Blair A. Nelsen

A.B. in Environmental Studies

Expected graduation date: May 28, 2006

Conserving What Is Ours: Challenges to Sustainable-Use Conservation Among the Ribeirinhos of the Tapajós National Forest

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Tapajós National Forest (FLONA) in the state of Pará is a sustainable use unit, home to a network of communities of a traditional population known as the ribeirinhos. The objective of this report is to analyze the effectiveness of several ribeirinho community-based development projects designed to aid the conservation goals of FLONA. To do this, I will examine the trend in deforestation and resource use in the FLONA compared to other forested areas in the state of Pará using published data, GIS analysis of the Tapajos basin, direct observations and stakeholder interviews gathered during the summer of 2005. I will look at the background patterns such as the current ways resources are used by the ribeirinhos, and how effective conservation has been in FLONA to date as evident through deforestation rates. I will also examine the important stakeholders’ perceptions of the effectiveness of these development projects and community-based conservation in the FLONA. I will also evaluate effectiveness though examining the governance structure, social welfare indicators, and desires of the stakeholders for the future of the forest. These indicators point to a positive impact of the unit on conservation in the region, though suggest a rapidly changing picture of resource use that cannot be overcome without increased participation in and a greater variety of development projects across communities. Stakeholders perceive the future threats to conservation differently, and it may appear that governance is more effective at the local level. While the FLONA is a good example of co-management of resources in a protected area, the changing environmental picture in the ribeirinho communities necessitates new levels of cooperation between stakeholders around questions of resource use.