The natural capital atlas of Brazil: supporting the mapping of natural capital contribution to economic production processes

• Grant number: 17/11935-1
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: October 16, 2017
• End date: October 21, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Production Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Biagio Fernando Giannetti
• Grantee: Biagio Fernando Giannetti
• Visiting researcher: Paul Charles Sutton
• Visiting researcher institution: University of Denver (DU), United States
• Host Institution: Vice-Reitoria de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação. Universidade Paulista (UNIP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The project aims at producing an economic and biophysical evaluation of Natural Capital in the States of Brazil. Natural Capital will be evaluated for the current year, and in time-series to allow an interpretation of Brazilian development during the last decades. Environmental Economics methods will be used, together with thermodynamics-based accounting methods. In particular, Natural Capital flows will be evaluated by considering their contribution to economic production processes. Furthermore, a framework will be developed to internalize as costs of production the potential environmental impacts of economic activities. Its implementation will discourage the diffusion of production processes with possible impacts on the environment, safeguarding local communities and assisting the definition of policies for sustainable development and environmental certification of cleaner production techniques. Special attention will be directed towards spatial representation and mapping of Natural Capital values at different resolutions and scales, from local to regional to federative. This will contribute to the final communicability and effectiveness of the project outcomes. The project aims at being of high relevance for policy-makers, local practitioners, the business sector and entrepreneurs, local communities and other stakeholders. (AU)