Traditional Territory in a Protected Area: Territorial Dynamics and Wildlife Management in the Amanã Sustainable Development Reserve, Amazonas, Brazil

Abstract

Implementing sustainable management strategies for common-use resources influences the territorialization processes of traditional peoples and communities. This article aims to provide historical context on the use of natural resources in the Amanã Lake region, Maraã-AM. It also seeks to describe the territorial boundaries and hunting areas of one riverine community, presenting a proposal for establishing the sustainable management of subsistence hunting. The data cover a fifty-year period and were obtained through semi-structured interviews, systematic mapping of hunting locations, and participatory mapping of resource use in the region. The proposed zoning for the management of wildlife was based on previously established models in the region and on discussions with the villagers. Over the period, two territorial logics were identified, and their combination has had significant impacts on the territoriality of the studied community. The hunting area used by community members shrinked as its designated use area but at a different pace, leading to overlaps and conflicts over resource use. The proposed spatial wildlife management (of 22.216,22 ha of area) was considered appropriate by the villagers, but there is still a need to develop this wildlife management strategy based on local territorialities.