THE WORLD OF LIFE IN THE AMAZON ESTUARY: POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF BIODIVERSITY IN THE ARCHIPELAGO OF BELÉM DO PARA-BRASIL

 

THE WORLD OF LIFE IN THE AMAZON ESTUARY: POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF BIODIVERSITY IN THE ARCHIPELAGO OF BELÉM DO PARA-BRASIL

CAMILO TORRES SANCHEZ

FEDERAL RURAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO

INSTITUTE OF HUMAN AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT

POSTGRADUATE COURSE IN AGRICULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT

SOCIETY

DOCTORATE PROGRAM

Rio de Janeiro

March 2005

Review

This work aims to understand the structural formation of the lifeworld in the Amazon estuary and its relationship with modernity and socioeconomic development. The research used a qualitative methodology, based on fieldwork in the Amazonian plain region, where the subject-objects involved in the dynamics of human and natural life were contextualized.

From this, it was possible to understand how modernity and the modernization of the world of life in Latin America influenced the structuring and formation of the Amazon estuary, incorporating both European and Amazonian flora in the structural form of the region. This generated a series of transformations in the region, such as the commodification of the diversity of life in the estuary and the implementation of the general equivalent, which were analyzed and problematized.

Among the species studied, we highlight açaí, coffee, cupuaçu and mango, which have an intrinsic relationship with the structural formation of the estuary. It was possible to understand how each of these species is important in the dynamics of the region and how they are incorporated by the subjects involved in the process, from riverside people to companies in Pará.

Finally, it was possible to see how political ecology is fundamental for understanding the socio-environmental dynamics of the Amazon estuary and how important it is to problematize the relationship between development and environmental preservation in the region. In this sense, this study presents itself as a contribution to understanding the complexity of the world of life in the Amazon region and to the search for fairer and more sustainable solutions for the development of the region.

This work deals with the structural formation of the lifeworld in the Amazon estuary and its relationship with modernity and political ecology. The justification for this study is based on the importance of understanding how the diversity of life in the Amazon region is being used and commercialized, in addition to understanding the relationship between the structural formation of the estuary and the culture of the riverside peoples.

The methodology used in this study involved fieldwork in the Amazonian plain, with procedures that allowed the contextualization of subject-objects present in the region, such as caboclos and riverside dwellers, as well as native flora and fauna. From this, it was possible to understand the structural formation of the lifeworld in the Amazon and its relationship with modernity and political ecology.

Modernity and the modernization of the human and natural lifeworld in Latin America are fundamental to understanding how the structural formation of the region was shaped. Communicating, language and information are structuring elements of society and influenced the structuring of the Amazon floodplain.

The formation of the Amazon plain and the Belém archipelago, as well as the use of the diversity of life in the region, are important aspects to be considered in order to understand the structure of the Amazon floodplain. The exchange in the region and the commodification of the diversity of life in the Amazon estuary were also analyzed, with emphasis on the views on the implementation of the general equivalent in the region.

Based on the analysis of the structural formation of the Amazon estuary, it was possible to understand the incorporation of European and Amazonian flora in the region, as well as the relationship between city dwellers and the flora of the estuary and the organizations of Pará companies. Açaí, coffee, cupuaçu and mango were also studied as examples of how the species were inserted in the structural formation of the estuary.

Finally, it is concluded that understanding the structural formation of the Amazon estuary and the Amazon is essential for us to understand the relationship between the diversity of life in the region, the culture of the riverside peoples and political ecology. From this, we can reflect on how to use the natural resources of the region in a sustainable way, respecting the culture and diversity of life present in the Amazon.,