Organizações solidárias em Unidades de Conservação : os casos da Associação Bom Sucesso e da COOPETRAL no estado do Amapá

Resumo Ingles

Amapá is one of the most preserved states in the Amazonian region, with more than 70% of its territory covered by some kind of Protected Area. The staggering percentage of preservation areas, and therefore of restricted use areas, is a matter of great discussion about the interference in the economic development of the state. Conservation Units (CUs) present typologies ranging from the most restricted to the ones allowing partial use of its resources. The latter, known as Sustainable Use CUs, are able to develop economically and socially as long as they exhibit well-organized communities aiming at shared development. These communities, be it with extractivism of natural resources or with familiar agriculture, are capable of ensuring a more sustainable development to the configuration and the potential of Amapá. In order to achieve this goal, these communities need to improve their organization regarding economic activities and as social and producer groups. The adherence to the principles of Solidarity Economy and the creation of solidarity organizations (such as self-help groups and cooperatives) are possible pathways to enhance development. Solidarity Economy is a “mode of production whose fundamental principles are based collective property of capital and the right to individual freedom”. In Amapá, Sustainable Use National Forests (FLONA in Portuguese) and State Forests (FLOTA) CUs have several communities in their interior practicing extractivism and familiar agriculture, both at the early stage of implementing solidarity organizations. In view of the above, this Master thesis aimed at an analysis of the perception of the members of Bom Sucesso and COOPETRAL as to the structure and progress of their organizations and how these are influencing the development of their productive activities and as social groups. Other goal was to investigate whether these organizations affect the development of productive activities and local social groups. The results were derived from interviews with 40 participants of the Bom Sucesso and 15 participants of the COOPETRAL, as well as from visits to the communities (for the observation of their productive process and the reality experienced by its members), analysis of internal documents of the organizations, and review of recent literature for the discussion of the data obtained. From the research and data analysis it was observed that the organizations, although only recently created, have already been responsible for significant gains in the communities, such as: greater visibility and representativeness as social groups in Amapá, initiation of the structuring process of productive activities and improvement of these activities. However, the research also identified problems that may harm the development of the organizations and, consequently, of their productive activities, such as: lack of union between members of the organization and non-fulfillment of Solidarity Economy principles.