A Look at Amazon Basin Seasonal Dynamics with the Biophysical ...

1Session: Human Dimension, of Global Environmental ChangeAbstract: Local Responses to Global Changes Impacts in the Amazon: The Socio-Environmental ModelBertha K. BeckerDepartment of Geography Laboratory on Management – Federal University of Rio de JaneiroAv. Atlântica, 1896/1301 – Copacabana – CEP. 22021-001 – Rio de Janeiro - BrasilE-mail: nfrancina@globo.com ou nfrancina@bol.com.brLocal Responses to Global Changes Impacts in the Amazon: The Socio-EnvironmentalModelThe complexity of Human Dimensions of global changes implies recognizingdiverse interests and underlying factors in the analysis of situations. Emphasis in scientiphicanalysis is usually given to the impacts of local processes on global changes. There are,however global changes impacts on local processes. Impacts that are not merelyenvironmental and cannot be dissociated from economic and geopolitical interests, andScience must be aware of these complex conditions of global change.Important structural changes took place in the Amazon since the 1970’s, such as:connectivy, industrialization, urbanization and particularly, change in the social structure,which are expressed in the diversification of territorial occupation and use in five majorpatterns (Becker, 2002). The focus of this paper, based mainly on field research, is the socioenvironmentalpattern. It is the one that better expresses local responses to global changesimpacts, and is the less studied and diffused in international scientiphic literature.Hundreds of community experiments are beeing developed in the Amazonconfiguring a new socio-environmental model. The landmark of its emergence is 1985, withthe creation of the National Council of Rubbertappers, a symbol of the organization of localsocial movements against their land and resources expropriation. Conflicts of the 1970’s and1980’s changed into organized demands expressed in alternative bottom-up developmentprojects. They are experiments associated to bio-sociodiversity. Each of them develops in acertain ecossistem, with populations of different ethnic or geographic origin – Indians,rubbertappers, riverains, and peasants -, as well as different socio-economic and politicalstructure, techniques and alliances (Becker, 1995).The Catholic Church gave the basic support for community fights and organizationsthroughout the region. As global concerns with regional environmental protection increased,new national and particularly international partners became the crucial support for thesemovements. Technical and financial support, given by religions organizations, ngos,development agencies, banks.Telecommunications networks are the basic strategy used for communities to relatewith actors at the global scale, aiming to get support for their survival. Global motivations arecomplex. They include environmental protection concerns, economic and geopoliticalinterests of having access to information and control of the region’s natural capital, as well asscientiphic motivations.The socio-environmental model represents an important local contribution for thesolution of global problems: biodiversity loss, deforestation and it effects on climate. But, ifit is a relatively political and environmental success, the economic conditions of thepopulations involved are far from being satisfactory, challenging research, public policies andinternational cooperation to search and develop conditions for its sustainability.