Reservas extrativistas after SNUC: A review of arising problems

Abstract

Reservas extrativistas after SNUC: A review of arising problems

Abstract

The historical resistance of rubber tappers in the Brazilian Amazon, known as the 'rubber tapper movement,' during the 1970s and 1980s, led to the proposition of Gatherer Reserves (Reservas Extrativistas). Decree No. 98,897/1990 established them, facing the challenge of translating a concept from a social movement into a modern state institution. A decade later, Law No. 9,985/2000 reformulated the concept, structure, and management of Gatherer Reserves, integrating them into the National System of Conservation Units (SNUC). Criticisms arose from both local residents and the literature. The sustained hypothesis is that the institutional Gatherer Reserves differs fundamentally from the one conceived by the rubber tapper movement. In this context, a literature review was conducted to systematize the issues arising from the integration of Gatherer Reserves into the SNUC. The results, presented in an essayistic manner, argue for the lack of homology between the conceptual framework of the rubber tapper movement and its implementation by the SNUC system. I argue, coherently, for the necessity to identify the assumptions, principles, guidelines, and original objectives of Gatherer Reserves — reclaiming their initial version. In this sense, it is crucial to propel the construction of a theoretical-political-ideological field and an institutional-organizational model specific to the Gatherer Reserves project, considering its ontologically and epistemologically specific nature, fundamentally distinguishing it from the realm of protected areas and biodiversity conservation executed under the SNUC, where Gatherer Reserves are currently situated.