Strategies and Tools for a Sustainable Rural Rio de Janeiro

This book is a compilation of recent developments in land, ecosystem, and water management in theBrazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. The state is located in the biodiversity hotspot of the Atlantic Forest(Mata Atlântica), a biome characterized by high biological diversity and endemism. At the same time thestate of Rio de Janeiro emerged to one of the economic hubs in Latin America. This development processhas been accompanied by population growth, industrialization, urbanization, as well as consumption anddegradation of land and water resources. In the past years many efforts have been made to stop or atleast slow down these degradation processes and restore degraded environments with the overall goalto bring together sustainable management of natural resources, nature conservation, and economicdevelopment. An overview is provided of the different strategies and tools that have been developed in the fields ofagriculture, ecosystem management and biodiversity, integrated water management, land restoration,disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, as well as environmental governance andeconomic instruments. This book covers a wide spectrum from applied research to science-policyinterfaces, planning concepts, and technical tools and has a model character for other rural areas in LatinAmerica. Target groups are scientists, practitioners, policy makers and graduate students in the field ofenvironmental management. The different chapters are written by researchers and practitioners of theGerman-Brazilian project INTECRAL (Integrated Eco Technologies and Services for a Sustainable Rural Riode Janeiro), the rural development program Rio Rural under the state secretary for agriculture andanimal husbandry, as well as invited scientists from Brazilian universities and research institutes. It bridges existing gaps between science, policies, and practice in rural development.