Region of Santarém
Funded in 1754 by the portugueses, the economic activity has long been based on non-timber forest products. Timber extraction amplified between 1940 and 1970.
In the 1970s, the BR163 higway construction and of a hydrodam in the Tapajós River combined with government incentives for colonization induced a population boom. The 1990s are marked by the expansion of large-scale mechanized agriculture (soy) and the construction of the Cargill port with large social and environmental impacts. During 2000s, the widespread campaign against soy-driven deforestation culminated in the soy moratorium in 2006 enabling a reduction in deforestation rates.
Regional challenges
- Economic expansion with conflictual models of development and socio-demographic boom.
- Rapid urban expansion with limited infrastructure
- Hydroelectric dams in the Tapajós and Madeira River
- BR163 and grain agriculture expansion
- Hydroclimatic changes
Today the region still suffers from illegal logging, accidental fires that degrade the remaining non-degraded forest. The expansion of soy agriculture and urban region with limited infrastructures lead to water quality issues and raise health problems.
Main questions of past and on-going research
Impact of climatic and socio-environmental changes on water quality : ClimFabiam, Bloom-Alert & Bonds
- What is the influence of climatic and environmental changes on water quality and aquatic biodiversity and their potential effects on health?
- How do local population perceive these changes and adapt?
- How can the construction of scenarios help think adaptation?
Land use and impact on biodiversity and carbon storage : Rede Amazônia Sustentável
- What are the impacts of forest clearance, degradation and exploitation?
- What are the factors that determine patterns of land use, management choice, agricultural productivity and profits?
- What are the trade-offs and synergies between development and conservation ?
Agriculture expansion and contaminants : projeto Glifosato
- What are the impacts of large-scale agriculture on rural communities ?
- What are the forms of contamination from herbicices and pesticides ?
- What health problems have been detected ?