Begossi, Alpina (1995) Cultural and Ecological Resilience among Caicaras of the Atlantic Forest Coast and Caboclos of the Amazon

Conference: Presented at "Reinventing the Commons," the fifth annual conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property, May 24-28, 1995, Bodoe, Norway.

Abstract: "The subsistence of native populations from tropical forests has been based on natural resources. This study includes analysis of subsistence activities of caicaras, native populations living in the Atlantic forest coast, and of caboclos, represented especially by rubber tappers (seringueiros) who live in the Amazon forest. The analysis will cover aspects related to the use of natural resources by those population, that might serve to increase their ecological resilience. Analysis of property rights and institutions of caicaras and caboclos are compared. The caicaras live in conservation units, such as the State Park of Serra do Mar, where their activities of fishing and hunting are in permanent tension with Government Environmental Agencies. Rubber tappers, on the other hand, have organized themselves in the Rubber Tapper National Council and have created the Extractive Reserves, which are recognized and legalized by Governmental Agencies. The example of the Upper Guru Extractive Reserve, created in 1990, serve to illustrate the different paths taken by Brazilian native populations from the tropical rain forests. Local management is the objective of Extractive Reserves, where local institutions and the scientific community are involved. the different patterns of caicaras and caboclos have different effects on the resilience of their systems."

"The aim of this study is to review ecological-cultural aspects of Brazilian native populations that descend from Indian and Portuguese, from the Atlantic Forest coast (caicaras) and from the Amazon (caboclos)...