Combat against deforestation in the Amazon

he case of São Félix do Xingu-PA (1989-2023)

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze fight against deforestation in São Félix do Xingu-PA (SFX) in the period 1989-2023 and to characterize the social relations that led to the decrease and increase in deforestation during this period. The theoretical framework adopted is evental sociology, from the field of historical sociology. The main research techniques used were document analysis, interviews and secondary data. The article concludes that the decrease in deforestation in 2004-2014 was produced by the combination of the creation of protected areas (indigenous lands and conservation units) with state surveillance and repression, in conflicting historical processes that combined actions by state institutions, rural producers, traditional peoples and social organizations. The problems of this policy are also highlighted, with its most evident limit lying in the failure to promote a productive transition to a biodiversity economy in the municipality. During the Bolsonaro government (2019-2022), there was a significant increase in devastation, in the context of the dismantling of Brazilian environmental policy and incentives for the occupation of protected areas. In the first year of the Lula 3 government (2023), there was a resumption of repressive policies and a new decrease in deforestation.