ID: 1936
Presenting Author: Renata Utsunomiya
Session: 519 - Perspectives on assessing cumulative impacts in the Global South
Status: pending
Cumulative impacts of energy/transport infrastructures and mining activities perceived by Indigenous and land-connected communities in Brazilian Amazon basins (Madeira, Tapajós and Xingu)
Infrastructures poorly planned and implemented have impacted the most bioculturally diverse biome in the world, the Amazon. Indigenous people and land-connected communities face multiple threats from these infrastructures, as well as illegal mining, deforestation, and other stressors, which, cumulatively, can surpass the Amazon forest tipping point. Historically, these threats have violated human rights, such as the right of a free, prior, and informed consent, and led to environmental degradation that menaces the cultural and physical reproduction of local communities. Amazon roads are historically well-known as the main driver of deforestation. Other transport infrastructures, such as Shipping channels, and their activities, such as dredging and rock removal, reinforce river degradation and interact with hydropower and mining impacts. These cumulative impacts perceived by local communities are poorly addressed in policy-making and environmental licensing in Brazil. This presentation discusses cumulative impacts of infrastructures (energy and transport) and mining activity in three watersheds in the Brazilian Amazon: Madeira, Tapajós, and Xingu. Based on literature review, field research, and participative Impact Assessment methods, a work-in-progress with local communities is presented to reveal perceptions of cumulative impacts from these territories. Results highlight the potential of integrating local knowledge and cumulative impact assessment to support local strategies of political incidence
Ph.D. in Environmental Science at University of São Paulo, since 2014, working and researching with Indigenous People in the Brazilian Amazon, with environmental management, cultural heritage and IA