Revering Rivers:
Perceptions vs. Reality in an Amazonian Watershed
Gabriela Stocks ▪ [email protected]
Department of Anthropology ▪ University of Florida
Introduction
Methods
Tropical rivers in rural areas are likely to have good water quality.
However, current trends indicate that increasing development
pressures could have a deleterious effect on these water systems.
Understanding local water quality concerns and local systems of
resource use are critical to the creation of effective watershed
management plans that target the most important issues in a
particular area.
Household interviews
ƒ Interviewed heads of each household in each community
ƒ Semi-structured interviews, 1-4 hours long
Perceptions of Amazonian river dwellers have centered on the idea
that they are highly dependent upon aquatic resources for survival
and that water quality is threatened principally by erosion and
sedimentation due to deforestation. My research demonstrates that
these perceptions do not reflect reality in every Amazonian
watershed, particularly in watersheds where immigration plays a
role in population growth.
The research presented in this poster was conducted from Mayg
2004 in two ethnically
y distinct communities located on the
August,
Upper Acre River in Pando, Bolivia.
Conclusions
Food log
ƒ In San Miguel, visited three families once per day for eight days.
Female head of household was asked to report food consumed
the previous day.
ƒ Neither research community made as extensive use of river
resources as might be expected of Amazonia river-dwellers, based
on the results of previous studies.
ƒ Water quality in the Acre River was perceived to be poor by
most households.
households
Household interviews: A family in San Miguel de Machineri
ƒ Our assumptions about the dependence of rural Amazonian
communities upon river resources for survival and the types of
water pollution of most concern in rural areas may need to be
revisited.
Participant observation
ƒ Provided information on topics not covered in the survey
ƒ Allowed confirmation of information collected during the
formal surveys
Significance
This research will aid the tri-national watershed management
planning process currently occurring in the MAP (Madre de Dios
(Peru), Acre (Brazil), Pando (Bolivia) region. It will inform policymakers as to current uses of river resources and local concerns
about water quality, thus informing the development of strategies
for water protection.
Research objectives
ƒ To determine how the Bolivian communities of San Pedro de
Bolpebra and San Miguel de Machineri in the Acre River basin
utilize river resources.
Results
Use of aquatic resources
y local perceptions
p
p
of water quality.
q
y
ƒ To identify
San Pedro (Colonist)
FISHING
Research site
San Pedro de Bolpebra
ƒ Population: 100+ people in 21 households
ƒ History
ƒ Migrated from southern Bolivian highlands in 1992
ƒ Have communal title to land, but each family has own lot of
500 hectares
ƒ Livelihood strategies:
ƒ Agriculture
ƒ Cattle (some families)
ƒ Street commerce
San Miguel de Machineri
ƒ Population: 22 people, 5 households
ƒ History
ƒ Migrated from Rio Yacu, Brazil within last 20 years
ƒ Have communal title to land in the Yaminahua-Machineri
indigenous territory, but each family plants/ harvests own fields
ƒ Livelihood strategies:
ƒ Agriculture
ƒ Hunting & fishing
ƒ Manual labor in Brazil
ƒ The most common water quality concerns were focused on
pollution commonly associated with urban areas, rather than on
impacts from rural agricultural and forestry practices.
Percentage of households that fish 86%
Average frequency
13.7 times/year
Average quantity of fish caught
2.4 kilos
per time
Average quantity of fish
consumed per year (including
purchased)
Other protein sources
% of total protein consumption
satisfied by fish
TRANSPORTATIO
N
DOMESTIC USE
41.5 kilos/year*
San Miguel (Indigenous)
100%
151.3 times/year
2.2 kilos reported
(1.25 kilos according to food log)
189.2 kilos/year**
On a larger scale, development pressures everywhere will force
international watershed management into the spotlight. If done
well, the MAP region watershed management plan could serve as
an example to other international efforts.
Acknowledgements
Beef: 291.2 kilos/year
Chicken:
h k
79.2 k
kilos/year
l /
Pork: 48.4 kilos/year
9%
15% (according to food log)
This research would not have been possible without the
cooperation of the people of San Pedro de Bolpebra and San
Mi l d
Miguel
de M
Machineri,
hi i the
h F
Fundación
d ió JJose M
Manuell P
Pando,
d and
d
Rolando Haches and Peter Cronkleton from the Center for
International Forestry Research.
2/21 households own canoe
(w/motor)***
1/5 households owns canoe (w/o
motor)****
I would also like to thank Drs. Anthony Oliver-Smith, Marianne
Schmink, and James Jawitz for their guidance.
Wild game =7.3 kilos/week reported
( kilos
(4.4
k l hhunted,
d 1.2 kkilos
l raisedd according
d
to log)
Drinking water
Bathing
Spring (100%)
Streams (100%)
Primary location: River (81%)
Streams (100%)
Secondary location: Springs
y
Primary
y location: River (67%)
(
)
Streams ((100%))
Laundry
*Expected 145.6 kilos/year; ** Expected 249.6 kilos/year; ***
Expected
37.7%;Springs
**** Expected 54.6% (McClain et al. 2001)
Secondary
location:
This research was funded by an NSF-IGERT Working Forests in
the Tropics Summer Research Grant.
Perceptions of water quality
Perceived Sources of Water Pollution in San Pedro and San Miguel
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
San Pedro
San Miguel
50%
The tri-national frontier. The
photograph is taken from Peru;
Brazil lies to the left, Bolivia to the
right of the Acre River.
40%
A family in their bean field in
San Pedro de Bolpebra
30%
20%
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10%
0%
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Works Cited
McClain, Michael E., Luis Miguel Aparicio, and Carlos A.
Llerena. 2001. Water Use and Protection in Rural
Communities of the Peruvian Amazon Basin. Water
International 26: 400-410.