Evaluating international scientific collaboration in Amazonia

• Grant number: 92/04823-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 1993
• End date: February 28, 1994
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - Public Policies
• Principal Investigator: Léa Maria Leme Strini Velho
• Grantee: Léa Maria Leme Strini Velho
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências (IG). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The biological diversity existing in the Brazilian ecosystems, today under threat of irrecoverable loss, is of an inestimable value to humanity. For the preservation of this patrimony, the participation of more scientifically and economically developed countries is fundamental, for example, The United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France and Spain. It is important, however, to bear in mind that this natural wealth has a very great potential to produce economic wealth the appropriation of which could be one of the variables that generates the interest of the developed countries in tropical ecosystems. Probably, for this motive, projects of scientific cooperation in Amazonia have, systematically, been the focus of controversies in relation to the scientific themes that should be studied, to the appropriate methods for studying them and, principally, to the use and ownership of the results generated. This research is based on the premise that such projects of scientific collaboration on the biodiversity of Amazonia are necessary, but that they should be evaluated in order for their benefits and problems to be made explicit. In view of this, the study we intend to develop will analyze two scientific collaboration projects in the region: the INPA/ORSTOM (France) agreement and the Maracá project (INPA/Royal Geographical Society - United Kingdom). It is believed that the results from this research could provide support for the establishment of national public policies relating to scientific collaboration with other countries. (AU)