Important sociocultural components were mapped to support regional impact assessment in the Xingu basin, where 24 indigenous territories face increasing pressure from infrastructure projects.
Strategic assessments are essential to anticipate and avoid adverse impacts in sociobiodiverse regions threatened by multiple infrastructure projects, such as the Brazilian Amazon. In the Xingu River basin, 24 Indigenous territories and 9 conservation units act as important barriers to deforestation. However, cumulative and indirect effects of existing and planned projects are increasing pressure on forests and Indigenous peoples’ livelihoods. In a region of great sociocultural diversity, higher-level decision-making should consider the components essential for maintaining the indigenous peoples’ ways of life. In Brazil, however, regional and strategic planning, such as transport sector plans, often lack consideration of social, cultural, and environmental risks. Moreover, although priority areas for biodiversity conservation have been defined, sensitive areas relevant to sociocultural diversity have not been systematically mapped at regional scales in the Amazon. Therefore, this study develops an approach to identify sensitive areas and key components of indigenous livelihoods in the Xingu basin. A workshop with regional specialists followed by content analysis of Indigenous documents were conducted to identify relevant resources, places and cultural practices. Available geographic information was then used to create sensitivity maps and define critical areas for protection. The approach provides a basis for integrating sociocultural considerations into regional and sectoral environmental assessments, while safeguarding Indigenous rights and Amazonian ecosystems.
Beatriz is an environmental engineer, currently doing a PhD at the University of São Paulo on strategic planning for sociocultural conservation in the Xingu basin, in the Brazilian Amazon.