Forest citizenship for disaster resilience: learning from COVID-19
Lead Research Organisation:
Lancaster University
Department Name: Lancaster Environment Centre
Abstract
Citizenship from below, a process through which marginalized peoples self-organize to create citizenship through claiming recognition and rights, is crucial to disaster recovery, resilience, and societal renewal and reportedly being drawn upon in responses to COVID-19. Brazilian Amazonia provides an arena to examine how marginalized people---disproportionately affected by COVID-19---are using citizenship to mitigate the pandemic's negative societal effects, supporting a bounce forward to greater resilience in the post-pandemic world. Amazonians engage in forest citizenship, which we define as struggles for recognition from different institutions, enabling claiming of rights from those institutions (e.g. territorial rights). We see COVID-19 as a rupture that forest citizenship can respond positively to, delivering societal renewal through improved democratic governance and political participation. FORTE assembles a multi-disciplinary team to understand and enhance forest peoples' collective action and transformational change in strengthening disaster resilience. We will advance empirical and theoretical understandings of forest citizenship---placing approaches to citizenship and resilience from Brazil, the US, and UK into dialogue---through a Trans-Atlantic research network supporting on-the-ground improvements in disaster resilience.
Our objectives are:
(1) quantify linkages between forest citizenship and COVID-19 resilience;
(2) understand practices of forest citizenship in relation to COVID-19 experiences;
(3) understand and disseminate learning on conditions for promoting forest citizenship and enhancing disaster resilience across Amazonia.
We address these through three interlinked Work Packages (WPs): quantitative analysis of secondary health, governance and environmental data (entire Brazilian Amazon) (WP1), qualitative fieldwork in selected municipalities in Amazonas and Acre State (WP2), and action-research (WP3). Our research is based in an interdisciplinary and non-hierarchical 'team science,' which includes diverse voices, kinds of knowledge and value systems (including those of forest peoples), leading to better outcomes. Our ambition is for the project's legacy to be a Brazilian Amazonian society which is more equal, inclusive and resilient.
Our objectives are:
(1) quantify linkages between forest citizenship and COVID-19 resilience;
(2) understand practices of forest citizenship in relation to COVID-19 experiences;
(3) understand and disseminate learning on conditions for promoting forest citizenship and enhancing disaster resilience across Amazonia.
We address these through three interlinked Work Packages (WPs): quantitative analysis of secondary health, governance and environmental data (entire Brazilian Amazon) (WP1), qualitative fieldwork in selected municipalities in Amazonas and Acre State (WP2), and action-research (WP3). Our research is based in an interdisciplinary and non-hierarchical 'team science,' which includes diverse voices, kinds of knowledge and value systems (including those of forest peoples), leading to better outcomes. Our ambition is for the project's legacy to be a Brazilian Amazonian society which is more equal, inclusive and resilient.
Publications
Parry L
(2025)
Forest citizens and people-centered conservation in the Brazilian Amazon
in Conservation Biology
Pires Cardoso J
(2024)
Cidadania dos povos da floresta e COVID-19 disputas e articulações no enfrentamento à pandemia na Resex do Iriri (PA)
in Raízes: Revista de Ciências Sociais e Econômicas
| Description | We have identified different forms of collective-use territories in the Brazilian Amazon which are created through community mobilization, and then have some form of participatory governance. We estimate that 1.05 million people live in a total of 1,411 of these territories. These territories and their human inhabitants are very important for safeguarding forest ecosystems and a sustainable future for Amazonia. |
| Exploitation Route | Development of new forms of territorial interventions. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Environment |
| Description | They are being used currently for the implementation of a Common Use Territory (TUC) in the River Manicore in Amazonas State, Brazil. In particular, helping guide the implementation of this new form of collective-use territory, through the democratic processes in creating the management plan. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Environment |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | FST Research Impact Fund: Creating a floating facility for the Manicoré River Common-Use Territory in the Brazilian Amazon |
| Amount | £5,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Lancaster University |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2024 |
| End | 07/2024 |
| Description | PROGRAMA DE CAPACITAÇÃO INSTITUCIONAL: Educação dentro e fora de reservas de desenvolvimento sustentável: estratégias sociais para melhoria escolar na Amazônia |
| Amount | R$ 202,800 (BRL) |
| Organisation | Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | Brazil |
| Start | 04/2024 |
| Description | Partnership with INEAF (Family Agriculture Institute) at UFPA, Brazil |
| Organisation | Federal University of Pará |
| Country | Brazil |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Fraser and Parry have developed and consolidated a partnership with this research and teaching institute at the Federal University of Para. We travelled there (and gave talks) once each in 2022, met collaborators in the SE of Brazil, and made future plans for co-supervision of postgrad students, and joint fieldwork. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They hosted us for talks, provided resources to take PG students to the field. |
| Impact | Talks, research plans, PhD plans |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Research project on forest citizenship and rural education in Amazonia |
| Organisation | Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá |
| Country | Brazil |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Luke Parry developed this collaboration with demographer Heloisa Correa at the Mamiraua Institute. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Support in kind, and funding studentships. |
| Impact | So far, data collection. And follow up funding. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Afastamento, abandono e vulnerabilidade no Amazonas |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Keynote talk at GeoSaude geographies of health conference in Manaus, Brazil in november 2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.simposiogeosaude.com/ |
| Description | Brazilian Research seminar IDS Sussex |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In this IDS Brazil in the World seminar series, Luke Parry of Lancaster University, Principal Investigator of the FORTE project, will explore the potential of a 'forest citizenship' approach to empower Amazonian communities to tackle the threats faced by the rainforest. Demands for territorial recognition are foundational to the claiming of rights by forest-proximate people who attempt to conserve their forests. The rights of these often-marginalized populations have been largely overlooked by conservationists, yet are central to achieving people-centred conservation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.ids.ac.uk/events/towards-forest-citizenship-in-the-brazilian-amazon/ |
| Description | James Fraser talk: Que debería significar el reconocimento al campesinado? Lecciones de la Amazonia brasiliera |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | James Fraser talk at University of Caldas, Colombia in Oct 2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Meeting on forest citizenship at UFPA Belem |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Led by co-I Dr James Fraser, this workshop was the at the Family Agriculture Institute (INEAF) at the Federal University of Para, Brazil. Designed to foster project links with colleagues there, plus other participants from Federal University of Amazonas, and Federal Institute of Amazonas. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Meeting with members of RURAS group in UFSCAR |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Meeting members of the research group on rural societies at environments at the Federal University of Sao Carlos, Brazil, as a means of developing future collaborations, co-supervision, etc. https://www.ruras.ufscar.br/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation at FLARE forest livelihoods conference in Rome |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presented in the session on COVID-19 impacts at this forest livelihoods conference. The purpose was to disseminate information around our new project and share preliminary results. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Research talk to students at INEAF-UFPA, Belem |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presenting L Parry's work on wildmeat consumption and child health to this group of Amazonian students with interest in social justice and environmental change |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Research workshop at Instituto Mamiraua |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | workshop with researchers at Mamiraua. Investigando 'cidadania florestal' na Amazônia: um foco na educação formal em Unidades de Conservação de Uso Sustentável |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Second visit to UFSCar, with James Fraser |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Second meeting by project PI and Co-I Fraser to meet collaborators in Sociology Department at UFSCAR university, Brazil. Plus participation from colleagues from USP (Natalia Ribeiro) and UFPA (Mauricio Torres) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Seminar on ecological citizenship |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Parry gave a seminar to the Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University. Talking about Forest citizenship in the Brazilian Amazon. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Talk at Tyndall Climate Assembly 2024 in Manchester |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Parry talked about Plurality and resistance in Amazonian climate research Breakout A. Breaking biases and seeking plurality: towards inclusive knowledge, values and governance in research and practice Hosted by the Achieving Wellbeing Theme |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://tyndall.ac.uk/ |
| Description | Visit to Lancaster by Gabriela di Giullio |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Hosting Dra Profa Gabriela di Giullio from USP (Brazil) at Lancaster in order to consolidate our collaboration. She presented to diverse members of the Lancaster Environment Centre,. http://www.iea.usp.br/pessoas/pasta-pessoag/gabriela-di-giulio |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |