Juliana Cézar Nunes
Reporter Agencia Brasil

Brasília – The future of environmental policy and the protection of natural resources will be on the top of the agenda at the 2nd National Conference on the Environment which runs from December 10 to 13. Preparations for this conference were made at 27 state conferences where the discussions ranged from the caatinga (semi-arid) and the cerrado (savannah), to São Francisco River basin revitalization, to the use of toxic fertilizers and genetically modified crops, to professional training for farm workers and the destination of revenue raised from fines for destroying the environment.

The coordinator of the conference, environmentalist Pedro Ivo Batista, says some 1,500 participants will be present at the event. "We will have representatives of NGOs, local governmental organizations, unions, quilombos, Indian groups and, of course, a lot of environmentalists," says Batista. The theme of the conference is "Taking Care of Brazil." The goal is to integrate policy and use natural resources in a sustainable way by promoting development without destroying ecosystems.

Translation: Allen Bennett