This paper examines historical development of the environmental NGO movements that aim to preserve the rain forests in Brazilian Amazon by examining three distinct patterns/strategies of the movement with special focus on success and limit of the movement and changing roles of the environmental NGOs. Three distinct patterns of the movement, that is, 1) protest and mobilization, 2) participation and partnership with the government, 3) market intervention, reflect the corresponding overarching features of the ruling system, that is, authoritarianism, democratization and neoliberalism. Authoritarian period saw the environmental movement emerge out of protest and collective mobilization assisted by international environmental NGOs to cope with the repression and government-led development drive in the region. Years right after the democratization period during 1990s is characterized by the active participation of the environmental NGOs in the decision making structures to conduct a variety of projects with the government and other transnational institutions. Neoliberal economy entrenched in Brazil during 1990s has accelerated deforestation trend by the export of soy beans and beef to the world market, which led the environmental NGOs to come up with the certification scheme to deter the relentless deforestation moves by the profit driven producers. The movement experienced both the successes and the limits. Politicization of the environmental issues and international pressure aided by the international NGOs during the authoritarian period allowed relative weak environmental movement to achieve more than its political clout. However, lack of political influence in the political society of Brazil left the newly achieved rights and benefits suffer from constant encroachment by the landlords and the conservatives. Participation and partnership enabled environmental NGOs to enhance its expertise and voice in the design and implementation of the environmental programs. Despite this new achievement, isolation of the environmental sector within the government and development drive in the region has led the NGOs to search for new schemes such as pro-environmental certification that could reduce market driven expansion of the deforestation.

This paper examines historical development of the environmental NGO movements that aim to preserve the rain forests in Brazilian Amazon by examining three distinct patterns/strategies of the movement with special focus on success and limit of the movement and changing roles of the environmental NGOs. Three distinct patterns of the movement, that is, 1) protest and mobilization, 2) participation and partnership with the government, 3) market intervention, reflect the corresponding overarching features of the ruling system, that is, authoritarianism, democratization and neoliberalism. Authoritarian period saw the environmental movement emerge out of protest and collective mobilization assisted by international environmental NGOs to cope with the repression and government-led development drive in the region. Years right after the democratization period during 1990s is characterized by the active participation of the environmental NGOs in the decision making structures to conduct a variety of projects with the government and other transnational institutions. Neoliberal economy entrenched in Brazil during 1990s has accelerated deforestation trend by the export of soy beans and beef to the world market, which led the environmental NGOs to come up with the certification scheme to deter the relentless deforestation moves by the profit driven producers. The movement experienced both the successes and the limits. Politicization of the environmental issues and international pressure aided by the international NGOs during the authoritarian period allowed relative weak environmental movement to achieve more than its political clout. However, lack of political influence in the political society of Brazil left the newly achieved rights and benefits suffer from constant encroachment by the landlords and the conservatives. Participation and partnership enabled environmental NGOs to enhance its expertise and voice in the design and implementation of the environmental programs. Despite this new achievement, isolation of the environmental sector within the government and development drive in the region has led the NGOs to search for new schemes such as pro-environmental certification that could reduce market driven expansion of the deforestation.

Environmental NGOs, Amazon, Deforestation, Environmental Movement,Brazil