The DURAMAZ indicator system: a cross-disciplinary comparative tool for assessing ecological and social changes in the Amazon

Abstract

During the last 20 years, the Amazon region has been at the same time a place of massive ecological and social change and a laboratory of experiments aimed at promoting sustainable development. Policies and project initiatives involving diverse social groups and environmental contexts have been implemented across the region. They have resulted in mixed outcomes and trade-offs between social and environmental dimensions, making their impact at the local level difficult to assess and their successes difficult to generalize. The objective of the DURAMAZ research project was to provide a better understanding of these impacts. It produced a multi-dimensional indicator system designed to allow a holistic view of sustainable development at local and subregional levels and a comparative perspective across 12 research sites, from an isolated indigenous village to smallholders and agribusiness areas in Mato Grosso. The results of the first observation campaign (2007–2009) show that despite the claim of promoting sustainable development, no project was able to untie the ‘Gordian knot’ of development in the Amazon. Communities continue to face the old dilemma of either enjoying a preserved ecosystem but enduring adverse life conditions, or enjoying better living at the expense of forest cover. Another finding is that the subregional context is very important in shaping the impacts of regional policies. Thus, the same policy will not always have the same effect, depending on in which context it is applied. Finally, we found that cultural factors and a sense of place play a more important role than economic factors when it comes to the way people evaluate their own situation. This research provides the basis for a second phase of the project (2012–2016) in which we will continue to expand our sample and to refine our methodologies with the goal of transforming the initiative into a network of observatories of sustainable development in the Amazon.

Exploring the boundaries of individual and collective land use management: institutional arrangements in the PAE Chico Mendes (Acre, Brazil)

“…The present study has been conducted with the support of the DURAMAZ project phase 2 (Le Tourneau and Droulers 2010; Le Tourneau et al 2013). This multidisciplinary research project aims at studying sustainability in the Amazon by comparing the evolution of several sites of different types (colonization projects, traditional communities, agribusiness areas, etc.).…”

Overlooked biodiversity loss in Amazonian smallholder agriculture

“…Habitat differences within biogeographic regions are globally ubiquitous (e.g. due to variation in elevation, soils, hydrology, climate, etc), and revealing the full impacts of disturbance requires sampling that is both spatially extensive and locally comprehensive with respect to habitat variation [22,33]. Habitat specialization and spatial turnover are characteristic of hyperdiverse species communities, suggesting that habitat degradation might have its worst effects precisely where biodiversity is highest.…”

“…Second, comparisons of biodiversity in intact and human-modified Amazonian landscapes have generally focused on more acute disturbances (e.g. large-scale agriculture, fragmentation, silviculture, or fire) in eastern and central Amazonia [17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. Many of these studies report low levels of biodiversity in intensive agriculture (e.g.…”

Neoliberal Environmentality among Elites: Becoming “Responsible Producers” in Santarém, Brazil

“…), and certain indicators can point toward an increased quality of life following this transition (Le Tourneau et al. ). In Mato Grosso, Brazil, where the soy economy is established and dominant, intensive social networks, agribusiness partnerships, and information flows lead to lower input prices and greater access to credit for farmers who operate within these economies (Garrett et al.…”

“…The third pattern of soyization also makes reference to an increased standard of living for some. Following the transition to industrial agriculture, soybean expansion is associated with higher median incomes in farming communities (VanWey et al 2013), and certain indicators can point toward an increased quality of life following this transition (Le Tourneau et al 2013). In Mato Grosso, Brazil, where the soy economy is established and dominant, intensive social networks, agribusiness partnerships, and information flows lead to lower input prices and greater access to credit for farmers who operate within these economies (Garrett et al 2013).…”