Disputed Territories in Southeastern Brazil: Effects of the Serra da Bocaina National Park on Nearby Coastal Communities
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Disputed Territories in Southeastern Brazil: Effects of the Serra da Bocaina National Park on Nearby Coastal Communities Rodrigo Rodrigues de Freitas
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Luciana Gomes de Araujo2
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Received: 14 May 2020 / Accepted: 16 September 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The establishment of national parks in Brazil has been made based on a history of conflicts with local populations living within the limits or buffer zones of protected areas. These conflicts begin with disputes over territorial ownership. They affect local livelihoods, access to and use of space and natural resources, and create power asymmetries. In response to these conflicts, the Federal Conservation Agency has put forward norms that guarantee inclusive arenas for local people to take part in negotiations with park managers. In this study, environmental conflicts caused by the implementation of parks overlapping local population territories are analyzed aiming to understand their role as mechanisms promoting institutional changes. We collected data from two communities that overlap the Serra da Bocaina National Park through interviews, workshops, and direct observations. For each community, we characterized conflicts involving the community and Park officers. We identified consequences to the community’s livelihoods and analyzed their influence on institutional change. The results suggest that one community responded to conservation conflicts through actions towards negotiation and collaboration with the national park. The other community promoted changes in agricultural production methods and sought new markets as a strategy for staying in the territory. Conflicts are effective as a mechanism for institutional changes, as local actors articulate with autonomous organizations at different levels. We highlight the importance of a continuous documentation on conflicts and their consequences to rural livelihoods in both communities and conflict management actions taken by the Park in the long term. Keywords Environmental conflicts Institutional change Rural livelihoods Protected area ●
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Highlights Conflicts are mechanisms that can promote institutional change. ● Disputed parks and communities territories can stimulate arenas for negotiation. ● Conflict outcomes in no-take protected areas can strengthen community empowerment. ● Multiple scale networks and community empowerment facilitate institutional changes. ● Documentation of environmental conflicts contributes to an adaptive management process. ●
Introduction
* Rodrigo Rodrigues de Freitas [email protected] 1
Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Southern University of Santa Catarina (Unisul), Technological Center R. Padre Dionísio da Cunha Laudt, S/n - Dehon, Tubarão, SC, Brazil
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Institute of Energy and Environment (IEE), University of São Paulo (USP), Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, 1289 - Butantã, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
No-take protected areas have a history of conflicts with local people. The conflicts concern
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