Ecological Conservation
Recognizing efforts to conserve and enhance a threatened environment of unique and extraordinary biodiversity
The Acre State Government, Brazil
To the outsider, Jorge Viana, governor of Brazil's northwestern state of Acre—with one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth—might seem like a contra-diction. He's an environmentalist who's not afraid to use a chain saw; he has blocked plans for state roads that would lead to deforestation yet supports a controversial highway as critical to economic development.
But to those immersed in conservation science, Viana is the embodiment of enlightened ecological management through compromise. In his two terms as governor (his current term will be up at the end of this year), Viana has advocated a mixed-use policy that accommodates ranchers, farmers, and indigenous tribes. He recognizes the importance of timber to Acre's economy and has set aside 9.9 million acres of forest, one-quarter of the state's territory, for sustainable harvest. In the meantime, he has championed agricultural practices that demonstrate the moneymaking potential of standing forests. Local communities are now harvesting renewable resources such as rubber, açaí palm fruit, and medicinal oils.
By creating a sustainable development model—the first of its kind in mineral-rich Brazil—Viana himself has emerged as an exemplary figure: a consummate idealist whose policies are grounded in economic realities, a crusader working to preserve a singular piece of the earth.
ACRE BY THE NUMBERS*
2,500
Acre's estimated number of fish species. The state is home to the enormous red pirarucu, an air-breathing species and the world's largest freshwater fish (it can grow up to 13 feet long).
300
The estimated number of tree varieties (including the Brazil nut tree) that can be found in a single hectare of Acre forest.
200
The number of mammal species in Acre—among them the black-chinned emperor tamarin, a small monkey with an extravagant white mustache, and the endangered black-faced black spider monkey.
14
The number of indigenous groups in Acre, including the largest of the native tribes, the 5,000-strong Kaxinawá. The state's total population is just 560,000.
*All statistic from the World Wildlife Fund.
