Socioeconomic and Environmental Vulnerability Index in the Brazilian Amazon: The Case of the Carajás Railroad

Abstract

This article assesses the socioeconomic and environmental vulnerability of the 28 municipalities of the Carajás Railroad territory, located in Pará and Maranhão states, Brazilian Amazon. We constructed a Socioeconomic and Environmental Vulnerability Index (IVSEA) applying the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on a set of indicators built using 1991, 2000, and 2010 censuses data. In this vulnerability analysis at the levels, we also used the Social Progress Index (SPI) of 2014 and 2018, spanning approximately 30 years. Moreover, we analyzed the spatially-weighted percentage changes of surrounding municipalities’ IVSEA and SPI across the censuses and over the 2014-2018 period, respectively. We found that municipalities on the Maranhão's side of the railroad (e.g., Monção and Anajatuba) are more vulnerable than those on the Pará’s. São Luís (Maranhão) and Parauapebas (Pará) are the least vulnerable in the territory. There is a high spatial correlation between the municipalities with their clusters occurring according to the degree of vulnerability. Consistent with the literature, a challenge to improve effectiveness and efficiency in interventions by companies, policymakers, and other stakeholders to reduce vulnerabilities and build resilient and more sustainable regions remains.