Ciclo do carbono na floresta amazônica: percepções ambientais de moradores da Reserva Extrativista do Baixo Juruá, Amazônia Ocidental, Brasil

Abstract

Carbon is the fundamental chemical element for life on Earth. However, an imbalance in its biogeochemical cycle has contributed to a serious environmental problem that this planet is facing and that affects all beings indistinctly. Carbon-derived gases (CO2 and CH4), due to the property of retaining heat in the atmosphere, are considered as greenhouse gases (GHG) and these have promoted global climate change. The Amazon has a leading role in the planet's climate stabilization, because it has a carbon stock ranging from 50.8 to 57.5 billion tons, almost 7 times more than the annual global carbon emission. Considering that much of the anthropic actions are anchored in human behavior, it becomes vital to understand the ways of thinking of people who live in direct contact with this phenomenon in the Amazon forest and what practices these people are related to GHG emissions and with the conservation of the forest. By unveiling such understandings it is possible to propose effective and efficient educational programs for a sustainable relationship with the forest and this cycle and thus contribute to the mitigation of climate change. This study therefore sought to investigate the understanding of the processes that involve the biogeochemical cycle of carbon and its relations with the Amazon forest, between those who live and depend directly on the resources of that forest, that is, residents of communities of a Conservation Unit. In this study, we analyzed the environmental perceptions of the inhabitants of the Baixo Juruá-AM Extractive Reserve on the carbon cycle and its relationship with the forest. A participant observation, collective interview with 14 residents and 30 semi-structured interviews were carried out using the topographic-topological modeling technique. This consists of using a model that represents the geographical area and types of land use and forest resources, with which the interviewee responds in an interactive way to the questions raised about the topic. The results show that, despite having different understandings about what it is about, where it is found, how this element moves around the planet and on the relation of this with the forest the inhabitants recognize the existence of something that is not seen, but which interferes with organisms and the ecosystem. It is also noted that traditional and scientific knowledge reflects a reading both on the symbolic and on the physical world. In many cases, these knowledges complement each other, others confront each other. These results corroborate the need to unveil such perceptions, in order to propose educational processes that make possible the understanding of these concepts and to stimulate holistic GHG reduction practices.