A última peça do mosaico das unidades de conservação da Terra do Meio - Pará- Brasil: o processo de criação da Reserva Extrativista do Médio Xingu

Abstract

In recent decades, the Amazon region has been drawing attention for its biodiversity potential and for the presence of traditional populations that use natural resources with a low impact on the ecosystem. Because of the importance of biodiversity, the rise in deforestation, and the encroachment on public lands (including "land-grabbing"), the government supported by NGOs, has proposed the creation of conservation units in large blocks. A study on the process of creating the Extractive Reserve of Rio Xingu, in Altamira, Pará is addressing the occupation of the Xingu River basin, colonization, the presence of indigenous peoples, "land grabbing" of public lands, and the description of non-governmental and governmental work for the creation of extractive reserves and protected territories for the traditional population. Conflicts between the government and the riparian (traditional river-dwelling) communities arise because the governmentadjudicates protected areas that are used by riparian communities for their livelihoods . The results of the research indicate that there is a need to generate knowledge and a constant dialogue with local communities before proposing an ecological intervention. The study also shows that ecological intervention reduces land grabbing, deforestation and violence against local communities. Lastly, the study proposes the creation of a mechanism to protect territories where there is a presence of traditional populations, which guarantees the population the use of natural resources for an indefinite period until the government designates the land for a particular use. The studies were conducted in a Masters Program in Family Farming and Sustainable Development at the Amazon Center for Agrarian Sciences and Rural Development at the Federal University of Pará.