Changes in the landscape, threats, and the struggle of the quilombola communities from Alto Trombetas for their territories

ABSTRACT

This study addresses landscape changes in the quilombola territories of the communities Alto Trombetas 1 and 2, on the banks of the Trombetas River. It also points out transformations that have taken place since the creation of federal conservation units and the installation of bauxite mining activities in the region. The production and management of overlaps involves a heterogeneous network of state actors, artifacts, and socio-technical apparatuses that materialize interventions in the landscape, in a web of government bodies, norms, and a discourse favorable to progress and profit. This overlap has made the communities organize themselves against the invasion of their lands and struggle constantly to give visibility to the effects of mining and conservation units. We conclude that the history of questionable interventions from different sectors of the state has compromised the coexistence of quilombola territories with other lives in the region. Also, the lack of monitoring and studies focused on the effects of mining on quilombola communities shows how environmental racism falls upon racialized bodies and territories. However, quilombola communities continue to resist in their ancestral territories.

RESUMO

Este artigo aborda as alterações de paisagem nos territórios quilombolas Alto Trombetas 1 e 2, que vivem às margens do rio Trombetas, e as transformações no ambiente desde a criação de unidades de conservação federal e da instalação de atividade minerária de bauxita na região. A produção e a gestão das sobreposições envolvem uma heterogênea rede de atores estatais, artefatos e aparatos sociotécnicos que materializam as intervenções na paisagem: órgãos governamentais, normas, discursos favoráveis ao progresso e ao lucro. Tais sobreposições exigiram das comunidades organização para enfrentar a invasão de suas terras e constante luta para visibilidade dos efeitos causados pela mineração e pelas unidades de conservação. Concluímos que o histórico de intervenções questionáveis de distintos setores do Estado comprometeu a coexistência dos territórios quilombolas com as demais vidas no lugar, bem como a falta de acompanhamentos e estudos voltados aos efeitos da mineração para as comunidades quilombolas demonstram as formas com que o racismo ambiental incide sobre corpos e territórios racializados. Entretanto, as comunidades quilombolas seguem resistindo em seus territórios ancestrais.

RESUMEN

Este artículo aborda los cambios paisajísticos en los territorios quilombolas Alto Trombetas 1 y 2, a orillas del río Trombetas, y las transformaciones en el medio ambiente desde la creación de unidades federales de conservación y la instalación de actividades mineras de bauxita en la región. La producción y gestión de superposiciones involucra una red heterogénea de actores estatales, artefactos y aparatos sociotécnicos que materializan intervenciones en el paisaje: organismos gubernamentales, normas, discursos favorables al progreso y al lucro. Tales superposiciones requirieron que las comunidades se organizaran para enfrentar la invasión de sus tierras y luchar por visibilizar los efectos causados por la minería y las unidades de conservación. Concluimos que la historia de intervenciones cuestionables de diferentes sectores del Estado comprometió la convivencia de los territorios quilombolas con otras vidas en el lugar. La falta de monitoreo y estudios enfocados a los efectos de la minería en las comunidades quilombolas demuestran las formas en que el racismo ambiental se centra en cuerpos y territorios racializados. Sin embargo, las comunidades quilombolas siguen resistiendo en sus territorios ancestrales.

KEYWORDS:

• Quilombo
• landscape
• territorial overlap
• mining
• bauxite

PALAVRAS-CHAVE:

• Quilombo
• paisagem
• sobreposição territorial
• mineração
• bauxita

PALABRAS-CLAVE:

• Quilombo
• paisaje
• superposición territorial
• minería
• bauxita

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Julia Marques Dalla Costa

Julia Marques Dalla Costa holds a master's degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Brasilia, where she also graduated in Social Sciences with a major in Sociology and in Anthropology. She is a Social Policies Analyst and is currently an advisor to the Vice Minister of Rural Development and Family Farming, working in the areas of land governance and traditional peoples and communities. Between 2014 and 2023, she worked on the land regularization of quilombola territories and environmental licensing in quilombola areas for INCRA. She is a researcher associated with the Laboratory of Ethnography of Institutions and Practices of Power (Leipp) at the University of Brasilia and a member of the Anthropologist's Professional Insertion Committee of the Brazilian Anthropology Association.

Vanessa Flores dos Santos

Vanessa Flores dos Santos is a PhD Candidate and holds a master's degree in Social Anthropology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (PPGAS-UFRGS), and a Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from the Federal University of Santa Maria. She is an affiliate researcher at the Anthropology and Citizenship Center (NACi) Department of Social Anthropology (UFRGS - Porto Alegre/ Brazil). Flores dos Santos works as an analyst in agrarian reform and development/anthropology at the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA).

Eleandra Raquel da Silva Koch

Eleandra Raquel da Silva Koch is a social scientist. She holds a master's degree in Sociology and a PhD in Rural Development from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. She works as an analyst in agrarian reform and development/anthropology at the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform. She is an associate researcher in the Technology, Environment and Society research group at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.