Conservação, manejo e segurança da Castanha-do-Brasil (Bertholletia excelsa): um segmento para o desenvolvimento sustentável da Amazônia

Abstract

Combining sustainable development with forest maintenance and conservation in the Amazon is an emerging challenge. One of the strategies implemented in the state of Amazonas is the strengthening and promotion of the productive chains of socio-bidiversity products, such as Brazil nuts. The Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) is considered one of the most important species in the Amazonian scenario, as it is considered a key species that can provide income generation for local populations by enabling the alternative use of the forest without causing deforestation, thus contributing to the maintenance and conservation of forests. The present study aimed to evaluate the performance of the socio-productive process during the stages of collection and processing of nuts. The study was conducted in eight riverside communities distributed in three strategic loci: residents of RDS PP, residents of the area surrounding RDS PP and residents outside RDS PP. We interviewed 37 productive family units, these chosen because they are directly linked to agroextractive activities. The survey revealed that 59% of respondents use family labor to collect products. Although the collection of chestnuts is present in everyday life, the activity is not considered as the main economic source, but rather as a secondary activity. The practices collected from the chestnut can be considered as rudimentary, predominating, therefore, the traditional extractivism. For 40% of the interviewees, the degree of application of Good Management Practices (GMP) was considered "moderately satisfactory". 54% of respondents market their productions exclusively to the agent "middlemen". The production chain of the chestnut identified in the study presents a very fragile structure, being necessary the implementation of actions that aim to develop and value the products of these activities not only for their use and exchange values, but also as strategies for the management and conservation of non-timber forest species. Considering the environmental perception of the interviewees, it was concluded that the interviewees are attentive to the changes that have occurred in the environment in which they live, being a fundamental factor to map the elements of the landscape of the communities and provide information on the use of the natural resources of the UC. Regarding the evaluation of the samples, it was identified that aflatoxin contamination is diretamente related to humidity and this humidity is always higher in unmanaged samples. Therefore, it is inferred that the good management practices adopted in the production process of Brazil nuts can corroborate the quality of the product offered in the market.