This study aims to analyze the implementation of environmental and territorial
management carried out by public bodies on Combu Island, in the context of
cooperative federalism, and to understand its effects on the conflicts and
transformations that have occurred in the area. The island is located on the left bank
of the Guamá River, opposite the city of Belém, one and a half kilometers from the
mainland, and is currently home to 8 communities that base their livelihoods on fishing,
extractivism, agriculture, small-scale river transport, gastronomy and tourism. In order
to achieve the proposed objective, it became essential to look at the legal instruments
for environmental and territorial management that affect the research site, the ways of
conceiving socio-environmental conflicts and social transformations. As for the
methodological tools adopted, the study is exploratory and qualitative, with
methodological procedures that include a literature review, field research and an
ethnographic case study. The universe of the research is the island of Combu and the
population of the resident communities, as well as the documentation that regulates
and conducts the Environmental Protection Area, into which the territory of Combu has
been transformed. From meetings, contact with residents and those responsible for
environmental and territorial management, as well as on-site observation as an
alternate councillor on the Combu Island Environmental Protection Area Management
Council, and as a member of the Working Group to draw up the conservation unit's
Management Plan, which took place in 2022, it was possible to identify the main
deficiencies in environmental management and the effectiveness of cooperative
federalism. The community faces problems such as a lack of dialogue between the
community and the government, a lack of licensing and supervision of projects installed
on the island, real estate speculation and irregular sale of properties, an exodus of the
local population to the outskirts of the capital, the removal of trees that are important
for the community's livelihood due to the installation of electricity equipment without
proper maintenance, among others. Thus, the social interest of the research lies in the
importance of efficient planning and regulation of environmental and territorial
management related to Combu Island, in order to meet the needs of the community
and the environment. In this sense, the research aims to produce an Illustrative Map,
together with an Action Plan identifying the main socio-environmental conflicts in the
area and proposing solutions to improve environmental and territorial management on
the island, as a contribution to the APA Combu Management Plan. It is understood that
the conclusion of the Management Plan will be the starting point for the set of
integrated actions needed to safeguard the environmental, cultural and social assets
present in the protected space, and to empower the local population to use and
appropriate their territory, in order to reduce social inequalities, environmental
degradation, the gentrification of the island and the exodus of traditional populations.
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