FOREST MANAGEMENT PATTERNS IN THE FLOODPLAIN OF THE AMAZON ESTUARY

In the Amazon basin, few studies have focused on environmentally sound land-use alternatives that are linked to markets. This paper analyzes land uses carried out by traditional inhabitants (ribeirinhos) on three islands in the Amazon estuary. Management of the native floodplain forest is the most extensive form of land use on these islands. Such management varies in response to local economic and ecological conditions but invariably targets key nontimber forest resources destined for local markets, requires minimal input of labor and capital, and maintains a considerable stock of biotic resources. While restricted to a specific forest type, this form of land use is associated with relatively high population densities and, if supported by appropriate development policies, could provide an environmentally sound land-use alternative for hundreds of thousands of rural inhabitants of Amazonia.