African Oil Palms, Colonial Socioecological Transformation and the Making of an Afro-Brazilian Landscape in Bahia, Brazil

Watkins, Case

doi:10.3197/096734015x14183179969700

Cited by 31 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Outside its native range, oil palms may also be incorporated into local culture and traditions. In Bahia, Brazil, agro‐ecological cultivation of oil palm in polyculture has resulted in a local cultural landscape (Watkins, ). In Jambi province, Sumatra, Indonesia, smallholder farmers were found to perceive small oil palm plantations as clean and beautiful, in contrast to formerly present agroforests (Therville, Feintrenie & Levang, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A review of the ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations, using forests as a reference system

et al. 2016

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Oil palm plantations have expanded rapidly in recent decades. This large-scale land-use change has had great ecological, economic, and social impacts on both the areas converted to oil palm and their surroundings. However, research on the impacts of oil palm cultivation is scattered and patchy, and no clear overview exists. We address this gap through a systematic and comprehensive literature review of all ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations, including several (genetic, medicinal and ornamental resources, information functions) not included in previous systematic reviews. We compare ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations to those in forests, as the conversion of forest to oil palm is prevalent in the tropics. We find that oil palm plantations generally have reduced ecosystem functioning compared to forests: 11 out of 14 ecosystem functions show a net decrease in level of function. Some functions show decreases with potentially irreversible global impacts (e.g. reductions in gas and climate regulation, habitat and nursery functions, genetic resources, medicinal resources, and information functions). The most serious impacts occur when forest is cleared to establish new plantations, and immediately afterwards, especially on peat soils. To variable degrees, specific plantation management measures can prevent or reduce losses of some ecosystem functions (e.g. avoid illegal land clearing via fire, avoid draining of peat, use of integrated pest management, use of cover crops, mulch, and compost) and we highlight synergistic mitigation measures that can improve multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously. The only ecosystem function which increases in oil palm plantations is, unsurprisingly, the production of marketable goods. Our review highlights numerous research gaps. In particular, there are significant gaps with respect to socio-cultural information functions. Further, there is a need for more empirical data on the importance of spatial and temporal scales, such as differences among plantations in different environments, of different sizes, and of different ages, as our review has identified examples where ecosystem functions vary spatially and temporally. Finally, more research is needed on developing management practices that can offset the losses of ecosystem functions. Our findings should stimulate research to address the identified gaps, and provide a foundation for more systematic research and discussion on ways to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive impacts of oil palm cultivation.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Jambi province, Sumatra, Indonesia, smallholder farmers were found to perceive small oil palm plantations as clean and beautiful, in contrast to formerly present agroforests (Therville, Feintrenie & Levang, ). However, large oil palm monocultures are typically associated with few information functions (Watkins, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations, using forests as a reference system

et al. 2016

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“…Enquanto apontam caminhos promissores para o futuro, essas pesquisas resgatam o protagonismo africano negado há muito tempo nas histórias e geografias coloniais e pós-coloniais do país. No caso do dendê, Watkins (2015Watkins ( , 2020Watkins ( , 2021 baseou-se na etnografia, interpretação de paisagens, relatos de viajantes e análise geoespacial para reconstruir a evolução das paisagens, culturas e economias na Bahia. Estendeu-se muito além dos textos escritos para investigar o protagonismo dos afrodescendentes nas transformações afro-brasileiras e o seu papel no Brasil contemporâneo.…”

Section: Os Métodosunclassified

Arroz, protagonismo africano e a transformação ecológica das Américas

Carney

Watkins

2021

Bol. Mus. Para. Emílio Goeldi. Ciênc. hum.

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Resumen A publicação em 2001 do livro “Black rice: The African origins of rice cultivation in the Americas” desencadeou um animado debate entre acadêmicos dos EUA. A sua tese é de que os escravos africanos contribuíram para a história agrária do Novo Mundo muito mais do que com o mero trabalho. Segundo “Black rice”, foram os cultivadores de arroz oriundos da África ocidental que iniciaram a cultura do arroz nas Américas, onde aplicaram a sua experiência com a espécie africana de arroz na produção de um de seus alimentos básicos preferidos. Este texto resume o debate acadêmico que resultou da publicação de “Black rice” e avalia as suas influências teóricas e metodológicas evidenciadas em estudos subsequentes do conhecimento e protagonismo africanos na transferência e na transformação de plantas, paisagens, agricultura e gastronomia nas Américas. O artigo culmina com uma atualização da tese do “Black rice” a partir dos resultados de pesquisas acumulados nas últimas duas décadas.

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“…Sua alimentação é composta principalmente por frutos e folhas da vegetação circundante ao seu buraco, mas é comum dizer-se que o guaiamum pode eventualmente se alimentar de animais em decomposição ou mesmo de fezes (Firmo et al, 2012). Em nossa experiência de campo, os interlocutores nos indicaram tal generalidade de dieta, e também o grande apreço dos guaiamuns pela polpa do dendê (Elaeis guineensis), espécie de palmeira introduzida no Brasil a partir da África, que ocorre espontaneamente no Nordeste brasileiro (Watkins, 2015;Cardoso, 2016), sendo muito comum nas matas alagáveis que circundam os manguezais do litoral nordestino.…”

Section: Os Modos De Existência Dos Guaiamunsunclassified

A vida e a morte dos guaiamuns: antropologia nos limites dos manguezais

Silveira¹,

Buti²

2020

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O artigo explora as malhas relacionais da coexistência dos caranguejos conhecidos como guaiamuns (Cardisoma guanhumi) com os grupos humanos que os capturam em manguezais do litoral nordeste do Brasil. Apresenta as fricções na produção de paisagens de manguezal, ligadas a empreendimentos poluidores e aos controles e ordenamentos estatais. A análise posiciona a pesca de guaiamuns em uma diversidade de situações caracterizadas pela noção de limite: guaiamuns na transição entre o mangue e áreas adjacentes, entre a terra e a água, e vazando os limites de áreas protegidas; a vida dos pescadores nos limites da economia informal e da visibilidade política, tendo o mangue como segurança; a situação-limite das condições futuras de existência dos manguezais, dos guaiamuns e dos seus pescadores; e por fim, os limites do Estado em lidar com a diversidade dos modos de existência com criatividade na política ambiental. Articulando tais limites, indicamos necessidade de se imaginarem novas estratégias de assegurar o bem-viver de coletivos multiespécies que conformam os ambientes litorâneos, relacionando tal necessidade com a reivindicação da regulamentação do que as organizações de pescadores têm denominado de territórios pesqueiros. Estudos multiespécies. Manguezais. Territórios pesqueiros. Guaiamum. Cardisoma guanhumi. This article explores the relational meshworks of coexistence of the blue land crabs (Cardisoma guanhumi) with fishermen in Northeastern Brazilian shore. It also presents frictions in the production of mangrove landscapes, including contaminating industrial and agroindustrial infrastructure as well as the influence of state control and planification in the lives of blue land crabs and its fishers. The analysis includes crab fisheries in a diversity of situations related to the notion of limit: crabs living in a transition between land and water, and spilling over the boundaries of protected areas; life of fishers in the limits of informal economy and political visibility, who have the mangrove as household safety; the limiting situation of the future of mangrove forests and of the existence of crabs and its fishers; and the limitations of the State in dealing with policies that join diversity of modes of existence and creativity in environmental policy-making. Articulating these limits, we indicate the need of imagining new strategies to assure the good living of multispecies collectives that shape the coastal environments, and we introduce the claim of fishers organizations for regularization of fisheries territories. Multispecies studies. Mangrove. Fisheries territories. Blue land crab. Cardisoma guanhumi.

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African Oil Palms, Colonial Socioecological Transformation and the Making of an Afro-Brazilian Landscape in Bahia, Brazil

Cited by 31 publications

References 0 publications

A review of the ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations, using forests as a reference system

A review of the ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations, using forests as a reference system

Arroz, protagonismo africano e a transformação ecológica das Américas

A vida e a morte dos guaiamuns: antropologia nos limites dos manguezais

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