legal targets are unavailable and derived differently than those used to develop the NDC We also estimated the potential contribution by each jurisdiction (including those in Peru) to its respective NDC emissions reduction goal assuming full compliance with the RBD target using the same methodology described above for legal targets Finally, we estimated the potential contribution of reduced emissions from deforestation by each jurisdiction to its respective NDC, assuming that current deforestation rates hold through 2030. We first computed the difference in emissions associated with the current level of deforestation and the emissions associated with deforestation observed in the NDC base year (Supplementary Text S3 and Supplementary Table S3) We then compared this value to the all-sector emissions reductions goal of the NDC pledge For Brazilian jurisdictions, we carried out these analyses only for the Amazon biome. For Acre, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, and Pará, which have more than one legal target (Table 2) we calculated each state’s contribution to the NDC based only on the target laid out in their respective state Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation (PPCD) Inventory of deforestation targets (“legal targets”) of the nine GCF TF member jurisdictions located in Brazil To provide an indication of international financial support for reducing deforestation in the focal jurisdictions we identified the amounts and sources of international finance pledged to each jurisdiction from 2010 to 2019 We chose 2010 as the starting year because of its relevance as the year following the UNFCCC COP15 negotiations in Copenhagen which marked a shift in interest beyond national state actors As we were not able to reliably confirm disbursement of finance to jurisdictions for most sources To obtain an indication of how much international climate finance was pledged to signatories after the RBD was made public we separated funding sources into pre-RBD (2010–2014) and post-RBD (2015–2019) categories We distinguish between post-RBD funding that is directly related to the announcement of the RBD but is nevertheless designated to support efforts to reduce deforestation We assigned individual funding sources to one time period or the other according to the date the funding was initially pledged or contracted We considered all finance pledged in 2015 or later to be post-RBD even if the jurisdiction to which finance was pledged had not yet signed the RBD Since the initial signing and public declaration in 2014 of the RBD signaled a global call for funding this division allows us to most conservatively assess the direct and indirect effects of this call on the international community’s interest in offering financial support To enable comparison, we converted all funding amounts to US Dollars (USD). When the original source listed only non-USD currency amounts, we converted the given values to USD using an historical currency conversion database (OANDA, 2020), using the average exchange rate over the year in which the finance was pledged or contracted since we could not always confirm the exact date (Supplementary Table S4) Jurisdictions’ progress toward achieving the RBD deforestation reduction target as a percent of full compliance A value of 100% or greater indicates that the RBD target has been reached or exceeded A negative value indicates that the jurisdiction is increasing deforestation with respect to the baseline We estimated that only four jurisdictions are projected to achieve the 80% reduction in deforestation by 2020: Mato Grosso, Maranhão, Tocantins, and Papua (Figure 3) Mato Grosso is also likely to meet the target for its Cerrado forest area Another six jurisdictions could meet the goal by 2030: Pará Maranhão and Tocantins could achieve the target for their Cerrado forest areas The remaining five jurisdictions with demonstrated progress to date are projected to achieve the target only after 2035 assuming that the current deforestation trajectories hold Year in which each jurisdiction is projected to achieve the RBD deforestation reduction target based on current deforestation trajectories since one target (PPCD) was established in 2010 and the other (Zero Illegal Deforestation Agreement) in 2015 Inventory of deforestation targets (“legal targets”) of the seven GCF TF member jurisdictions located in Indonesia Inventory of deforestation targets (“legal targets”) of the seven GCF TF member jurisdictions located in Mexico Inventory of deforestation targets (“legal targets”) of the seven GCF TF member jurisdictions located in Peru Even the legal targets set by nine jurisdictions which signed the RBD in 2017 or 2018 (after the first opportunity under Funding Window A of Norway’s pledge to GCF TF jurisdictions administered by the United Nations Development Program [UNDP] and the attending eligibility criteria were announced; see section “International Financial Support”) were not adjusted to meet the RBD nor were any of them comparable with or at least as ambitious as the RBD This is roughly equivalent to the reductions potentially achieved by full compliance with the legal targets Percent of respective national NDC emissions reduction goal contributed by each jurisdiction under three alternative scenarios: (i) full compliance with legal deforestation reduction target (ii) full compliance with RBD deforestation reduction target and (iii) continuation of current deforestation trajectory the legal targets of Indonesian provinces in our study could collectively contribute less than 20% to the overall Indonesian NDC goal with Central Kalimantan and East Kalimantan together accounting for the majority of these contributions Indonesian signatories to the RBD could potentially contribute 23% to the Indonesian NDC target by achieving the RBD – approximately 5% more than the contribution of their legal targets the potential collective contribution of jurisdictions’ legal targets is 6.2% The potential contribution associated with achieving the RBD goal is 8.5% of the overall NDC target Full compliance with the RBD target in Peru could potentially contribute 73% to the overall NDC goal; San Martín Region alone contributes just over a quarter of the Peruvian NDC target As noted in the section “Data and Methods,” we were not able to make a projection for legal targets in Peru However, most jurisdictions are not on a path to achieving the RBD by 2020, and half are increasing their deforestation with respect to their baselines (Figures 2, 3) we estimate that Brazilian jurisdictions would contribute 54% to Brazil’s NDC emissions reduction target – nearly 20% less than if they fully met the RBD target or fully complied with established legal targets The potential contributions of Mato Grosso and Pará under this more realistic scenario account for 40% of the NDC target Indonesian jurisdictions are on a current deforestation trajectory that would contribute merely 1.7% of the country’s NDC target This represents a 21.3% decrease from their potential contributions if they fully achieved their RBD target Mexican jurisdictions will likely make a near-negligible contribution to the country’s NDC target at 0.1% Peruvian jurisdictions are increasing their deforestation rates relative to their baselines and are on a trajectory to increase emissions from deforestation adding 3.68 MtCO2e y–1 which will need to be compensated by other sectors in order for Peru to achieve its NDC goal Total forest finance pledged to 30 RBD signatory jurisdictions from 2010 to 2019 segregated by the amounts pledged in the periods prior and subsequent to the RBD each study jurisdiction became eligible to receive up to USD 400,000 as a direct result of signing the RBD Amazon Fund finance represents over half of all funding to Brazilian states and 40% of all funding pledged to all focal jurisdictions between 2010 and 2019 To date, only Acre and Mato Grosso have been pledged direct RBF. Both states have received funding from the German and United Kingdom governments through the REDD+ Early Movers (REM) program, since 2012 and 2017, respectively. REM finance is the only source of RBF to both states, and makes up 35 and 53%, respectively, of Acre and Mato Grosso’s total pledged finance (Table 8 and Supplementary Table S4) Total forest finance pledged to study jurisdictions from 2010 to 2019 segregated by the amounts pledged in direct response to RBD and as direct results-based finance We were unable to distinguish between funding destined to deforestation reduction in the Amazon versus Cerrado biomes for Maranhão, Mato Grosso, and Tocantins in all instances and therefore report on progress and funding related to both biomes. The 15 jurisdictions demonstrating progress toward the RBD target received total funding pledges of USD 293.77 million in the five-year period before the RBD was launched (Table 9) In the five years following the RBD announcement funding pledges to these jurisdictions declined by 43% (USD 127.62 million) the median funding per jurisdiction increased from USD 0.61 million to USD 2.90 million Acre alone received USD 154.77 million in pledges in the pre-RBD period whereas less than half (six) of the jurisdictions making progress received no pledges prior to 2015 Pledges received pre-RBD by the remaining eight jurisdictions ranged from USD 2.36 million to USD 41.44 million all 15 jurisdictions received at least one pledge Five jurisdictions only received the UNDP-Norway funding post-RBD; for two of these (Tocantins and San Martín) this meant a significant reduction in pledges from the pre- to post-RBD period (98% and 99% declines Mato Grosso had the highest amount of funding pledges post-RBD (USD 73.23 million) nearly twice as great as the funding pledges received by Acre (USD 37.35 million) jurisdictions making progress toward the RBD received USD 459.91 million in pledges between 2010 and 2019 ranked according to jurisdictions’ progress toward the RBD deforestation reduction target the 15 jurisdictions not progressing toward the RBD goal received only USD 143.11 million in funding pledges between 2010 and 2019 or approximately 31% of what was pledged to jurisdictions demonstrating progress in the same time period Ninety-seven percent of these funds were pledged to East Kalimantan and Amazonas (Brazil) combined Only Amazonas received funding pre-RBD (USD 21.28 million); all of these funds came from the Amazon Fund the other 13 jurisdictions were recipients of the UNDP-Norway funding receiving an average amount of USD 0.34 million East Kalimantan and Amazonas received additional pledges for a total of USD 91.03 million and USD 26.37 million Jurisdictions not demonstrating progress were pledged only 7% of what those making progress were pledged in the pre-RBD period this ratio improved as the jurisdictions with increasing deforestation received pledges equaling nearly three-quarters of the total funds pledged to jurisdictions with declining deforestation Overall, our analysis suggests that more of the jurisdictions that have reduced deforestation below their baseline saw an earlier input of funds, while nearly all of those that have increased deforestation relative to the baseline only began receiving pledges later, largely in the form of the UNDP-Norway pledges (Supplementary Table S4) we could not detect a direct relationship between amount of funding pledged and extent of progress toward the RBD among the jurisdictions “We call upon donor governments and the private sector to work with us to mobilize additional capacity-building and pay-for-performance funds… and civil society groups to work with us to develop simple and robust performance metrics that will allow our jurisdictions to access results-based financing today We call upon the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) and other private sector initiatives … to partner with us as we build robust jurisdictional programs for REDD+ and low emissions development and to develop programs for preferential sourcing of agricultural commodities from GCF jurisdictions that demonstrate performance We are committed to making significant emissions reductions provided that adequate and long-term performance-based funding is available whether through market or non-market sources we commit to reducing deforestation by 80% by 2020.” This statement summarizes the types of assistance that RBD signatories believe are needed to effectively slow deforestation. It may also express frustration with delays in the implementation of California’s tropical forest carbon market. The GCF TF was created in early 2009 to prepare tropical forest states and provinces to participate in the international offset market of California’s climate policy (Neto, 2015) An assessment of the RBD must address both dimensions of this pledge: (i) Were the conditions met (ii) Did deforestation decline as promised our findings indicate that the RBD may be judged a partial success half of the 30 jurisdictions in our study have demonstrated progress toward reducing deforestation by 80% It is surprising that half of the jurisdictions made progress toward the deforestation reduction target especially given the international community’s modest response to the RBD’s call for support since each jurisdiction represents a complex system simple declarations are not likely to be sufficient to make a voluntary pledge come to fruition we discuss possible explanations underlying individual jurisdictions’ progress The RBD target was modeled on the Brazilian national and subnational targets already in existence or under development at the time that the RBD was developed Some Brazilian states were already close to achieving the target at the time of drafting by deliberately linking existing state laws and policies that address relevant issues but were disconnected deforestation may be easier to control than in other states Pará and Rondônia will reach the RBD target within a few years (2020 respectively) is significant given their large forest areas and historically high deforestation rates These general circumstances likely help to explain why we could not observe a clear correspondence between the existence of legal targets and progress toward the RBD goal among Indonesian provinces we were unable to determine what portion of the initial USD 100 million payment was received by Central Kalimantan possibly impeding progress toward the RBD target many remaining forests are highly accessible and vulnerable The IRE functions by developing Investment Programs within Mexico’s “Early Action REDD+” states (Campeche which establish specific activities to address local deforestation drivers All legal targets for Mexican states come from their respective State REDD+ Strategies (EEREDD+) which are guided by and aligned with the ENAREDD+ approach Tabasco is the only Mexican state with no published EEREDD+ and it has also increased its deforestation the most out of all Mexican states with respect to its baseline These competing interests to conservation in both Jalisco and Chiapas may also contribute to the low interest of international donors and investors in the jurisdictions National policies to address deforestation were developed in response to increasing international interest in REDD+. The national Ministry of the Environment (MINAM) was created shortly before Peru announced its official involvement in REDD+ in 2008, and remains responsible for monitoring and evaluating REDD+. In 2011, the national government announced its ambition to eliminate clearing of primary forests by 2021 (Ministry of the Environment (MINAM), 2011) further cementing its commitment to reducing deforestation This high pre-RBD funding reflects our observation that jurisdictions that have made greater progress in reducing deforestation tend to have seen an earlier input of funds the governors who signed the RBD were no longer in office when this funding arrived new administrations’ priorities did not align with the deforestation reduction agenda or they lacked capacity to implement such an agenda Although the motive for political leaders to sign the RBD was likely the prospect of finance or corporate partnerships for their jurisdictions none of these benefits were delivered in a time period or at a scale that represented a significant positive response to the signatory Information on the timing and destination of climate finance disbursements to RBD signatories was difficult to find (Supplementary Text S4) We did not inventory the volume of domestic resources (national or subnational budgets) that were allocated for actions to reduce deforestation We also did not attempt to account for how recipient jurisdictions spent funds that they may have received These represent important areas of future research to help understand more clearly why some jurisdictions may not be able to fulfill commitments such as the RBD With the rapid growth of company commitments to climate neutrality and buying offsets to achieve those commitments (Nepstad, 2019) the speed and simplicity of financial flows to jurisdictions that are lowering emissions from deforestation could increase significantly the impact of this trend on tropical forest jurisdictions will vary greatly between countries given differences in autonomy of subnational governments to engage in carbon transactions with the private sector our research indicates that for many subnational jurisdictions jurisdiction-level regulations and policies are fundamental for unlocking budget and other support at both subnational and national levels policy interventions associated with deforestation reduction and sustainable land-use tended to be isolated and/or narrow in scope the state is one of the RBD’s principal success stories appears as an RBD “failure” due to a 724% increase in deforestation relative to its baseline despite clearing in the range of 18 to 313 km2 y–1 in the five years since the end of the baseline period Mato Grosso’s achievement is extremely important as it has historically been one of the tropics’ major deforesters we argue that it would be important to tailor targets and the baselines they use to recognize jurisdictions’ different histories such that they are ambitious but realistic This is akin to the approach taken both with the NDCs under the Paris Agreement and the U2MOU and would allow donors and investors to better support jurisdictions in different stages and circumstances Twenty-three of the study jurisdictions also signed the U2MOU which commits signatories to reducing overall emissions by 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050; individual commitments related specifically to reducing forest loss vary based on signatories’ existing legal targets we found that 10 are making progress in reducing deforestation below the FREL These include Brazil’s major deforesters as jurisdictions’ strategies for meeting the U2MOU commitment vary and are often inconsistent with both the RBD and U2MOU targets we cannot say what our results imply for potential achievement of the U2MOU Progress in slowing tropical deforestation generally has been slow despite the increase in finance and corporate engagement around this issue over the last decade Building the political will and institutional capacity to lower deforestation rates requires major effort over a sustained period of time Perhaps the principal reason that the story of the RBD is largely one of Brazilian states is that the Brazilian Amazon has for decades been the focus of intense domestic and international pressure that has sometimes compelled the national government and individual jurisdictions to find effective ways to lower deforestation rates Only Indonesia comes close to receiving similar attention internationally Voluntary non-binding commitments are growing in prevalence among the set of instruments used to reduce deforestation They can help start a dialogue with a broader community of interested parties Signatories established clearly in the RBD itself the types of support they require in order to achieve a goal of great interest to a range of local and international stakeholders The response to this call for help was limited: only one bilateral donor responded with a financial pledge very few companies responded with partnerships and the broader community has not provided simple and robust metrics half of signatories we investigated are reducing deforestation below their baselines Faster and larger responses on behalf of the international community to calls for help from the governments of tropical forest jurisdictions could potentially contribute significantly to greater success in slowing deforestation in the coming years this will likely require financing and other support beyond that which bilateral and other donors are able to deliver as a result of their current priorities and restrictions private sector actors – including those with zero-deforestation commitments and those with more general emissions-reduction goals – will also need to collaborate with governments and other stakeholders to help provide the necessary support in order to achieve collective climate goals All datasets generated for this study are included in the article/Supplementary Material CS led design and implementation of the study and CC led data collection and analysis with respect to deforestation targets JA led data collection and analysis of subnational reference levels and deforestation and emissions scenarios OD and TB compiled data on international finance All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version This research was supported by grants to Earth Innovation Institute from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) of Germany (Grant 16_III_071_Global_A_Low-Emissions Rural Development) the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) (Grant: QZA-0701 QZA–16/0162-Forests and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest The authors are grateful to Daniel Nepstad and David McGrath for providing suggestions on the manuscript and Swetha Peteru provided clarifying details regarding jurisdictions’ legal targets and national contexts Rafael Vargas helped with formatting and design of figures 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Claudia Stickler, Y3N0aWNrbGVyQGVhcnRoaW5ub3ZhdGlvbi5vcmc= Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish Miguel Rio Branco’s rare surviving 1970s New York prints represent early experiments and personal explorations in photography Miguel Rio Branco The practice of multimedia artist Miguel Rio Branco is varied “rootless” upbringing; born in the Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa As a young man he went to New York from 1964 to 1967 where he began his first experimental forays into painting he eschewed traditional education in favor of hitting the streets himself and produced deeply personal work that would come to steer the direction of his photographic career to the School of Visual Arts were I stayed only one month before I decided to do my own explorations of New York with street photography The neighborhoods I explored were the Bowery and the East Village My work during this time also included Super 8 experimental films which I did while being hosted by Brazilian artist Helio Oiticica and working with American artists Gordon Matta Clark and Lee Jaffe I went into the decaying parts of New York something I was already depicting in painting but with my photography I explored the people there Although my photographs were black and white the paintings I did during my early years in New York employed color in a way that would come into my photographic work later on I’m not a colorist like Matisse; I’m much darker like Goya – those colors were the colors of those old buildings in New York at that time It was the beginnings my photographic practice my subject was my life around me: the streets which would later develop to take me to other projects like Pelourinho Before I left New York I presented those pictures to Lee Jones at Magnum After two years in the city I went back to Brazil where I kept working as a director of photography and documentary photographer and in 1972 I went on to do my first assignment through Magnum for an audio-visual educational project on the life of a family of peasants near Rio de Janeiro a fire in my archives in São Paulo destroyed all of my negatives except for a few works that were travelling with me The photographs shown in my exhibition New York Sketches at Magnum Photos Gallery in Paris are the only vintage prints left I am showing them for the first time as a story together.” Unique vintage silver prints made during the time Branco spent in New York are available through the Magnum Photos Paris Gallery where they are showing from November 8 until December 23 this show marks the re-opening of Magnum’s Paris gallery after a year hiatus 4 of Miguel Rio Branco’s prints will be showing at Magnum’s Paris Photo booth between November 10 and 13 For more information about magnum fine print sales, see Magnum Fine Photos. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. But for local authorities – city and state government and state civil defense – the work continues to house and feed the 10,449 displaced by the floods Around 26 shelters have been set up to house the flood victims Working with the authorities are at least 2,000 volunteers Between them they manage to serve around 29,500 meals each day Work is being carried out to aid flood victims who still remain in their homes As many as 550 personnel are working to help remove families from flooded areas 250 vehicles and 110 boats have been mobilized to help operations Although levels of the acre river are falling slowly as many as 900 streets across 53 districts (bairros) in Rio Branco are under water The floods may well take some time to recede has said team will continue working until the flood waters have receded providing assistance to families who were affected by the waters of the river Acre both which are in public and community shelters as well as those who remained in their homes…we are making every effort.” The city’s government estimate that the floods have caused R$30 million ($10 million) in losses and damage Several bridges in the city have been damaged Some media reports say that at least 2 people have died in the flooding Both were electrocuted whilst returning to flooded buildings located around 60 kilometers from the capital floods from the overflowing river Acre have displaced at least 30 families A state of emergency has been declared by the local government there Levels of the river have since started to fall slightly The level of the Madeira River in Abunã region Richard Davies is the founder of floodlist.com and reports on flooding news Cookies | Privacy | Contacts © Copyright 2025 FloodList The title translates literally from the Portuguese as “malice” but it carries too the echoes of the words “city” and “cursed” citizen of the world and for half a century his camera has given him similar licence photo essays for National Geographic for example focused on very specific communities – the young fighters of the Santa Rosa Boxing Academy in Rio de Janeiro or the prostitutes and street children of Salvador de Bahia – he has come to reject expected labelling of time and place The photographs in Maldicidade are uncaptioned drawn from a lifetime of wandering the backstreets of New York Rio Branco looks for those contrasts between grimy decay and daily renewal that are the universal fascination of city life of a tray of fresh pastries served under the open bonnet of a beaten-up car depicts exactly the kind of incongruity that his camera waits for The colour and sweetness of those cakes contrast with the greys of the car and the street A film-maker and painter as well as a photographer Rio Branco has been an associate of Magnum since the 80s but his work is not in the photojournalistic tradition that the agency is most famous for he says he wants to make his pictures transcend documentary and express what he sees as poetic constants: “Time crashed or abandoned or rusted or scrapped tell those stories just as surely as the faces and bodies of the city’s inhabitants Maldicidade by Miguel Rio Branco is out on 12 June (Taschen, £60) This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Diálogo Américas River Hydro-oceanographic Ship (NHoFlu) Rio Branco is conducting cartographic surveys of rivers in the Amazon region The Brazilian Navy has taken a vital step toward ensuring safe navigation in the nation’s Amazon region by mapping the region’s rivers with the River Hydro-oceanographic Ship (NHoFlu for its Portuguese name) “Rio Branco” That’s been the vessel’s primary task since early April the ship is gathering information that will make it possible to detect sand banks This data will be used mainly by Naval and merchant shipping vessels “We have to rely on our waterways and increase safety for ships,” Minister of Defense Jaques Wagner said at a press conference on April 1 after the ship’s delivery ceremony in Manaus Upon taking receipt of the “Rio Branco” in Manaus the commander of the Navy Admiral Eduardo Barcellar Leal Ferreira emphasized the importance of mapping rivers such as the Solimões and the Madeira “We need to ensure that the [growing maritime transportation in the region] is occurring safely and as economically as possible The idea in the mid- and long-term is to have nautical maps with as much up-to-date information as possible available each year.” Charting the Amazon region and helping vessels avoid accidents will also help protect the environment “There are no cheaper or more environmentally sound methods of transportation than on waterways people are using the waterways to transport close to 35,000 tons of soy as cargo,” Minister Wagner said “If we were to transport that much on roadways Brazil has made a long-term investment into the environment — $19.9 billion since 2008 The construction of the “Rio Branco” was itself a two year project of the Ceará Naval Industry shipyard (Inace); and the mapping effort the ship is also collecting data on the atmosphere and underwater soil for use in scientific research the “Rio Branco” may also be used for training missions in support of river operations It will additionally support the efforts of river patrol ships that combat crime in the region; the rivers of the Amazon are targeted by some criminals for illegal activities The “Rio Branco” is part of the Amazônia Cartography Project (ACP) a partnership between the Navy and the Army which has since 2008 been coordinated by the Amazônia Protection System Operational and Management Center (Censipam) The ACP consists of three subprojects: which is executed by the Army and Air Force; which is executed by the Brazilian Geological Bureau; and The vessel itself was named after the Rio Branco River – which begins in the state of Roraima – and José Maria da Silva Paranhos the diplomat who was known as the Baron of Rio Branco in the early 1900s and finalized the Brazilian border by resolving several conflicts with neighboring countries For more on security and defense issues around the globe With Brazil’s Bolsonaro administration not even a month old the new president’s Chief of Strategic Affairs last week announced plans to build a bridge over the Amazon River in Pará state in order to begin developing what he called an “unproductive desertlike” region ­– a reference to the Amazon rainforest a retired army general and one of seven military ministers in the new government said the administration plans major construction projects centered on the Trombetas River which flows into the Amazon from the north so as to integrate the region into the “national productive system.” The projects to be built include a hydroelectric dam on the Trombetas River a 1.5 kilometer (0.9 mile) bridge over the Amazon at the small town of Obidos and an extension of the BR-163 highway from Santarem north to Brazil’s frontier with Surinam a distance of roughly 480 kilometers (300 miles) The general has named the project the Barao do Rio Branco Plan in honor of the 19th century diplomat who negotiated border treaties with Brazil’s neighbors He made his announcement last week in an exclusive interview to the official radio program Voz do Brasil thus avoiding any hard questions on the project’s feasibility or environmental impacts “The Amazon has a population of 10 million people living below the poverty line We must integrate this unproductive latifundio [big unfarmed estate] into the national productive system and provide them with opportunities for jobs and income.” He said the dam will boost Brazil’s energy capacity providing electricity for aluminium processing and putting an end to frequent power outages in the cities of Manaus and Boa Vista will allow for the trucking of grain from the Brazilian interior to the nation’s northern border The southern section of the BR-163 already exists running hundreds of miles from Mato Grosso state north to the river port of Santarem in Pará state The highway is currently used by agricultural producers to transport soy to the grain terminals at Mirituba and Santarem on the Tapajós River where it is transferred to ships for the trip down the Amazon River for export to the European Union and other nations General Santa Rosa did not explain how extending the road hundreds of miles north through dense rainforest to an uninhabited border with Surinam would benefit soy exporters He also made no mention of the indigenous and quilombo populations (the descendants of runaway slaves) who live in the area that he described as desertica – a totally inaccurate word with which to describe the world’s largest tropical rainforest and its inhabitants executive coordinator of the Pro-Indian Commission a Brazilian NGO defending indigenous rights the project will put at risk “a region of the Amazon which is a mosaic of indigenous and quilombo areas and conservation units of great importance not only to the population who live there but to the entire planet To call it an unproductive latifundio is a big mistake.”  The Trombetas region contains 4 indigenous reserves 8 quilombo communities and 5 conservation units at a time when the Environment Ministry has been deliberately weakened and responsibility for environmental licensing has been transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture the Barão do Rio Branco project is extremely worrying General Santa Rosa’s announcement represents the latest in a long line of mega-infrastructure projects proposed over the last 50 years by both military and civilian governments to “develop” the Amazon by means of roads General Santa Rosa’s description of the project seems reminiscent of the position of Brazil’s military dictatorship which ended more than three decades ago and treated the Amazon as an empty wilderness while disregarding the cultures and livelihoods of indigenous and traditional populations who have lived there for centuries Brazil’s 1988 constitution rejected this outmoded mindset in which the Amazon rainforest – valued today for its human and natural diversity and vital to maintaining global climate stability – is seen instead as a physical obstacle that must be overcome to benefit the advancement of Brazilian agribusiness and mining commodity development and export Several ministries will be involved in the planning and the project is expected to be officially announced within the next two months by means of a presidential executive order which will prevent any initial congressional scrutiny the president’s order must be approved by the legislature within 90 days Yet the biggest obstacle to the Plan is likely to be financial as the proposed projects would require billions of dollars in investments General Santa Rosa did not mention any cost figures or where the money will come from at a time when Brazil is subject to strict austerity measures with a tight limit on government spending FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa as protected areas become battlegrounds over history and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins and trying to forge a path forward […] This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Christopher Grimes Gallery is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of photographs by Miguel Rio Branco in conjunction with Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA Rio Branco is renowned for his dramatic use of color and the intimacy and complexity of his subject matter: direct often brutal photographs of marginalized communities in Brazil delves inside the infamous Santa Rosa Boxing Academy in Rio de Janeiro – named for the devotionally extravagant patron saint of Latin America – where former prostitutes and people of all backgrounds would flock to train The exhibition will feature a series of photographs from this body of work which were originally captured in the early nineties and portray the boxers at the academy during that time Miguel Rio Branco lives and works in Rio de Janeiro His photographs and films are included in such esteemed collections as the Centre Georges Pompidou the Walker Art Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York He has had numerous solo and group shows internationally including Miguel Rio Branco: When I die I will take nothing a retrospective survey with nine installations Rio Branco has been a correspondent for Magnum since 1980 and his work has been published in magazines such as Aperture Loco Abreu is set to join another club. Photo by Raphael Dias/Getty ImagesFormer Uruguay international striker Sebastian "El Loco" Abreu is set to play for the 28th club of his career after signing a deal to join Brazilian fourth-division side Rio Branco Abreu, 42, made his senior debut with Uruguay's Defensor Sporting in 1994 and last year set a Guinness world record for the most professional clubs played for when he joined Chilean side Audax Italiano The Uruguayan had a brief spell at Audax before joining Chile's Magallanes and is now set to continue his career at Rio Branco after signing a six-month deal "The [Rio Branco] nation can get ready to enjoy a good state league campaign," Abreu said of his latest move before adding: "Let's focus each day to win the title which is what truly gives joy to [Rio Branco supporters]." Rio Branco president hailed the move as a "great conquest" for football in the Capixaba region The move marks Abreu's fourth experience in Brazil following his previous spells at Botafogo Abreu has played in nine different countries Abreu has also represented Uruguay in two World Cups and helped his country to the 2011 Copa America title Rio Branco Chair at the King's Brazil Institute Celebrating community and volunteerism at the Brazilian Consulate The Rio Branco Chair offers a scholarship to a notable researcher and senior professor in Brazil to spend one year at the King’s Brazil Institute to conduct research focussed in the following priority areas of knowledge: International Relations Political Science or other Social Sciences with a focus on Brazilian Foreign Policy Professor Karl Erik Schøllhammer has been nominated to the Rio Branco Chair Professor Schøllhammer is professor at the Pontifície Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) in the Department of Language and Literature The following is an edited version of his presentation during the launch ceremony.  I bring a project to King’s this year that is part of a much larger and ambitious interdisciplinary approach to civic self-recognition of urban an important neighbourhood in the valley of Gávea in Rio de Janeiro Under the institutional umbrella of UNIR – The Centre of Research and Knowledge Articulation Rocinha PUC-Rio a collaboration that embraces 15 departments from my home university and 9 social organisations from Rocinha my project wears the title: 'Citizenship and spatial identity in challenged urban communities - memory The research objective is to investigate the cultural work of literary and artistic production in and about the community and cultural products and events become part of the historical constitution of a territorial and political identity Through the application of a geo-referential information system (GIS) in the research of literary and artistic representations and expressions the project has the ambition to convert aesthetic and literary analyses into an interactive tool in a collaboration between academia and socially challenged populations But what is the importance of literary and aesthetic expressions and representations of space and territory in challenged urban communities Through the interpretation of spatial representations in literature the goal is to reach an understanding of how “place” occurs in the interaction of a moving body and a geographical and urban landscape Literary representations can be significant expressions of the meaning production the making sense of historical recognition all notions that gather a political dimension when focused upon in the context of urban marginality In the book O espaço do cidadão written by the Bahian geographer Milton Santos in 1987 we read: "It is impossible to imagine a concrete citizenship without a territorial component We have already seen that the value of the individual depends on the place in which he or she is located and that similar accessibility to goods and services without which life will not be lived with that minimum of dignity that is required (…) In a territory where the localization of essential services is left to the mercy of the law of the market everything contributes to increasing social inequalities On the eve of the new constituent assembly Santos warned of the spatial and territorial challenges to citizenship in Brazil the two essential components of the civic model are culture and territory Space is imposed to the extent that the population experiences The Republic will only be truly democratic when it regards all citizens as equal My project is in a certain way an homage to the legacy of Milton Santos and at the same time a deep mapping of the possibilities to work with literature and artistic and cultural representation in the context of knowledge sharing in challenged communities across the disciplinary boundaries of social and political sciences Professor Karl Erik Schøllhammer is Rio Branco Chair at the King's Brazil Institute in the 2024-25 academic year He is professor at the Pontifície Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) at the Department of Language and Literature where he teaches comparative literature The School of Life Course & Population Sciences and King’s Population Health Institute welcomed… Halting the building of new homes could help to address the dramatic decrease in the number and… Early recognition of the symptoms of breast cancer has a dramatic impact on survival rates Lecturer in Creative Writing in the Department of English +44 (0)20 7836 5454 The Rio Branco Institute invested in Imply® and Eleven Tickets® Access Control technologies to bring more safety convenience and efficiency to its employees The Rio Branco Institute is a School of the Synodal Education Network Six turnstiles with Biometrics technology and Bar Code Reading were installed on site the access management of the institute gains in performance with high precision in the control of all personnel that accesses the facilities daily The Imply® and Eleven Tickets® solution is ideal for controlling access to facilities with the most stringent safety requirements Reliably controls access to multiple areas centrally managing complex systems of access rules and permissions for thousands of different users To learn more about the platform, visit: https://imply.com/engb/access-and-ticket/people-access-control/ 1.111 - RST 287 Km 105 | Santa Cruz do Sul | RS - Brazil imply@imply.com (+55) 51 2106-8000 The Coimbra practice of João Branco and Paula del Rio was commissioned to reconfigure the tourist office and Praça Cónego Manuel Fernandes Nogueira The schist houses of this village in the Açor mountain range are spread out between steep narrow streets on a northwest-facing escarpment the silent intervention makes it difficult to distinguish between new and old on this square of the lower part of Piódão – previously occupied by cars – which serves as the main entrance into the village The project has reclaimed the space for pedestrians as a place for them to gather and socialize in A grid of native cherry trees at the entrance alters the arrival sequence This botanical filter protects the square by separating it from the roadway the new paving was executed with pieces of shale and with no slopes and curves was tackled by introducing a large central circle along the church’s axis the project included renovating the tourist office building on the south side Unnecessary elements were eliminated inside and out Its porches were built with metal columns and wooden beams The square and tourist office of Piódão is in the shortlist for the Emerging Architecture section of the 2024 Mies van der Rohe Awards. 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The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers When you purchase through links on our site The artist explores cities across the world to find their true metropolitan intricacies Rio Branco is not interested in documenting historic city landmarks or the aspirational dreams that soar up towards it he focuses his camera on the city’s refuse and margins – on that which it has thrown away and on those it has cast aside and disappointed and shattered glass that characterise his urban impressions While subtle details reveal the specificity of place it is the commonality of urban experience at the heart of Rio Branco’s project Light on local context or explanatory narrative the images are instead meticulously arranged into one redolent sequence of a universal city Rio Branco excels in the rhythm and succession of pictures crafting evocative patterns of motif (decrepit buildings stark whites and blues); and form (an anguished street sleeper beside an ecstatic statue of a saint) occasional pictures of women are proffered as a sensual interspersing the grit and the grime in commanding portraits or up-close At once incisive in its message and lyrical in its arrangement Maldicidade focuses attention on the city’s ineludible magnetism as much as on its alienation and inhumanity it is a collection in which all city dwellers will find something of themselves His award-winning work is featured in leading museum collections around the world Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Miguel Rio Branco’s work has always brought him back to cities. The photographer has long been preoccupied with the full spectrum of urban life, spotlighting raw realities with an uncompromising eye. Maldicidade, a new book of his images recently published by Taschen compiles four decades’ worth of city-based shots taken all over the world – though it is never specified which place is depicted in a photograph This lack of information highlights the universal thread which runs through cities away from the landmarks that traditionally garner attention focusing on the sometimes gritty mundanities of everyday life Rio Branco attributes his interest in urban life to a childhood spent between places: with diplomat parents the photographer was born in Spain and grew up between Portugal Rio Branco – who has been a member of Magnum since 1980 – has been drawn to the fringes of society since first discovering documentary photography; subjects of previous series include prostitutes in Salvador the sometimes grotesque ways humans and animals relate to each other Rio Branco addresses the struggles that can be attached to living in cities Under the bonnet of a battered old car – old cars and decaying buildings recur throughout Maldicidade – a girl displays fresh pastries for sale; children look out from the window of a bus; a group of men stand on a tiled floor covered with spilled blood; a woman sports a wide grin that shows off her gold cross grills; and a well-dressed couple walk through streets covered in graffiti a haunting pair of eyes in a billboard advertisement watching on above though lacking signifiers of places or dates is a coherent study of contemporary cities Maldicidade by Miguel Rio Branco is out now View upcoming auction estimates and receive personalized email alerts for the artists you follow São Paulo–based gallery Almeida & Dale will officially acquire Millan a stalwart of Brazil’s contemporary art scene El Museo del Barrio is pleased to announce that the second rotation of its Permanent Collection exhibition Something Beautiful: Reframing La Colección Photography possesses the unique ability to freeze passing moments and make the unspeakable visible.  Please read our republishing guidelines to get started Cooperacre’s Brazil nut plant in Rio Branco The Brazilian Amazon yields an average of 40,000 tonnes of the native species each year (Image: Flávia Milhorance) Edivan replied with an excited audio message He said he had spent 23 days camping in the Amazon rainforest collecting Brazil nuts the main source of income for the 170 families in the indigenous territory between the states of Acre and Rondônia Brazil nut collecting guarantees the subsistence of 60,000 families in the Brazilian Amazon, who sell an average of 40,000 tonnes of the native species each year, almost 60% of all production in Amazon countries, according to the Brazilian network Pro-Nuts Dialogues This practice permeates several generations of traditional communities and has been strengthened as a sustainable alternative to commercial agriculture in the region and its deforestation risks it faces challenges of poor coordination and a lack of incentives in the supply chain A recent study shows that between 2017 and 2019 the Amazon exported US$298 million worth of products from the “bioeconomy” – compatible with forest conservation – including Brazil nuts the study’s author from New York University but it is well below its potential and far from comparable with the region’s main economic activities as well as paper and pulp produced US$39 billion in exports which experts hope could be a growth market “China’s deeper commitments to controlling climate change and reducing carbon emissions will have major consequences for its trade with Brazil,” says Mauricio Santoro, a professor of international relations at Rio de Janeiro State University. “There will be more opportunities for investments in sustainable supply chains in products such as açaí Brazil nuts or other crops that allow for forest conservation.” Maintaining Brazil nut collecting is a way of preserving the culture of traditional peoples and reducing the pressure on tropical forests “Today, the nut is already valued for the health benefits it brings –  it is rich in selenium, an antioxidant mineral – but it is not yet valued for the benefits it brings to the forest,” Victoria Mutran, director of nut export company Mutran Exportadora, said during a conference on the Amazon bioeconomy in June the Brazil nut collectors can find the husks on the forest floor It requires trained eyes to find the husks hidden among other species skill with the machete to open the shell of the husk and strength to carry the sacks full of nuts on your back it has little to no impact on the environment it requires forest protection in order to prosper “The Brazil nut tree is a symbol of forest conservation and is worth more standing than cut,” says Lúcia Wadt a researcher at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) Wadt estimates that nut collectors make at least three times more profit from the sale of Brazil nuts than from the illegal cutting of the tree – a strong incentive for conservation “The nut collectors sell everything they have” PreviousNext  In 2017, a Kaxarari leader was shot dead amid suspicion that the crime was committed by those involved in the illegal timber trade. Last year, an army raid found illegally logged timber inside the indigenous territory according to Edivan: “There have been frequent inspections which connects the capitals of Rio Branco and Porto Velho tall Brazil nut trees stand alone among the low grass pastures Cattle farmers keep the species intact to avoid environmental fines “The tree demands a flow of water and nutrients that the deforested environment cannot provide,” Wadt explains producing fewer and fewer leaves and fruits Lightning often strikes the specimens without the protection of the dense rainforest There have been occasional attempts to domesticate it One of the main reasons is that the tree takes about two decades to start producing fruit – a long-term investment that is unattractive to farmers “The nut market has only been getting worse it will get worse and worse,” says agronomist Alfredo Homma Experts such as Wadt and Coslovsky disagree They see other obstacles to large-scale production One such problem is that public policies ignore the traditional economic activities of the Amazon forest of the R$2 billion (US$368 million) in rural credit delivered by the federal government to Brazilian Amazon states between 2019 and 2020 less than 3% — was invested in sustainable activities according to a survey by the Sustainable Connections Institute (Conexsus) only R$8.4 million ($1.5 million) was devoted to Brazil nut collection The result is an unstructured supply chain Informal middlemen account for more than 70% Every year we sell our production to middlemen who buy very cheaply,” says Edivan Kaxarari the indigenous collectors could sell a tin containing 13 kilos of nuts for an average of R$50 (US$9) Edivaldo Kaxarari is a primary school teacher and supplements his income with a small improvised grocery shop in a room of his wooden house (as is customary in local architecture) located near the exit of the Pedreira village in Kaxarari territory he also piles up bags full of Brazil nuts from collectors in the village but the buyer only comes to this area when there is a large quantity the nut is already valued for the health benefits it brings –  it is rich in selenium an antioxidant mineral – but it is not yet valued for the benefits it brings to the forest Edivaldo resells his production to Rosenilson Ferreira often goes to the territory to load his truck Ferreira is the son of farmers who migrated in the 1970s from Mato Grosso state to Extrema – a village that is the closest urban centre to the indigenous territory the production passes through several hands even crossing national borders: “I sell to other middlemen but today they are clients — and competitors — of each other Employees shell and clean Brazil nuts in processing plant A portion of what is produced will be sold to the international market such as the United States and Europe (Image: Flávia Milhorance) The Chinese have increased their consumption of nuts in the last decade, but Brazil nuts still have a comparatively small share of this market. They remain little known in China and generate high transport and preservation costs the nut is often claimed to be a speciality of the arid Xinjiang province in west China and dubbed “desert nut.” This provenance is uncertain given the hugely different climate found in the tropical regions where the plant originates But the Chinese have been seeking agreements with Amazonian companies told Diálogo Chino that there is “great interest in nuts in shells for the Chinese market” and that she has already been approached by Chinese entrepreneurs The increase in consumption of Brazil nuts in Brazil over the last 15 years a large Brazil nut collectors’ cooperative although there is difficulty in meeting demand “We had the opportunity to get the product into China Only if we set up a cooperative for the whole of the Amazon would we be able to supply them,” he says from the headquarters of the cooperative in Rio Branco We just wanted to sell the product better and keep the forest there.” Flávia Milhorance is the Brazil editor for Dialogue Earth and joined in 2021 She is based in Rio de Janeiro and has extensively covered Brazilian affairs for both domestic and international outlets Flávia holds a master’s degree in financial journalism from Aarhus University in Denmark and City University London in the UK plus postgraduate diplomas in photography and sociology from top Brazilian universities Her journey into environmental journalism began with the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 Her current interests lie in stories at the nexus of politics especially those concerning under-reported Latin American communities Select from our bespoke newsletters for news best suited to you We’ve sent you an email with a confirmation link 我们向您的邮箱发送了一封确认邮件，请点击邮件中的确认链接。如果您未收到该邮件，请查看垃圾邮件。 If you would like more information about the terms of our republication policy or permission to use content, please write to us: [email protected] We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Read our privacy and cookies policy for further information Dialogue Earth uses cookies to provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser It allows us to recognise you when you return to Dialogue Earth and helps us to understand which sections of the website you find useful Required Cookies should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings Dialogue Earth - Dialogue Earth is an independent organisation dedicated to promoting a common understanding of the world's urgent environmental challenges. Read our privacy policy Cloudflare - Cloudflare is a service used for the purposes of increasing the security and performance of web sites and services. 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Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. The victim is currently in intensive care and may need her finger amputated I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A woman who was buried alive at a cemetery in Brazil has been rescued after being trapped for more than 10 hours inside a tomb. Two men have been arrested after a 36-year-old woman was found entombed at the Visconde do Rio Branco Municipal Cemetery in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. The victim is currently in intensive care and may need her finger amputated, hospital staff have indicated. The mother-of-four was beaten and dragged from her home on 28 March before she was abandoned at the burial site, police said. The victim managed to survive in the tomb for 10 hours before gravediggers noticed fresh cement and blood near the grave. After hearing a woman’s voice crying for help, they immediately called the police. The Visconde do Rio Branco Civil Police confirmed the arrests, which took place on Saturday night in the municipalities of São Geraldo and Viçosa, during a press conference on Tuesday. The defendants, who have not been named, were planning to escape after abandoning the woman’s body at the cemetery, police chief Diego Candian said. The men, aged 20 and 22, had previously been arrested on weapons and drug trafficking charges. They will be held in pre-trial detention for up to 30 days. The woman said she had been attacked after she “misplaced” drugs and weapons she was storing for them at her home. Police said they were searching for a third suspect in connection with the crime. “There is still an individual who is on the run,” police chief Douglas Moto said. “We are still working incessantly to be able to locate this individual and as soon as possible make the arrest, and then leave them at the disposal of the justice [sytem].” When the suspects forced entry into her home last month, they also attacked her husband, who managed to escape. The assailants then dragged her from the house, took her to the cemetery and bundled her inside the tomb. The woman said she realised she was trapped once she had regained consciousness. Emergency rescuers pulled her from the burial chamber after the gravediggers who discovered her called the police. The woman suffered a head injury and is at risk of losing one of her fingers, João Batista Hospital director Henrique Slaid told Brazilian news outlet G1. “The possibility of vascular surgery is being evaluated and perhaps amputation,” said Slaid, while adding that the victim is in intensive care and improving. {"adUnitPath":"71347885/_main_independent/gallery","autoGallery":true,"disableAds":false,"gallery":[{"data":{"title":"Screenshot 2023-04-05 at 18.00.55.png","description":"The woman was found by gravediggers at Visconde do Rio Branco Municipal Cemetery","caption":"The woman was found by gravediggers at Visconde do Rio Branco Municipal Cemetery The woman was found by gravediggers at Visconde do Rio Branco Municipal Cemetery govt and politics","score":0.842349},{"label":"/society/crime","score":0.823302},{"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/homicide","score":0.801567},{"label":"/law govt and politics/law enforcement","score":0.718589},{"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/assault","score":0.629566},{"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/torture","score":0.592216},{"label":"/society/crime/sexual offense/rape","score":0.585735},{"label":"/law The classic white basket sneaks (made from recycled plastic bottles and wild rubber) feature the distinctive V logo in varying colours on each side Kate Middleton has also given her seal of approval from Reese Witherspoon and Emily Ratajkowski to Katie Holmes Kate Middleton wearing Veja trainers these have rapidly become a staple for when you need a comfortable yet stylish pair of shoes these sneakers are so minimalist in design that they work with every type of ensemble—from midi dresses to straight-leg jeans Kate proving they look great with cropped trousers.  is that they remain in Net-a-Porter's top 10 best-selling products today so it's no surprise I constantly see them on editors and on Instagram constantly And if that's not enough to make you want a pair then you might change your mind after scrolling through our edit of the best Veja trainers there's even a guide to how fashion girls are wearing theirs for outfit inspiration Meghan Markle wore her Vejas with black skinny jeans we want to wear our Vejas with black skinny jeans.  Katie Holmes pairs hers with straight jeans and a smart coat for a perfect spring or autumn outfit.  Don't they look great with white jeans?  The ideal accompaniment to puffer coats for winter walks.  Ellie Delphine just made us fall for the tan version.  You can never go wrong with monochrome.  This beige pair is a great year-round option.  I think you'll love the Venturi.  Our latest obsession is these new brown suede ones.  These have a minimalist athleisure vibe.  These will make any outfit look cool.  This mint-green option is one of Net-a-Porter's best sellers.  We like that these feel a bit like basketball shoes.  If you like your trainers on the prettier side.  This retro silhouette is a new addition for Veja.  We've had our eyes on these for a while now.  The hi-top version taps into the athleisure trend perfectly Next up, these are the biggest spring/summer fashion trends to know This story was published at an earlier time and has since been updated branded content editor and affiliate editor After obtaining a BA in English and American Studies from Nottingham University Emily interned at The Mail on Sunday’s YOU she managed the fashion team and travelled the globe to style and direct fashion editorials and celebrity cover shoots developed brand marketing and content plans and worked with VIP clients including Elizabeth Day contrasting against the blue skies in portugal, ‘house in coimbra’ is local architect branco-del rio arquitectos’ recently completed residential project the stark white single family home sits on an isolated and raised plot with a south-facing garden the interiors have been designed to link visually and instill a sense of continuity with the internal program distinguished by the varying contrast in light and materials the organization of each floor responds to the typical system of services – from the cave-like basement to the overhead light that bathes the stairs and the work area adjacent to it at the top floor the ground floor has been dedicated to the lounge kitchen and dining to enable it to be focal point of the family’s activities linking and relating visually – always offering distant perspectives and specific visual relations with the outside.’ – joão branco + paula del río the south facing patio enables light to flood into the core of the residence the patio can be accessed in three ways; each room positioned to seamlessly lead onto the outdoors while natural light floods into each space a concrete bench runs the length of the back wall and serves as a versatile surface a concrete bench runs the length of the back wall through the studio large sliding doors lead out onto the concrete outdoor space a sense of consistency is achieved through materials a skylight gives the staircase and upper floors light the single family home is located in the outskirts of coimbra AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style Santo Domingo .- At a distinguished ceremony the Brazilian embassy in the Dominican Republic honored Ambassador Frank R Rainieri Marranzini of the Sovereign Order of Malta with the esteemed “Order of Rio Branco.” This prestigious award recognizes notable actions and meritorious services contributing to the common well-being and civic virtues The Brazilian ambassador to the Dominican Republic had the privilege of bestowing the insignia of the Order of Rio Branco upon Ambassador Rainieri Marranzini This gesture was a token of appreciation for his contributions to society The event was graced by the presence of notable dignitaries including His Excellency Most Reverend Monsignor Piergiorgio Bertoldi the Apostolic Nuncio of His Holiness Pope Francis and other ambassadors of the Sovereign Order […] Tourism November 30 and other ambassadors of the Sovereign Order of Malta in the Dominican Republic Ambassador Rainieri Marranzini expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the honor acknowledging the weight of responsibility that comes with such a distinction and civic values mentioned were largely influenced by his upbringing and expressed hope that they would inspire his children and grandchildren Rainieri encouraged future generations to persist in working responsibly and dedicatedly on social and civic causes aiming to build a better and fairer country The ceremony also highlighted the solid and growing bilateral relations between Brazil and the Dominican Republic including the significant flow of Brazilian tourists to the Dominican Republic and Brazilian capital investments which amounted to US$2,300.00 million in 2022 Ambassador Rainieri concluded his speech by thanking the ambassador and his wife once more for the honor and for uniting colleagues and family in celebrating this joyous occasion Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Local Tourism Economy Bavaro & Punta Cana DominicanToday.com - The Dominican Republic News Source in English Read today's Portuguese stories delivered to your email Real estate developer Carvoeiro Branco has announced the successful sale of the Boca do Rio property to the municipality of Vila do Bispo is the extraordinary Boca do Rio property which encompasses the best of both worlds with its natural beauty and historical significance Boca do Rio’s “archaeological importance adds another layer to its value as the site holds traces of history that connect the present with the region’s storied past.” has transferred the ownership of this outstanding property to the Municipality of Vila do Bispo “this achievement marks a significant milestone in fostering collaboration between public and private entities demonstrating how collaboration can open up new opportunities for regional growth and development in the Algarve” they proudly share “We express our heartfelt gratitude to the Municipality of Vila do Bispo and her excellency the Mayor for stepping in as the ideal custodians of this extraordinary land we acknowledge and thank the municipality’s archaeology department for their expertise and unwavering dedication throughout this process.” Asserting their confidence in the Municipality’s ability to develop Boca do Rio “We look forward to witnessing the exciting plans the Municipality has for the site.. and we remain optimistic about future opportunities to collaborate with the Municipality as their vision for Boca do Rio comes to life.” “This landmark sale reflects the importance of working together to create a brighter and more sustainable future for the Algarve” We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for our services but if you are able to we ask you to support The Portugal News by making a contribution – no matter how small You can change how much you give or cancel your contributions at any time Send us your comments or opinion on this article Reaching over 400,000 people a week with news about Portugal This freeware add-on offers a carefully enhanced representation of Rio Branco International Airport (SBRB) in Brazil Developer Gustavo Luna has constructed detailed taxiway signage and optimized visual elements that allow sim pilots to experience the unique atmosphere of this southwestern Brazilian hub Although officially known as Plácido de Castro International Airport it simply serves as Rio Branco’s main gateway and can accommodate various aircraft types while retaining realistic proportions Rio Branco International sits within the state of Acre providing an essential connection for both domestic and regional travelers This release caters to virtual aviators who value consistent markings Its updated environment showcases functional aprons the carefully placed taxiway signs and well-aligned gate positions ensure that taxiing procedures unfold smoothly from ramp to runway This positioning method also makes it effortless to remove in case you need to revert or switch to another configuration A heartfelt acknowledgment is given in memory of Amaro Cavalcanti Luna in recognition of his support and inspiration Installing this scenery enhancement carries no adverse impact on simulator frame rates or general performance Proceed with the installation at your own discretion as is customary with any freeware modification provided that you leave the contents intact and fully unchanged it stands as a noncommercial release for community enjoyment View important Copyright © information related to freeware files here The archive sbrb_fsx.zip has 39 files and directories contained within it This list displays the first 500 files in the package Signing-up for PRO gives you super fast, unrestricted speed to the thousands of MSFS, FSX, P3D & X-Plane downloads which include aircraft, scenery, and more - click here to view the library for free or.. Sign-Up Now PRO membership payments go directly back into the website to pay for hosting, bandwidth, and development costs. It's what also enables us to offer a free download tier. Join over 145,000 subscribers of our free dedicated flight simulation newsletter. Featuring new add-ons, products and industry news. Are you using the latest Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 release? Copyright © 2021 Bar and Bench. All Rights Reserved Further heavy rainfall forced river levels higher still Brazil’s federal government declared a state of emergency in Acre One of the worst affected areas was the state capital, Rio Branco, where levels of the River Acre reached a record high on 04 March 2015, standing at 18.40 metres. At their peak, over 90,000 people were affected by the floods, and around 10,000 were staying in temporary camps set up for those forced from their homes. Around 2,000 volunteers served 30,000 meals in the displacement camps Below are some images of the floods in Acre state and in particular Rio Branco