Environmental impacts: the perception of a ribeirinha community of Lower Amazonas, Pará, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to perform a socioeconomic characterization and identify the main socio-environmental impacts from the perception of local residents and artisanal fishermen from a riverside community that lives around Lago do Juá, located in Santarém, Pará, Brazil. For this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants and the data were subjected to descriptive analysis of the textual elements. According to respondents, between the years 1950 and 2000, the uses of the lake were restricted to tourism, leisure and subsistence fishing. However, with the urban expansion process, it has suffered impacts such as deforestation, silting, alteration of water quality, among others. Most respondents reported that the removal of the vegetation cover directly impacted the lake, causing changes in the aesthetic aspects of the water, in addition to a reduction in the availability of fish. They also reported that real estate developments and disorderly occupations in the surrounding areas contributed to the degradation of the lake, in addition to causing loss of tranquility in the community. Therefore, it is understood that Lago do Juá is constituted by complex socio-environmental relations and the ineffectiveness of public policies has contributed to the continuous processes of occupation and use that cause abrupt changes in natural spaces.