Working Paper No. 07/2009
UCL Anthropology
Working Papers Series
Department of
Anthropology
University College London
14 Taviton Street,
London
WC1H 0BW, U.K.
ISSN
1759-6688
Editorial Board: Sara Randall, Martin
Holbraad
Working Paper No. 07/2009
Published online
November 27, 2009
© Copyright rests with the authors
PROTECTIONISTS AND THE GUARANÍ: THE VILLAGE THAT DID
NOT EXIST
SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICT IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL
CAROLINA
COMANDULLI
Dissertation submitted in 2008 for the MSc Anthropology and Ecology of Development
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ABSTRACT
The adoption of the
'Yellowstone model' throughout the world during the 20th century provoked the
expulsion of traditional populations from their territories. Displaced people
often became impoverished and had their social fabric destroyed. Despite
criticisms of that model, it continues to be adopted as a solution for wildlife
conservation in many parts of the world.
The 1988 Brazilian Constitution
granted indigenous peoples original rights to their territories. Nonetheless,
the Guaraní inhabiting the Atlantic Rainforest are in dispute over their
ancestral lands with parks under strict protection. The debate unfolds between
institutions and organizations arguing that the Guaraní are a threat to the
environment and those who think they can be allies in the preservation of
nature.
This study looks at the Itapuã people-park conflict in Southern
Brazil. The Guaraní claim Itapuã Park area as their traditional territory, but
their right has been denied. I asked what are the obstacles preventing that
dispute from reaching a solution benefiting both cultural and natural diversity.
The obstacles identified were the adoption of a protectionist approach to
conservation by environmental policy-makers, followed by a critical lack of
knowledge about the Guaraní, and the ambiguities from the legal framework
regulating indigenous rights and environmental protection.
