Rubber Tapper's Daughter Is New Brazilian Environment Minister

Abstract

In her inaugural speech in Brasilia in January, Marina Silva, Brazil's new Environment Minister, promised government which audaciously places the challenge of sustainable development at its very heart. Bor in the Amazonian state of Acre, Silva, 44, has dedicated most of her political career to defending the forests of her childhood. Her nomination is a milestone for the Brazilian environmental movement. Shortly after his election, President Inacio da Silva received a letter from 90 environmental NGOs, recommending Marina Silva's appointment. Raised in poverty, Silva started work as a maid and only learned to read and write at the age of 16. In 1984, she earned a degree in history and cofounded the rubber tappers' Central Workers Union with activist Chico Mendes to protest the destruction of forest by cattle ranchers and campaign for the establishment of sustainable extractive reserves. Following Mendes' assassination she became the leading advocate of social environmentalism, which links conservation to the fight against poverty. She sees the defense of the forests and its people as single and inseparable objective. In 1994, Silva became the youngest Senator in Brazilian history, and in the 2002 elections she tripled her vote count as Workers' Party leader Lula was swept to power. Now we can start putting into practice at the federal level what we have learned from our experiences, she said. I think the Amazon Region Protected Areas Program will be pushed forward faster than previously, comments Eugenio Arima, a researcher in rural economy (Amazon Institute of People and the Environment, Belem, Brazil). As far as the Amazon is concerned, she is definitely the best prepared person for the job. While underlining the importance ub er tapper's daughter is ew Brazilian Environment inister