When talking about the Amazon, threats to indigenous peoples and environmental destruction caused by the criminal activities of mining are usually very relevant. The genocide of the Yanomami people and the murders of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips made news around the world. However, one of the biggest threats to the environment in the Amazon occurs almost imperceptibly. These are informal industries in urban environmental protection areas.
According to IBGE data, about 30 million people currently live in the legal Amazon. The region includes seven states in the northern region, in addition to Maranhão and Mato Grosso. The Amazon Institute of Man and Environment says that if the region were a country, it would be the sixth largest in the world in terms of territorial extent.
In addition to the original population, there is a much larger group of both victims and perpetrators of the environment: they are city dwellers, especially those living in informal settlements and ecologically protected areas. Slum growth in the capitals of the region, home to the planet's largest forest, threatens the Amazon's future.
The state capital of Amaba is a typical example of this problem. Recently, the Amazon 2040 project conducted a study on hangovers in Macaba. Ressaca is the name given in the region to areas of aquatic ecosystems such as floodplain forests, sloughs, fringes, and swamps that help characterize the biodiversity of the Amazon. In Amaba, the coastal zone has about 20 thousand square kilometers of surf. And the construction of illegal houses in these areas is an environmental problem that is quietly growing and getting worse every year.
Favelas over water
Resakas have been occupied as housing for a few decades now. The name Resaca itself has become synonymous with favela in the region today. The wooden huts are built on stilt structures over water-logged areas. A system of bridges connects the houses and provides access to the city.
A report by Amaba's public ministry since 2012 found about 27 hangovers in Macaba and Santana municipalities, with about 15 thousand families in the urban area. The majority of people living in Resacas come from Amaba, followed by immigrants from Bara who continue to come from neighboring areas such as the Marajo Archipelago in search of better living conditions.
Macapa has become a haven for those facing poverty in neighboring states. The ferry ride between Macapa and Belém takes about 24 hours. Many residents leave the capital of Bara and live in hangover areas in search of better living conditions in the capital of Amaba. These migration processes intensified in the 1990s, when the territories of Amaba and Roraima became states.
Although the Amazon, particularly Amaba, has extensive reserves of natural resources, a significant portion of the population lives in extreme poverty. The unchecked growth of hangovers represents a failure to deliver on development promises, which in the Amazonian context is at the fringes of current debates about security and social inclusion in the planet's richest region.
Manganese rush
Amaba State emerged with great prospects of development in the 1940s with the implementation of manganese exploration projects. Regional models used in Latin America in the 20th century served as a laboratory for colonial capitalist policies. The extraction of ore required both skilled and unskilled labour, resulting in a continuous rural exodus of people in search of better living conditions.
According to researcher Adalberto Jr. Ferreira Paz, this situation stood out during a critical period for the global industry. During the Cold War, Russia stopped its manganese exports, which directly affected the United States and its allies, who relied on the ore for steel production.
Control of the huge deposits in the hands of Joseph Stalin left these countries with no alternatives, increasing Amaba's importance in international discussions about providing strategic mineral reserves for the world economy.
The coastal state is located in the northern part of Brazil and straddles the equator, with 80% of its land and water located in the Northern Hemisphere. It is recognized as one of the best protected areas in the world.
In the book Amapá nos Tempos do Manganês, José Augusto Trumant and Mariangela Pereira talk about the action of miners to protect the environment from their actions. In 2002, the Amapá Biodiversity Trail was created, which extends over 10 million hectares and connects 12 conservation units. Among these, the Iradapuru River Sustainable Development Reserve (RDSRI) stands out, which together with the Jumina, Ghalibi, Uwa and Wajabi indigenous lands constitute 70% of the state's total extension.
Accelerated migration
The creation of the Makaba and Santana Free Trade Zones has accelerated migration flows over the past ten years. Encroachment destroys riparian forests, which protect storm surges. Houses get water and electricity through secret connections. And recently, with the privatization of the Amaba State Water and Sanitation Company, settlements began receiving water and electricity bills.
As is common in popular housing favelas in the Amazon, there is no collection and garbage piles up. Without basic sanitation, it is dumped into sewage. Families face various diseases including dengue fever, malaria and hepatitis. Accumulation of waste creates an unpleasant stench in the affected areas, which contributes to the deterioration of the quality of life of the residents.
Houses are also prone to frequent flooding. The existence of illegal landfills contributes to ecological imbalance and proliferation of diseases. The necessary infrastructure to guarantee a dignified life is completely lacking. Each hangover has a different degree of integration. One factor that makes ecological recovery difficult is the length of time areas are occupied. As years pass and people settle in, buildings evolve to use durable materials like cement and brick.
This urbanization directly affects environmental issues. Residents fill canals and alter the natural dynamics of the region. As construction increases, the removal of native vegetation intensifies. As a result, the process of severe environmental pollution is aggravated by the accumulation of garbage and disposal of sewage in humid areas.
Native plants of the Amazon are essential to maintain ecological balance, act as temperature regulators, corridors for air circulation, and facilitate the natural flow of rivers. Its destruction not only affects the environment but also directly affects the quality of life of the people who suffer the effects of environmental degradation.
Bianca Moro de Carvalho does not consult, work for, own shares in, or receive funding from any company or entity that may benefit from the publication of this article and discloses no relevant affiliations beyond her academic status.
