The Maiandeua Island (District of Maracanã, micro-region of Salgado, Northeast Paraense, Brazil) is populated by artisanal fishing communities whose way of living is very connected to the natural environment, adapted to environmental conditions: they live off nature without harming it, following an ancient tradition. This symbiotic relationship is being threatened by the influence of contemporary urban society, but the natives themselves are protecting it, valuing their own culture. Our proposal is to describe the exceptionally rich and preserved environment of Maiandeua (this island is an APA), to explain how the natives live in their traditional system, to show the changes in these man-nature relations that are occurring in the last two decades, and to predict their evolution. This is a case study, geographical, within the framework of the RENAS project. We are privileging field work, participation in daily life (I live and have been integrated in the community since 1990) and in all native activities (diverse fishing, agriculture, fencing, wood extraction, construction of houses ...), as well as observing with a geographical eye, and supporting this field research with remote sensing analysis, botanical descriptions and several readings about neighboring communities (the bibliography about Maiandeua is almost non-existent). We intend thus to provide the natives of this island with support in the search for their rights and an orientation for an adapted and controlled economic development, without damaging the richness and the preservation of the environment. This work will also increase the scientific knowledge about the fishing communities of Salgado, and can serve as a basis for further research on Maiandeua.
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