AMAPÁ EXTRACTIVE RESERVE IMPLEMENTATION


(Project BR0883)


A


key sustainable development initiative in Brazilian Amazonia is the establishment of a number of large extractive reserves where local communities have the right to harvest natural forest products. The network of extractive reserves was established by the government in response to grassroots pressure spearheaded by the murdered rubber tappers' leader, Chico Mendes.


The extractive reserves have fuelled hopes in the search for sound development alternatives for Amazonia. The land technically belongs to the government but the right of use is transferred to local forest dwellers through a community­use title. Today, there are an estimated 300,000 families living mainly from extractivism in the Brazilian Amazon alone.


Most of the international support for developing extractive reserves has so far been centred in the state of Acre where the rubber­tapper movement is particularly strong. WWF is now supporting a pilot project outside Acre to determine whether extractive reserves can be developed elsewhere in the Amazon region.


The two reserves selected - the Cajari and Maracá Reserves - are located in Amapá, one of the least environmentally degraded states. Over the past three years WWF has funded efforts by the National Council of Rubber Tappers to manage key natural resources in the two reserves.


Some of the lessons learned from the initial extractive reserve operation in Acre are being applied in Amapá. In some cases, forest dwellers have found themselves exploited by middlemen who buy unprocessed forest goods at rock­bottom prices and then sell them general goods at inflated prices. This system is gradually changing as forest dwellers eliminate middlemen and find ways of adding value locally to their products.


The reserve forest products in Amapá include Brazil nuts and palm heart and fruit harvested from the açaí palm. The palm heart is mainly canned for international export while the fruit is widely consumed locally. The açaí is a multi­stemmed palm which can regenerate indefinitely with appropriate management.


Although 85 per cent of Brazil's total exports of palm heart come from this region, small­scale marketing of açaí has often foundered because of unreliable transportation to urban centres (açaí spoils 48 hours after harvesting). WWF is supporting the establishment of a pilot processing system for açaí palm heart and fruit as well as a buying and selling cooperative along the lines of the one in Acre.


WWF has also helped develop a basic river transport system and supported a public hearing enabling residents to discuss the environmental impact of a new road bisecting the reserves.




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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature