The "Chico Mendes" extractive reserve and land governance in the Amazon: Some lessons from the two last decades

Abstract

The discussions about sustainable development in the Amazon region, in particular the rubber tree social movement against deforestation and the struggle for land ownership, culminated in the implementation of conservation units for direct use, with the main reference being the "Chico Mendes" Extractive Reserve, located in Xapuri-Acre-Brazil, representing some kind of agrarian reform in the forest. The objective of the present work is to evaluate some of the lessons learned in the last two decades related to the guarantee of land ownership and the social reproduction of extractivists. The ASPF methodology of research project from the Federal University of Acre was used, based on social indicators such as schooling, access to land and housing time; economic indicators, such as economic efficiency and living standards in monetary terms; and environmental indicators such as land use and deforestation. The results indicate that housing turnover has decreased significantly in the analyzed period. However, for more than half of extractivists there is still no guarantee of land ownership. From the economic point of view, there was a significant reduction in both economic efficiency and the level of living among families. From the environmental point of view, there was a slight decrease in forests, with increased deforestation and increased pasture for cattle production. It is recommended that new research on poverty and rural development be undertaken to understand the reality of this community.

Keywords: Amazon; Extractive reserve; Land governance; Sustainable development.