Influências dos ecossistemas aquáticos costeiros na produção do espaço de vilas ribeirinhas: o caso de Vista Alegre do Pará

Abstract

In the micro-region of Salgado (known as the Salgado Zone), in the municipality of Marapanim, we found the Vila de Vista Alegre do Pará, where we sought to understand how a community of artisanal fishermen produces its space from the 62 influences of coastal aquatic ecosystems. We started from the assumption that the production of space would be the process in which the individual acts upon nature, modifying it to meet his or her material and social needs. The present work is part of the research line "Natural resources and sustainability strategies" of the "RENAS" project, which has been conducting studies on Amazonian fishing populations. Our methodology was based on ethnography, through the application of questionnaires, informal and formal interviews, photographic records, and historical data collection. By consulting authors such as Franz Boas, Paul V. de La Blache, Clifford Geertz, Milton Santos, and Lourdes Gonçalves Furtado it became possible to carry out an interdisciplinary interaction between Anthropology and Geography, which enabled us to define the influences of the environment on the community's way of life. The productive systems in the community revolve around the use of rivers, streams, and beaches, where shellfish and crustaceans are collected and fishing activities are developed, complemented by subsistence agriculture. Fishing as the main activity has been undergoing changes in recent years, mainly due to the lack of resources for the acquisition of large boats, which make it possible to fish on the high seas for commercial purposes, making the local fishermen practice only subsistence fishing.