Urban and peri-urban agriculture is a strategy that can be adapted by low income households in Orange Farm to meet their food and nutritional requirements. The practice is a basis upon which poor families can enhance their incomes by producing part of their food needs, hence saving money for use on other livelihood obligations. This dissertation discusses the importance of urban and peri-urban agriculture as a method easily available to low income families residing in informal settlements to access food and incomes. Urban agriculture is examined in the context of poverty alleviation. A descriptive and quantitative assessment of the salient variables of the practice in the area is attempted in order to give an insight of the potential role the sector can play in eliminating poverty, enhancing incomes and creating employment. The study shows that participation in urban farming can impact significantly on poverty conditions and improve livelihoods. / MA (Development Studies)

Some 5 million people were classified as internally displaced in Colombia at the end of 2012, which represented about 10 per cent of the population and the highest number in the world at the time. Colombia differs from other countries with high levels of displacement in that it is comparatively politically stable, has effective national institutions, a relatively strong formal economy, and can by no means be described as a ‘failed’ or ‘failing’ state. The displacement literature tends to characterise the phenomenon as a humanitarian crisis and a side effect of the long-running civil war. But Colombians continue to be displaced in very large numbers despite the formal demobilization of the paramilitaries in 2006 and the diminished military capacity and engagement of the guerrillas since about the same period: the same groups that are widely regarded as being the main perpetrators of displacement. This thesis contends that displacement of the civilian population in Colombia is frequently not a consequence of violence, but rather the primary objective, where violence plays a facilitatory role. Moreover, the thesis asserts that these massive levels of displacement are substantively linked to predominantly economically-motivated logics and are regionally specific. By examining an agricultural commodity that has significantly expanded relatively recently in Colombia - African palm oil - this research examines if and how expanded cultivation may be linked to displacement. Using a political economy framework of analysis combined with empirical fieldwork, it explores the ‘localised displacement logics’ whereby land is coercively acquired by powerful local groups. The thesis concludes that the abandonment and dispossession of land from poor and marginalised groups constitutes part of an ongoing process of capitalist expansion and statebuilding in Colombia. Contrary to assertions that it is the intra-state conflict that constitutes the central obstacle to development, Colombia’s current trajectory of capitalist development may actually be a central obstacle to sustainable peace and not lead to an end to displacement.

The history of the mining industry indicates a lack of understanding among the decision-makers of the impact the closure of mines has on the industry and the associated effects on the society and surrounding environment. The policies of the mining industry do make provision for a planned mine closure, but not for an unexpected closure. This detrimental aspect of closures in the mining industry is highlighted in the present study. The present study investigates how mineworkers’ dependency on their employment at a mine affects their ability to sustain their livelihoods. Vulnerable livelihoods leave the community at a greater risk to be affected by a disaster, than the livelihoods of a community that is resilient and has sustainable resources. Even though mineworkers are not considered as poor at the time of their employment, a mine closure could render them into a status called ‘transitional poverty’. This study also highlights that mineworkers who are skilled for mining operations only do not overcome the status of ‘transitional poverty’ and hence enter a phase called ‘chronic poverty’. This stage constitutes their inability to negotiate livelihood strategies and livelihood outcomes that could sustain a household. Thus humanitarian assistance would be needed from outside sources. Planning for unexpected mine closures should also be on the agenda of the mining industry due to the extreme consequences such an event holds for the mining community experiencing the event. In the case under investigation, the unexpected mine closures occurred in the Grootvlei mine in Springs and the Orkney mine owned by the Aurora Empowerment Systems Ltd. at the time of this study. These closures left the surrounding communities in need of food, shelter and clean water. The inhabitants gradually lost their livelihood assets. A contingency planning model is proposed at the end of this study to address the short-term and long-term consequences of an unexpected mine closure. / M Development and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The impacts of tropical deforestation and forest degradation are felt at multiple levels, bringing about local ecosystem degradation, regional biome fragmentation and global contributions of 12-15% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. In response to this, markets and payments for ecosystem services have emerged to financially value the services forests provide, most notably in the form of mechanisms to reduce deforestation and enhance forest conservation (REDD+). REDD+ has received much attention at the international level, but the pressing contemporary challenge is its engagement at the local scale. This thesis examines the potential local-level engagement of REDD+ on the Amazon frontier as an approach to altering patterns of anthropogenic encroachment on the world's greatest expanse of tropical forest. Case studies are taken from the buffer zones of protected areas along Peru's Amazonian frontier, Yanachaga-Chemillen National Park (YChNP) in central Peru and Manu National Park (MNP) in the SE of the country. A political ecology approach is taken to examine the influences and implications of existing land use governance structures, local livelihoods and preferences, and smallholder production and land economy, in the context of REDD+. Adopting mixed methods comprising semi-structured interviewing and land user surveys, data were collected between July 2008 and September 2009. I show that the two sites' histories and geographies have shaped distinct challenges for REDD+. The proximity of YChNP to Lima has fuelled agricultural expansion and higher land use incomes, yet institutions – particularly those belonging to the state – are exceedingly weak. The pace of land use change here obliges certain urgency for REDD+ interventions to provide livelihood alternatives, divert the current development path and restore the landscape. MNP’s rurality has protected it to date from expansive deforestation, yet weak institutions, poverty and increasing threats from national development processes highlight the importance of REDD+ interventions. In an analysis of land economy, an innovative conceptual framework is presented, the '3Rs' (rewarding, regulating and reshaping) to tackle local heterogeneity in REDD+ engagement. This thesis contributes knowledge to the practical and theoretical advancement of REDD+, and proposes the mechanism as an important new arena for academic investigation.

How do indigenous people perceive and practice eco-agriculture, especially when it was introduced as a development project? This thesis aims to delve into this question by focusing on a policy-induced agrarian transition for Pumi community in Sino-Myanmar borderlands. Using ethnographic methods, I intend to offer an intimate account of a provincial programme to facilitate eco-agriculture in this ethnic region. With the conceptual framework presented, the current research starts with the introduction of Pumi agricultural history and indigenous farming knowledge, with a focus on Pumi biocultural heritage. Then, I will examine how the process of ‘indigenisation of modernity’ (Sahlins 2000) has occurred against the backdrop of Pumi eco-agriculture programme. The insights will be distilled from three different aspects, which are agricultural land use, technical practices, and governance issues. For each aspect, I will scrutinise to what degree the government is following an industrial model to design the eco-agriculture agenda which corresponds to the ‘conventionalisation hypothesis’ of organic production (Buck 1997) and is thus in alignment with their long-term strategic goals to ‘modernise’ this borderland region through agricultural transformations, whereas the local Pumi farmers are actively coping with the government’s external interventions, meanwhile searching for the ‘alternative pathway’ towards agricultural modernisation. In the final chapter, I will interpret the motives of the both actors in the programme. For the government, the post-development theory will be employed to provide a critique of the ‘development discourse’ embedded in the agenda. For local farmers, the concept of ‘environmentality’ (Agrawal 2005) will be focused to interpret the Pumi farmers’ motives to indigenise, which ultimately questioning the transforming powers of modernity and globalisation on Pumi agrarian society. Basically, this thesis aims to trace the socio-political processes which drive the ‘agrarian transition’ in a Southeast Asian frontier, and further demonstrate how the resource abundance in the borderlands can underpin intense processes of commodification and dispossession (Nevins and Peluso 2008; Ishikawa 2010; see also Milne and Mahanty, 2015), the implications of which crystallised in an ethnographic context. To a larger extent, this research aims to shed lights on the interactions between social structure and individual agency ― although the Pumi farmers are struggling to survive with the adaptation to modern inputs, they are still marginalised by the structured inequality of the market economy, which limited the farmers’ opportunities to improve their own livelihoods. Furthermore, this research also has significant policy implications as it addresses the issues such as agricultural policy and ethnic relations in the borderland regions. By reflecting upon the overlapping implications of highland livelihoods, agencies, and the transforming powers of social change, the current study aims to build a locally rooted understanding of Pumi eco-agriculture programme, and provide lessons for sustainable planning and future policy-making for rural development in developing countries such as China.

As mudanças nas políticas públicas ambientais que ocorreram a partir da década de 1990 têm levado comunidades tradicionais a trilharem novos caminhos na busca da adequação aos paradigmas contemporâneos de produção, renda e legalização ambiental. Neste contexto, passa a ser adotado um modelo de manejo florestal comunitário introduzido por agentes externos às comunidades. Este modelo tem sido objeto de avaliações econômicas que apontam para a inviabilidade financeira dos projetos, a despeito de outros benefícios sociais e ambientais. Os objetivos desta tese foram: analisar os desafios vivenciados pelas comunidades tradicionais para se adequarem às novas políticas ambientais e avaliar os resultados de projetos de manejo comunitários em relação aos meios de vidas de seus protagonistas. Será o modelo introduzido manejo florestal viável? Quais os resultados que os projetos que adotaram este modelo alcançaram em relação aos meios de vida? A tese compreende quatro estudos de casos, apresentados em capítulos. As análises e avaliações dos projetos foram realizadas utilizando-se como marco analítico os \"meios de vida sustentáveis\" (capital humano, social, físico, financeiro e natural). O levantamento de dados foi realizado por meio dos métodos de entrevistas, diálogo mediado pela floresta, pesquisa documental e observação participante. Os dados foram analisados com base em análise interpretativa, triangulação de dados, estatística descritiva, análise de variância e testes de médias. O primeiro estudo de caso analisou o projeto de manejo florestal de uma associação comunitária, no município de Boa Vista do Ramos - AM, no seu trajeto de organização social até a obtenção da licença ambiental e da certificação florestal. O segundo estudo, comparou os resultados advindos da extração de madeira entre extratores que desenvolveram projetos de manejo florestal, com os resultados daqueles que permaneceram praticando a extração ilegal de madeira. O terceiro e o quarto estudos de caso foram desenvolvidos na Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá (RDSM). Um avaliando os resultados do manejo florestal comunitário e outro avaliando resultados de um esquema de REDD+ denominado Programa Bolsa Floresta, ambos em relação aos meios de vida de seus protagonistas. Os resultados gerais da pesquisa indicam que o modelo introduzido manejo florestal não se apresenta, ao menos sem um forte suporte externo, como um meio de vida sustentável para as comunidades tradicionais. O capital natural mostrou os melhores resultados e o capital financeiro, os piores. Os resultados indicam um viés das políticas públicas florestais a favor da conservação ambiental em detrimento da produção florestal. Em relação específica ao esquema de REDD+, os moradores da RDSM não o identificam como um mecanismo que contribui com o capital natural, porém, há uma percepção de melhorias relativas aos outros capitais. Conclui-se que: para o manejo florestal comunitário tornar-se um meio de vida sustentável, devem ser centrados esforços em questões de educação e capacitação das populações e valorização dos conhecimentos tradicionais (capital humano); fortalecimento das redes sociais/institucionais e estímulo à participação efetiva (capital social); maior autonomia, equidade e projetos de geração de renda (capital financeiro); para além de projetos que visem prioritariamente à conservação ambiental (capital natural). / Changes in environmental policy that have occurred since the 1990s has led traditional communities to tread new paths in search of adaptation to contemporary paradigms of production, income and environmental legalization. In this context, starts to be adopted a model of community forestry introduced by external agents to communities. This model has been the subject of economic evaluations that link to the financial unfeasibility of projects, regardless of other social and environmental benefits. The objectives of this thesis were: analyze the challenges experienced by traditional communities to conform to new environmental policies and evaluate community management projects in relation to the livelihoods of its protagonists. Is the introduced forest management model viable? What results the projects that have adopted this model have achieved in relation to the livelihoods? The thesis comprises four case studies presented in chapters. The analysis and evaluation of the projects were carried out using the \"sustainable livelihoods framework\" (human, social, physical, financial and natural, capitals). The survey was conducted through interviews, forest mediated dialogue, documental research and participant observation. Data were analyzed using interpretative analysis, triangulation, descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and tests for difference of means. The first case study examined the forest management project in a community association, in Boa Vista do Ramos county, Amazonas state, in their path of social organization to obtain the environmental license and forest certification. The second case study compared the results derived from logging between extractors that developed forest management projects, with the results of those who remained practicing illegal logging. The third and fourth case studies were developed within the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve. One evaluating the outcomes of community forest management and other evaluating the outcomes of a REDD+ scheme, called Bolsa Floresta Program, both in relation to the livelihoods of its protagonists. The overall results of the survey indicate that the introduced forest management model does not present itself, at least without strong external support, as a sustainable livelihood for traditional communities. The natural capital showed the best results and financial capital, the worst. The results indicate a bias of forest policy in favor of environmental conservation at the expense of forest production. In specific relation to the REDD + scheme, residents of RDSM not identify it as a mechanism that contributes to the natural capital, however, there is a perception regarding other capital improvements. It is concluded that for the community forest management become a sustainable livelihood, efforts should be focused on issues of education and empowerment of people and appreciation of traditional knowledge (human capital); strengthening social / institutional networks and encouraging effective participation (social capital); greater autonomy, equity and income generating projects (financial capital); in addition to projects that aim primarily to environmental conservation (capital natural).

A extração de produtos florestais é uma estratégia de sustento importante para populações que vivem próximas a remanescentes de florestas tropicais. Entre estes produtos, a carne silvestre é fonte importante de proteína e renda monetária. A sobreçaca, no entanto, pode levar à extinção local de espécies, comprometendo a integridade das florestas tropicais e o sustento de populações humanas. Como consequência, pode também levar à diminuição do valor atribuído às florestas pelos moradores, incentivando a sua conversão a outras formas de uso da terra. Sabe-se que fatores econômicos, como renda monetária e riqueza, são determinantes importantes da caça e do consumo de carne silvestre. Porém, tem sido sugerido que o efeito destes indicadores econômicos dependa do contexto ambiental - em especial, a cobertura florestal, associada à disponibilidade de animais para caça e a distância ao centro urbano, associada ao acesso a outras fontes de renda e proteína - e do contexto cultural, em particular, a região de origem dos moradores. No entanto, estudos prévios não consideraram todos estes fatores simultaneamente. Além disso, pouco ainda se sabe sobre qual o valor atribuído às florestas por populações rurais e sua relação com a caça e o consumo de carne silvestre. Através de questionários estruturados aplicados por meio de entrevista à população rural de uma região extensa e heterogênea na Amazônia oriental, esta tese teve como objetivos investigar: (i) o efeito de fatores ambientais em maior escala como determinantes da caça e do consumo de carne silvestre (Capítulo 1); (ii) a importância relativa e as interações entre fatores em escalas distintas - econômicos, culturais e ambientais - na determinação da caça e do consumo de carne silvestre (Capítulo 2) e; (iii) se a caça e o consumo de carne silvestre, bem como o desmatamento, que pode comprometer esse recurso, estão associados à percepção do valor das florestas (Capítulo 3). No Capítulo 1, os resultados indicam que fatores ambientais são determinantes mais importantes da caça do que do consumo de carne silvestre, que é mais frequente que a caça, sugerindo a relevância do compartilhamento e/ou comércio como formas de obtenção de carne silvestre. Enquanto o consumo de carne de silvestre foi um pouco mais frequente em áreas remotas e mais florestadas, a caça foi mais frequente em áreas mais florestadas, mas também em áreas mais próximas a centros urbanos. Assim, os resultados sugerem que é improvável que a pressão de caça diminua com a crescente migração para áreas urbanas que hoje se observa na Amazônia. O Capítulo 2 traz evidências de que o consumo de carne silvestre, e principalmente a caça, dependem não só do contexto ambiental, mas também do cultural, e que os efeitos de indicadores econômicos dependem de fatores ambientais. A caça e o consumo de carne silvestre foram mais frequentes nas famílias de origem na região Amazônica, entre aqueles que dependem mais de atividades de subsistência, e ambos aumentaram com a renda monetária em áreas próximas a centros urbanos e/ou menos florestadas, mas diminuíram com a renda monetária em áreas remotas e/ou florestadas. Isto sugere que o sucesso de intervenções econômicas que visem tanto à redução da pobreza quanto à conservação da biodiversidade depende do contexto ambiental, e é muito mais provável em áreas mais florestadas e remotas. Os resultados do Capítulo 3 indicam que a quantidade de carne silvestre consumida influencia positivamente a percepção do valor utilitário da floresta, enquanto que a quantidade de florestas remanescentes no entorno influencia positivamente a percepção de seu valor intrínseco. Assim, para além de estratégias que visem o bem-estar humano via incentivos econômicos, há oportunidade para iniciativas que considerem outros aspectos do bem-estar associados aos serviços providos pela floresta - sejam recursos como a carne silvestre ou benefícios culturais e estéticos. Ao mesmo tempo, os resultados apontam o potencial de um perigoso ciclo de desvalorização da floresta, em que o desmatamento leva a diminuição da percepção do seu valor, que, por sua vez, pode agravar o desmatamento, indicando a urgência de investimentos em iniciativas de conservação nas paisagens mais alteradas / The extraction of forest products is an important livelihood strategy for human populations living in and around tropical forest remnants. Among these products, bushmeat is an important source of protein and monetary income. However, overhunting can lead to local species extinction, compromising the integrity of tropical forests and the livelihoods of human populations. As a consequence, it can also lead to a decrease in the value local people attribute to forests, further promoting land conversion. It is well known that economic factors, such as monetary income and asset-wealth, are important drivers of bushmeat hunting and consumption. However, it has been suggested that the effect of economic factors depend on the environmental context - especially forest cover, associated with game availability, and distance to urban centers, associated with alternative sources of protein and income - and on the cultural context, particularly the region of origin of residents. Nevertheless, previous studies did not consider all these factors simultaneously. In addition, little is known about the value attributed to forests by rural populations and its association with bushmeat hunting and consumption. Using questionnaire-based interviews with the rural population of a wide heterogeneous region in eastern Amazonia, this thesis aimed at investigating (i) the effects of large-scale environmental factors as drivers of bushmeat hunting and consumption (Chapter 1); (ii) the relative importance and interactions between factors at different scales - economic, cultural and environmental - in driving bushmeat hunting and consumption (Chapter 2) and; (iii) whether bushmeat hunting and consumption, as well as deforestation, which may compromise this resource, are associated with the perception of forest values (Chapter 3). In Chapter 1, the results indicate that environmental factors are more important drivers of hunting than of bushmeat consumption, which is widespread, suggesting significant bushmeat sharing and/ or trading. While bushmeat consumption was slightly more likely in remote and more forested areas, hunting was more likely in more forested areas but also in areas closer to urban centers. These results suggest that hunting pressure is unlikely to decrease with the increasing migration to urban areas nowadays observed in the Amazon. Chapter 2 brings evidences that bushmeat consumption, and especially hunting, depend not only on the environmental context but also on the cultural context, and that the effects of economic variables depend on environmental factors. Bushmeat hunting and consumption were more likely in households with Amazonian origin, with greater reliance on subsistence activities and both increased with monetary income in less remote and/or less forested areas, but decreased with monetary income in more remote and/or more forested areas. This result suggests that the success of economic interventions aiming at both poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation depend on the environmental context, and is more likely in more forested and remote areas. The results of Chapter 3 indicate that the amount of consumed bushmeat positively influences the perception of forest instrumental value, while forest cover in the surroundings positively influences the perception of forest intrinsic value. These results suggest that, beyond strategies that aim at human well-being through economic incentives, there is opportunity for initiatives that consider other aspects of well-being associated with services provided by forests - whether resources such as bushmeat or cultural and aesthetic benefits. At the same time, the results suggest the potential for a dangerous reinforcing cycle of forest depreciation, in which deforestation erodes perceptions of forest values, which may in turn facilitate further deforestation, indicating the urgent need to invest in conservation initiatives in more altered landscapes

This thesis is about the social, political, and economic interactions that took place in and around the Universities’ Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) in two very different regions: north-eastern Tanzania and Zanzibar. The mission was for much of the period a space in which people could – often inventively – make a living through education, employment, and patronage. Indeed, particularly in the period preceding British colonial rule, most Christians were mission employees (usually teachers) and their families. Being Christian was, in one sense, a livelihood. In this era before the British altered the political economy, education had only limited appeal, while the teaching profession was not highly esteemed by Africans, although it offered some teachers the security and status of a regular income. From the 1860s to the 1910s, the UMCA did not offer clear trajectories for most of the Africans interacting with it in search of a better life. Markers of coastal sophistication, such as clothing or Swahili fluency, had greater social currency, while the coast remained a prime source of paid employment, often preferable to conditions offered by the mission. By the end of the period, Christians were at a social and economic advantage by virtue of their access to formal institutional education. This was a major shift and schooling became an obvious trajectory for future employment and economic mobility. Converts, many of whom came from marginal social backgrounds, sought to overcome a heritage of exploitative social relations and to redraw the field for the negotiation of dependency to their advantage. However, as this thesis shows, the mission also contributed to new sets of exploitative social relations in a hierarchy of work and education.

A extração de produtos florestais é uma estratégia de sustento importante para populações que vivem próximas a remanescentes de florestas tropicais. Entre estes produtos, a carne silvestre é fonte importante de proteína e renda monetária. A sobreçaca, no entanto, pode levar à extinção local de espécies, comprometendo a integridade das florestas tropicais e o sustento de populações humanas. Como consequência, pode também levar à diminuição do valor atribuído às florestas pelos moradores, incentivando a sua conversão a outras formas de uso da terra. Sabe-se que fatores econômicos, como renda monetária e riqueza, são determinantes importantes da caça e do consumo de carne silvestre. Porém, tem sido sugerido que o efeito destes indicadores econômicos dependa do contexto ambiental - em especial, a cobertura florestal, associada à disponibilidade de animais para caça e a distância ao centro urbano, associada ao acesso a outras fontes de renda e proteína - e do contexto cultural, em particular, a região de origem dos moradores. No entanto, estudos prévios não consideraram todos estes fatores simultaneamente. Além disso, pouco ainda se sabe sobre qual o valor atribuído às florestas por populações rurais e sua relação com a caça e o consumo de carne silvestre. Através de questionários estruturados aplicados por meio de entrevista à população rural de uma região extensa e heterogênea na Amazônia oriental, esta tese teve como objetivos investigar: (i) o efeito de fatores ambientais em maior escala como determinantes da caça e do consumo de carne silvestre (Capítulo 1); (ii) a importância relativa e as interações entre fatores em escalas distintas - econômicos, culturais e ambientais - na determinação da caça e do consumo de carne silvestre (Capítulo 2) e; (iii) se a caça e o consumo de carne silvestre, bem como o desmatamento, que pode comprometer esse recurso, estão associados à percepção do valor das florestas (Capítulo 3). No Capítulo 1, os resultados indicam que fatores ambientais são determinantes mais importantes da caça do que do consumo de carne silvestre, que é mais frequente que a caça, sugerindo a relevância do compartilhamento e/ou comércio como formas de obtenção de carne silvestre. Enquanto o consumo de carne de silvestre foi um pouco mais frequente em áreas remotas e mais florestadas, a caça foi mais frequente em áreas mais florestadas, mas também em áreas mais próximas a centros urbanos. Assim, os resultados sugerem que é improvável que a pressão de caça diminua com a crescente migração para áreas urbanas que hoje se observa na Amazônia. O Capítulo 2 traz evidências de que o consumo de carne silvestre, e principalmente a caça, dependem não só do contexto ambiental, mas também do cultural, e que os efeitos de indicadores econômicos dependem de fatores ambientais. A caça e o consumo de carne silvestre foram mais frequentes nas famílias de origem na região Amazônica, entre aqueles que dependem mais de atividades de subsistência, e ambos aumentaram com a renda monetária em áreas próximas a centros urbanos e/ou menos florestadas, mas diminuíram com a renda monetária em áreas remotas e/ou florestadas. Isto sugere que o sucesso de intervenções econômicas que visem tanto à redução da pobreza quanto à conservação da biodiversidade depende do contexto ambiental, e é muito mais provável em áreas mais florestadas e remotas. Os resultados do Capítulo 3 indicam que a quantidade de carne silvestre consumida influencia positivamente a percepção do valor utilitário da floresta, enquanto que a quantidade de florestas remanescentes no entorno influencia positivamente a percepção de seu valor intrínseco. Assim, para além de estratégias que visem o bem-estar humano via incentivos econômicos, há oportunidade para iniciativas que considerem outros aspectos do bem-estar associados aos serviços providos pela floresta - sejam recursos como a carne silvestre ou benefícios culturais e estéticos. Ao mesmo tempo, os resultados apontam o potencial de um perigoso ciclo de desvalorização da floresta, em que o desmatamento leva a diminuição da percepção do seu valor, que, por sua vez, pode agravar o desmatamento, indicando a urgência de investimentos em iniciativas de conservação nas paisagens mais alteradas / The extraction of forest products is an important livelihood strategy for human populations living in and around tropical forest remnants. Among these products, bushmeat is an important source of protein and monetary income. However, overhunting can lead to local species extinction, compromising the integrity of tropical forests and the livelihoods of human populations. As a consequence, it can also lead to a decrease in the value local people attribute to forests, further promoting land conversion. It is well known that economic factors, such as monetary income and asset-wealth, are important drivers of bushmeat hunting and consumption. However, it has been suggested that the effect of economic factors depend on the environmental context - especially forest cover, associated with game availability, and distance to urban centers, associated with alternative sources of protein and income - and on the cultural context, particularly the region of origin of residents. Nevertheless, previous studies did not consider all these factors simultaneously. In addition, little is known about the value attributed to forests by rural populations and its association with bushmeat hunting and consumption. Using questionnaire-based interviews with the rural population of a wide heterogeneous region in eastern Amazonia, this thesis aimed at investigating (i) the effects of large-scale environmental factors as drivers of bushmeat hunting and consumption (Chapter 1); (ii) the relative importance and interactions between factors at different scales - economic, cultural and environmental - in driving bushmeat hunting and consumption (Chapter 2) and; (iii) whether bushmeat hunting and consumption, as well as deforestation, which may compromise this resource, are associated with the perception of forest values (Chapter 3). In Chapter 1, the results indicate that environmental factors are more important drivers of hunting than of bushmeat consumption, which is widespread, suggesting significant bushmeat sharing and/ or trading. While bushmeat consumption was slightly more likely in remote and more forested areas, hunting was more likely in more forested areas but also in areas closer to urban centers. These results suggest that hunting pressure is unlikely to decrease with the increasing migration to urban areas nowadays observed in the Amazon. Chapter 2 brings evidences that bushmeat consumption, and especially hunting, depend not only on the environmental context but also on the cultural context, and that the effects of economic variables depend on environmental factors. Bushmeat hunting and consumption were more likely in households with Amazonian origin, with greater reliance on subsistence activities and both increased with monetary income in less remote and/or less forested areas, but decreased with monetary income in more remote and/or more forested areas. This result suggests that the success of economic interventions aiming at both poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation depend on the environmental context, and is more likely in more forested and remote areas. The results of Chapter 3 indicate that the amount of consumed bushmeat positively influences the perception of forest instrumental value, while forest cover in the surroundings positively influences the perception of forest intrinsic value. These results suggest that, beyond strategies that aim at human well-being through economic incentives, there is opportunity for initiatives that consider other aspects of well-being associated with services provided by forests - whether resources such as bushmeat or cultural and aesthetic benefits. At the same time, the results suggest the potential for a dangerous reinforcing cycle of forest depreciation, in which deforestation erodes perceptions of forest values, which may in turn facilitate further deforestation, indicating the urgent need to invest in conservation initiatives in more altered landscapes

As mudanças nas políticas públicas ambientais que ocorreram a partir da década de 1990 têm levado comunidades tradicionais a trilharem novos caminhos na busca da adequação aos paradigmas contemporâneos de produção, renda e legalização ambiental. Neste contexto, passa a ser adotado um modelo de manejo florestal comunitário introduzido por agentes externos às comunidades. Este modelo tem sido objeto de avaliações econômicas que apontam para a inviabilidade financeira dos projetos, a despeito de outros benefícios sociais e ambientais. Os objetivos desta tese foram: analisar os desafios vivenciados pelas comunidades tradicionais para se adequarem às novas políticas ambientais e avaliar os resultados de projetos de manejo comunitários em relação aos meios de vidas de seus protagonistas. Será o modelo introduzido manejo florestal viável? Quais os resultados que os projetos que adotaram este modelo alcançaram em relação aos meios de vida? A tese compreende quatro estudos de casos, apresentados em capítulos. As análises e avaliações dos projetos foram realizadas utilizando-se como marco analítico os \"meios de vida sustentáveis\" (capital humano, social, físico, financeiro e natural). O levantamento de dados foi realizado por meio dos métodos de entrevistas, diálogo mediado pela floresta, pesquisa documental e observação participante. Os dados foram analisados com base em análise interpretativa, triangulação de dados, estatística descritiva, análise de variância e testes de médias. O primeiro estudo de caso analisou o projeto de manejo florestal de uma associação comunitária, no município de Boa Vista do Ramos - AM, no seu trajeto de organização social até a obtenção da licença ambiental e da certificação florestal. O segundo estudo, comparou os resultados advindos da extração de madeira entre extratores que desenvolveram projetos de manejo florestal, com os resultados daqueles que permaneceram praticando a extração ilegal de madeira. O terceiro e o quarto estudos de caso foram desenvolvidos na Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá (RDSM). Um avaliando os resultados do manejo florestal comunitário e outro avaliando resultados de um esquema de REDD+ denominado Programa Bolsa Floresta, ambos em relação aos meios de vida de seus protagonistas. Os resultados gerais da pesquisa indicam que o modelo introduzido manejo florestal não se apresenta, ao menos sem um forte suporte externo, como um meio de vida sustentável para as comunidades tradicionais. O capital natural mostrou os melhores resultados e o capital financeiro, os piores. Os resultados indicam um viés das políticas públicas florestais a favor da conservação ambiental em detrimento da produção florestal. Em relação específica ao esquema de REDD+, os moradores da RDSM não o identificam como um mecanismo que contribui com o capital natural, porém, há uma percepção de melhorias relativas aos outros capitais. Conclui-se que: para o manejo florestal comunitário tornar-se um meio de vida sustentável, devem ser centrados esforços em questões de educação e capacitação das populações e valorização dos conhecimentos tradicionais (capital humano); fortalecimento das redes sociais/institucionais e estímulo à participação efetiva (capital social); maior autonomia, equidade e projetos de geração de renda (capital financeiro); para além de projetos que visem prioritariamente à conservação ambiental (capital natural). / Changes in environmental policy that have occurred since the 1990s has led traditional communities to tread new paths in search of adaptation to contemporary paradigms of production, income and environmental legalization. In this context, starts to be adopted a model of community forestry introduced by external agents to communities. This model has been the subject of economic evaluations that link to the financial unfeasibility of projects, regardless of other social and environmental benefits. The objectives of this thesis were: analyze the challenges experienced by traditional communities to conform to new environmental policies and evaluate community management projects in relation to the livelihoods of its protagonists. Is the introduced forest management model viable? What results the projects that have adopted this model have achieved in relation to the livelihoods? The thesis comprises four case studies presented in chapters. The analysis and evaluation of the projects were carried out using the \"sustainable livelihoods framework\" (human, social, physical, financial and natural, capitals). The survey was conducted through interviews, forest mediated dialogue, documental research and participant observation. Data were analyzed using interpretative analysis, triangulation, descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and tests for difference of means. The first case study examined the forest management project in a community association, in Boa Vista do Ramos county, Amazonas state, in their path of social organization to obtain the environmental license and forest certification. The second case study compared the results derived from logging between extractors that developed forest management projects, with the results of those who remained practicing illegal logging. The third and fourth case studies were developed within the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve. One evaluating the outcomes of community forest management and other evaluating the outcomes of a REDD+ scheme, called Bolsa Floresta Program, both in relation to the livelihoods of its protagonists. The overall results of the survey indicate that the introduced forest management model does not present itself, at least without strong external support, as a sustainable livelihood for traditional communities. The natural capital showed the best results and financial capital, the worst. The results indicate a bias of forest policy in favor of environmental conservation at the expense of forest production. In specific relation to the REDD + scheme, residents of RDSM not identify it as a mechanism that contributes to the natural capital, however, there is a perception regarding other capital improvements. It is concluded that for the community forest management become a sustainable livelihood, efforts should be focused on issues of education and empowerment of people and appreciation of traditional knowledge (human capital); strengthening social / institutional networks and encouraging effective participation (social capital); greater autonomy, equity and income generating projects (financial capital); in addition to projects that aim primarily to environmental conservation (capital natural).