O conhecimento ecológico local e as práticas do uso de recursos naturais em uma comunidade de várzea no município de Igarapé-Miri, Pará

Abstract

The ecologies practised by traditional populations in the floodplains of the Amazon estuary have been gaining ground in ethnobiological and ethno-ecological studies, as their knowledge of the use of natural resources can be an important step towards understanding the diverse relationships between human beings and the environment, contributing to the conservation and socio-cultural reproduction of traditional territories in the Amazon. This research was carried out in the riverside community of Nova Aliança do Rio Cají, located in the municipality of Igarapé-Miri, Pará, emphasising the practices used to extract and manage natural resources, from the perspective of Ecological and Local Knowledge. The study aimed to analyse the history of occupation of the Igarapé-Miri floodplain and the Nova Aliança Community in relation to aspects of traditional knowledge and land use over generations, and the main extractive practices developed by the community in different environments. The methodological approaches were ethnography, in order to understand the process of historical and social construction of the community of Nova Aliança, consisting of the exercise of looking at and listening to the oldest residents and the construction of a mental map; qualitative techniques (informal conversations, semi-structured questionnaires and free listing) and analyses using the AnthropacFreelists programme, which made it possible to indicate the preferences and importance of the products extracted by the riverside dwellers. Data was collected between January and February 2023, after the research had been approved by the Research Ethics Committee, from six of the oldest residents and 32 residents, seven of whom were nominated as experts. The results show that local ecological knowledge is passed on in the community. Although the oldest residents no longer carry out extractive activities within the community, the knowledge passed on is identified in the practices of the current residents. This transmission takes place over the generations in a relationship of doing and knowing how to do, with children accompanying their parents in the daily activities of extraction, gathering, making utensils and hunting and fishing traps, promoting knowledge of natural resources. Analysing the free listing of the cultural value of the species listed by the experts shows how diverse the Nova Aliança community's ecosystem is: fauna, flora and aquatic. This means that they live in daily contact with these resources. This differs from the 25 interviewees, who in addition to presenting practices on the use of resources, seek to diversify activities aimed at guaranteeing income within the community.