Fire normativities: environmental conservation and quilombola forms of life in the Brazilian savanna

Abstract

The article seeks to shift away from the centrality attributed to the idea of ‘control’ in the debate on participatory fire management. To do so, it addresses three modes of existence of the phenomenon in the Brazilian savannah - queimada (burned place), fogos gerais (fire that spreads or general fires) and fogo fora do tempo (fire out of time) - aiming to explore the perceptual disparities between wanted and unwanted fires with quilombolas and environmental managers in the Jalapão region (Tocantins, Brazil). This problem is discussed in light of the concept of normativity formulated by the epistemologist George Canguilhem in dialogue with the anthropology of techniques. The goal is to contribute to a research agenda in which the distinction between ‘good fire’ and ‘bad fire’ is thematized in specific ethnographic contexts rather than from pre-given normative criteria. I conclude by arguing that the current fire management policies concern not only the legal protocol of fire authorization, but also the modulation of technical and vital processes.

Manejo Integrado do Fogo: Trajetória da Estação Ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins (2001 a 2020)

“…In the Brazilian National System of Conservation Units (SNUC), ecological stations are strict preservation areas where there should be no human occupation and the human uses are expected to be restricted to research and education, closely related to the American concept of wilderness. However, before SGTES' creation, it was already the homeland of traditional communities, including quilombolas (maroon communities) who have been living with fire for centuries in quilombos (settlements historically founded by enslaved Africans) spread across the Japalão region (Fagundes, 2019b;Silva, 2019).…”

“…In the same year, the TC negotiation process, which started in 2009, was finally concluded, resulting in a ruled agreement that allowed the use of fire for some traditional practices such as agriculture, grazing and harvest of capim dourado (Syngonanthus nitens, Eriocaulaceae) -the golden grass, but only upon formal authorization. This agreement (TC/2012) was the first one in ICMBio to allow fire use by quilombola communities in a strict protected area (Fagundes, 2019b). Nevertheless, the TC/2012 also imposed some restrictions: late dry season fires were forbidden; the minimum fire return interval was stipulated as three years, and the use of fire in wildlands along the Novo river was also forbidden, because it is the habitat of pato-mergulhão (Mergus octosetaceus)an endangered brazilian merganser.…”

“…We believe that the presence of social scientists, always observant of the asymmetrical weaknesses in processes and of impositions, during negotiations, helped to achieve a better equalization of 'voices' between mainly environmental managers and quilombolas. A special contribution came from the anthropologist Guilherme Fagundes, who is involved in studies about culture and rights of quilombolas (see Fagundes, 2019b) and helped to build bridges between stakeholders, sometimes bringing up their shared ancient history related to African diaspora.…”

Socioenvironmental Management, the Denial of Theory U and the Amazon Rainforest Fires

“…Offenders seek to justify their claim that it is hard to tell controlled burning apart from forest fires. But for Fagundes (2019), discriminating between excessive or abusive burning and necessary controlled burning must conform to environmental standards. This implies a normative awareness that excludes conceptual conflict because such conflict contributes to the bending of laws on the use of fire, while opening a gap for the corrupt practice of starting forest fires in the region.…”

Ouvindo no mangue

“…Foram doze meses de convivência (entre os anos de 2018 e 2020) com pescadores e caranguejeiros residentes na Área de Proteção Ambiental e na Reserva Extrativista Marinha do Delta do Parnaíba (Piauí-Maranhão). Utilizei-me desse episódio com os macacos para refletir sobre como a noção de território pode dialogar com a ideia de paisagem sonora, a fim de percebermos a relação entre os sons e diferentes formas de vida (PITROU, 2015(PITROU, , 2016FAGUNDES, 2019aFAGUNDES, , 2019b Adentrar os manguezais é não apenas se emaranhar nas densas raízes que crescem sob nossos pés, mas também se enredar nos fluxos de vida de centenas de seres SOUTO, 2004). Essas florestas úmidas aqui abordadas crescem em regiões estuarinas, sob o encontro de águas fluviais e oceânicas.…”