The territoriality of Vila Taperebá and the Cabo Orange National Park in Oiapoque/AP/Brazil

Abstract

In Brazil, conflicts involving Conservation Units (CUs), traditional peoples, and communities have been quite frequent. The establishment of the Cabo Orange National Park (PNCO) followed this pattern, as the social groups occupying the territory now demarcated as the park were neither consulted nor received compensation or mitigatory measures for the creation of the CU. Against this backdrop, the study questioned how the processes of deterritorialization and reterritorialization of residents of Vila Taperebá unfolded, based on the premise that these processes occurred after the creation of PNCO due to its protection policies. The central objective is to analyze the territoriality and de-territorialization/reterritorialization of Vila Taperebá in the context of PNCO, located in the municipality of Oiapoque/AP, Brazil. The analyses employed a qualitative approach, drawing on bibliographic reviews of books, theses, dissertations, and scientific articles from the CAPES Journals platform and Google Scholar, as well as documentary research. Field data were collected through semi-structured interviews with current and former residents of Vila Taperebá, as well as representatives from ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation), the Oiapoque municipal government, the Oiapoque Fishermen's Colony, and residents' associations. The results indicate that the creation of PNCO led to the deterritorialization of Vila Taperebá residents, who reterritorialized on the outskirts of Oiapoque, facing precarious living conditions. It is concluded that conservation policies inadequately considered traditional communities, resulting in socio-environmental conflicts and territorial precarization.