Community resilience as an alternative for regional development in the face of socio-ecological transformations in the traditional communities of Jalapão, Tocantins – Brazil

Abstract

The Cerrado is the Brazilian biome that has suffered the most changes due to human occupation, mainly with the growing agricultural expansion, which has caused a progressive depletion of its natural resources. The Jalapão region is located in this biome; a region marked by countless development projects and by a population that has been constantly beneficiary of public policies. The Jalapão has been affected in recent times by the establishment of conservation units and by its tourist attractions, which have greatly altered the local socioeconomic dynamics. To the exchange vectors we must add the existence of large areas of agribusiness destined for planting soybeans. The present work aims to understand the adaptations of the jalapoeira community of the municipalities of Mateiros and São Félix do Tocantins to this context from the perspective of the concept of resilience: how it managed to adapt to the adversities that impacted its community resources and its way of life in the Jalapão socio-ecological system. The research incorporated three methodological strategies: bibliographic, documentary, and field research analysis. The consideration of Jalapão as a socio-ecological system allowed the identification of the interactions between communities and nature to compare with the changes that have taken place. The adaptive capacity of jalapoeiros in the face of three major shocks - the creation of the protected areas, tourism, and agribusiness - demonstrated that the identity of the Jalapão social community can be understood as a metaphor for the resilience of a system that has undergone numerous social, economic, environmentaland cultural transformations. The perspective adopted is a useful tool to identify the strengths and potentialities of the socio-ecological system and, therefore, a way to find mechanisms for the overcome of difficulties and adjustments to the transformations relevant to Jalapão.