The unequal distribution of environmental goods and bads intensifies inequalities. What is further needed to understand the extent of environmental injustices is the element of coloniality, and,...Show moreThe unequal distribution of environmental goods and bads intensifies inequalities. What is further needed to understand the extent of environmental injustices is the element of coloniality, and, subsequently, decoloniality. In Latin America, scholars have noted indigenous groups make use of decolonial thought and praxis to advocate for their rights. While countries like Bolivia and Ecuador have advanced in implementing a pluristate – wherein indigenous livelihoods and epistemologies are recognized by the state – Brazil is described as incohesive and regressive when regarding indigenous rights. In the Amazon specifically, where natural resources attract business and development projects, indigenous groups have severely suffered from environmental injustices. This research focuses on studying how and to what extent is decoloniality employed to advance environmental justice for indigenous groups in the Amazon. In specific, the research focuses on the Munduruku people of the Tapajós Valley. In analyzing letters, demands, and public statements by the Munduruku, this study was able to infer strategies of decoloniality used to attain justice. Self-determination efforts are made through local governance structures, opposition to central government, and mobilization amongst themselves. Likewise, the Munduruku make use of their epistemologies, knowledge, and connection to their ancestors to press for epistemic justice. Finally, the Munduruku assert that justice for them is also justice for nature, breaking down the hierarchical notion of human/nature. Thus, this study showed that through decolonial strategies, the Munduruku empower themselves, their narrative, and their fight towards attaining a pluristate. With this in mind, this research showcases the need to further integrate indigenous knowledge within national frameworks and the need to confront the underlying structures of oppression that maintain groups like the Munduruku in environmental injustice.Show less
This study seeks to explore the linkages between organised crime and environmental change in the Amazon region, specifically zooming in on the Brazilian Amazonas. This study focuses on two aspects...Show moreThis study seeks to explore the linkages between organised crime and environmental change in the Amazon region, specifically zooming in on the Brazilian Amazonas. This study focuses on two aspects of this relationship. First, the relationship between state-making and crime, in particular the Brazilian state and crime, to show how ‘organised crime’ emerges as an important constituent of state-making rather than as an anomaly to it. To understand how organized crime and environmental change tie together, the analysis of state-making and governance in the Amazon region is needed. Thereafter, a systematic approach will be adopted to answer this question of the relationship between organised crime and environmental change, breaking the findings down into four categories of, Type, Method, Location, and Consequence. In the thesis, I examine how each of these shapes the relationship between organised crime and environmental change in the Amazon.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges (LUC) (BA/BSc)
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The creation of Brazilian Indigenous Lands (IL) in the Amazon has shown to be effective in reducing deforestation, but pervasive land tenure insecurity persists with regard to the indigenous people...Show moreThe creation of Brazilian Indigenous Lands (IL) in the Amazon has shown to be effective in reducing deforestation, but pervasive land tenure insecurity persists with regard to the indigenous people’s exclusive rights to their traditional territory. Understanding the value of the ecosystems that they protect is crucial to discredit the argument that the indigenous occupy too much land. In this study, a quantitative assessment of land cover change and ecosystem service value is undertaken to analyze the impact of the demarcation of the Pequizal do Naruvôtu IL. First, supervised classification of Landsat 5 & 8 images was undertaken to analyze land cover changes in the period before the demarcation (1990-2006), during demarcation (2006-2016) and after the demarcation and recognition of the IL (2016-2021). Then, the meta-regression model developed by Filho et al. was used to conduct a meta-analytic benefit transfer to estimate the monetary value of the natural provisioning, regulating & maintenance ecosystem services provided by the IL. It was found that deforestation increased and the value of natural ES decreased during the ten-year demarcation period. In the period after completion of the IL demarcation, deforestation in the IL was significantly lower and natural ES loss was negligible. Finally, the presence of the indigenous tribe & the demarcation of the IL resulted in US$1.41 million worth of natural ES saved, for a territory that is 293 km2 large.Show less
