1046 - Natural Resources Management and Development in Amazonia - the role of small holders on conservation

18.07.2012 | 17:30 - 19:30
19.07.2012 | 17:30 - 19:30

Convener 1: Rivero, Sérgio (UFPA , Belem PA, Brazil / Brasilien)
Convener 2: Almeida, Oriana

Amazon Region is one of the biggest tropical forest in the world. The region has around 8 million square kilometers what represents 54% of the total area of OTCA countries (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela). More than 32 million of people live in Amazonia. It represents 11% total Amazonian Countries population. Most part of the population lives in cities (around 70% of Amazonian habitants live in cities). With 10 million of people living in the rural areas the Amazonian region has the lower population density in all the OTCA countries. The region had experienced historical high rates of occupation. With fast population growing in the last three decades and rapid changes in land occupation patterns, leading to fast deforestation rates and expropriation of part of traditional populations that occupied the region earlier. Recently, significant parts of the region are submitted to institutional changes that implied in more effective control by the national states or by organized segments of the national societies that have the tendency to impose restrictions to the historical tendencies of deforestation and occupation of land. These new tendencies implied in a fast reduction in the deforestation rates in countries like Brazil. This symposium aims to observe under the woods and explore the diversity of social dynamics that are in the base of these changes.

Keywords: Institutional Changes, Amazon, Natural Resources Management, Community Agreements