Civil Society and Environmental Governance

Government 491: Civil Society and Environmental Governance

May 6, 2010

“Great struggles breed stars: charismatic characters who embody the causes for which they fight. In the age of mass communication, we know their faces, their voices, and their words as if they were our neighbors, instead of remote figures at the other end of the world.”

Introduction

It was imperative for the indigenous tribes of Amazonia to gain attention and support from the international community in order to have their voices heard by the Brazilian government. The most important ally for the indigenous peoples was the international public living in democratic nations. One of the most successful tactics they employed was the use of photographs and other forms of media to summon feelings of compassion and understanding in a foreign audience with either little knowledge of the tribes or with preconceived misconceptions of their vicious and inhumane nature. Deforestation caused by gold miners, loggers, cattle ranchers and farmers was one of the biggest threats to indigenous tribes, the Rubber Tappers, and the environment. However, the aims of the tribal and Rubber Tappers movements did not always coincide with the aims of environmental movements. For this reason, it was critical for the leaders of the Kayapo, Payakan and the Rubber Tappers to frame their struggles in environmental terms. The human rights and environmental rights movements faced a great deal of opposition from the Brazilian government and the Brazilian public. The Brazilian government often encouraged these developmental activities because they brought profit to Brazil from its largest region. Ultimately, the allies of the Rubber Tappers, the Kayapo and the Yanomami made only a minor impact on the protection of human rights and the environment because they did not secure Brazilian institutional change or mobilize the Brazilian masses to support the cause. In this paper I will argue that the indigenous peoples...