A Amazônia Azul: recursos e preservação

Abstract

The area encompassed by the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and its extensions is estimated to cover a total area of 4.5 million square kilometers, which corresponds to more than half of continental Brazil. This sea area over which Brazil is entitled to have some sort of sovereignty has been named Blue Amazon. Despite the enormous potential of resources existing in this EEZ, such as living resources, mineral resources, energy resources, and non-extractive resources – some of which have already been exploited – the perception of Brazilians as regards their sea and its resources is still incipient. One of the consequences of the lack of maritime mentality is that the exploitation of resources in the Brazilian EEZ is not always carried out in a sustainable manner