ABSTRACT. Social networks are a significant way through which rural communities that manage resources under common property regimes obtain food resources. Previous research on food security and social network analysis has mostly focused on egocentric network data or proxy variables for social networks to explain how social relations contribute to the different dimensions of food security. Whole-network approaches have the potential to contribute to former studies by revealing how individual social ties aggregate into complex structures that create opportunities or constraints to the sharing and distribution of food resources. We used a whole-network approach to investigate the role of network structure in contributing to the four dimensions of food security: food availability, access, utilization, and stability. For a case study of a riparian community from the Brazilian Amazon that is dependent on fish as a key element of food security, we mapped the community strong-tie network among 97% of the village population over 14 years old (n = 336) by integrating reciprocated friendship and occupational ties, as well as close kinship relationships. We explored how different structural properties of the community network contribute to the understanding of (1) the availability of fish as a community resource, (2) community access to fish as a dietary resource, (3) the utilization of fish for consumption in a way that allows the villagers to maximize nutrition while at the same time minimizing toxic risks associated with mercury exposure, and (4) the stability of the fish resources in local ecosystems as a result of cooperative behaviors and community-based management. The contribution of whole-network approaches to the study of the links between community-based natural resource management and food security were discussed in the context of recent social-ecological changes in the Amazonian region.

RESUMOO artigo trata de um estudo empírico em que a análise de redes sociais é utilizada para mapear o capital social de atores envolvidos em processos de governança ambiental na Amazônia brasileira. Por meio de entrevistas, foi mapeada a rede de relações de diálogo sobre questões socioambientais de um conjunto de 505 atores no Território Portal da Amazônia. Foram identificadas 3384 relações de diálogo, com uma média de 6,7 parceiros de diálogo por ator. A análise dos aspectos estruturais da rede de diálogo foi utilizada para construir indicadores de capital social de ligação, com mapeamento da organização interna dos atores de um mesmo município, e de conexão, com a caracterização das relações entre atores de municípios diferentes. Em nível municipal, a distribuição das duas formas de capital social permitiu caracterizar os grupos de atores de acordo com as suas atuações diferenciadas na governança ambiental do Território. Em nível territorial, o padrão de conectividade entre os 16 municípios mostra um equilíbrio entre as duas formas de capital social e revela o potencial de comunicação e organização dos atores, como demonstrado no exemplo dos projetos de Agendas 21 locais. Estes resultados demonstram como a análise de redes sociais pode contribuir na definição (ou redefinição) das fronteiras dos territórios de modo a incluir um conjunto de municípios cujos atores mantêm relações sociais efetivas. Ações de governança no Portal da Amazônia são propostas com potencial para fortalecer os processos de diálogo, diminuir os conflitos e promover o uso sustentável dos recursos naturais na Amazônia. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Governança ambiental, redes sociais, capital social, Portal da Amazônia, gestão dos recursos naturais. Social networks, social capital and environmental governance in the Amazonian Gateway Territory ABSTRACTThe article presents an empirical study where social network analysis is used to map social capital among actors involved in environmental governance processes in the Brazilian Amazon. Using interviews, we carried out the mapping of the dialogue network regarding socio-environmental issues among 505 actors from the Amazonian Gateway Territory. The analysis identified 3384 dialogue relationships. Each actor has an average of 6,7 dialogue partners. The analysis of the structural characteristics of the dialogue network was used to build indicators of social capital of the bonding type, based on the mapping of the organization among actors from the same municipalities, and bridging type, based on the identification of relationships among actors from different municipalities. At the municipal level, the distribution of the two types of social capital allowed the characterization of groups of actors according to their differing participation in the environmental governance of the Territory. At the territorial level, the connectivity pattern among the 16 municipalities exhibits a balance between the two types of social capital and reveals the potential of communication and organization among actors, as demonstrat...

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The population of Paracatu is at risk of Arsenic (As) exposure associated with long-term exploration of the largest open pit gold mine in Brazil. As part of the interdisciplinary research “The Paracatu project: Arsenic environmental contamination and human health risks assessment in Paracatu-MG”, carried out between 2011 and 2013, we used data disaggregated by gender to identify the sources of As-related information being accessed by inhabitants of Paracatu and to examine if access to these sources was correlated to awareness of As health effects and adoption of behaviors to reduce risk of As exposure. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were carried out with 460 participants (294 women and 166 men) to collect data on respondent’s socio-demographic characteristics, use of mass media and social communication networks as sources of information on As issues, the trustworthiness of these information sources, awareness of As health effects, and adoption of behaviors to reduce As exposure. For both men and women, interpersonal communication was used and trusted more frequently than mass media to obtain information on As. Discussion of As issues occurred preferentially among individuals of the same gender and was associated with awareness of As health risks. There are marked differences in variables correlated with the adoption of behaviors to reduce the risk of As exposure between men and women. Discussing As issues with women was associated with adoption of risk-reduction practices for both genders. In contrast, men who discuss As issues with other men were less likely to adopt As exposure prevention behaviors. Finally, adoption was associated with awareness of As health effects for women, but this was not the case for men. Policy implications for decision makers, practitioners and researchers are discussed, based on concrete examples of how gender-specific approaches can effectively guide the formulation and implementation of health promotion campaigns and programs.