The Upper Juruá Extractive Reserve in the Brazilian Amazon: past and present†.

R P Ferreira,P F M Lopes,A Begossi,R.A.M Silvano,J V Campos-Silva

doi:10.1590/1519-6984.239188

Abstract

Amazonian livelihoods are largely dependent on rivers, with local protein consumption mainly relying on several species of fish. The UJER (Upper Juruá Extractive Reserve - Reserva Extrativista do Alto Juruá) is located in the state of Acre, bordering Peru and several indigenous areas. Here we summarize the data we collected in 1993/1994 on the population living along the banks of the Juruá, Tejo, Bagé, Igarapé São João and Breu rivers on crop cultivation, animal husbandry, and use of game and fish resources. We interviewed 133 individuals (94 on the Juruá and Tejo, 16 on Bagé, 16 on Igarapé São João and 7 on Breu rivers). Our results include a comprehensive description on local livelihoods, including the most important fish species for local subsistence considering gender and seasonality, the main husbandry and game species, and the items cultivated on the local agriculture. Whenever more recent information was available in the literature, we compared changes in livelihoods over time in the same region and also with the recent patterns observed in the Lower and in the Middle Juruá River. We hope to provide useful information to understand temporal changes in local livelihoods, which can help adapt and shape the ecological management in the region.

Highlights

Amazonian livelihoods are largely dependent on rivers, with local protein consumption mainly relying on several species of fish
Our results include a comprehensive description on local livelihoods, including the most important fish species for local subsistence considering gender and seasonality, the main husbandry and game species, and the items cultivated on the local agriculture
As the pressures mount over Amazonia, the region is at a crossroads regarding biodiversity conservation and livelihoods of local people, which tend to be largely dependent on rivers (Begossi et al, 2019)

Summary

Introduction

As the pressures mount over Amazonia, the region is at a crossroads regarding biodiversity conservation and livelihoods of local people, which tend to be largely dependent on rivers (Begossi et al, 2019). Protected and unprotected areas suffer from various impacts, including the establishment and planning of hundreds of hydroelectric dams (Winemiller et al, 2016), new roads and the increasing deforestation rates for cattle pastures and soybean crops, which form large corridors isolating fragments of forest (Fearnside, 2001, 2007, 2017a, b). All of these changes have consequences on terrestrial and aquatic environments. Large dams for hydropower generation, for example, have affected fish and fisheries in large Amazonian rivers, by reducing the availability of commercial migratory fish, extinguishing fish species that depend on specific habitats flooded by dams, and changing fish community by transforming lotic environments into lentic ones (Petrere, 1996; Hallwass et al, 2013a; Santos et al, 2018, 2020; Arantes et al, 2019)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion