Porto de moz: o prefeito, "dono do municipio"

Porto de Moz is a small municipality (22.460 inhabitants) bordered by the Xingu and Amazonas Rivers, in the state of Pará. The local economy is based on small-scale agriculture, fishing, and timber extraction. Land ownership is extremely concentrated, and a large part of the municipal lands are uncl...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Salgado, I., Kaimowitz, D.
Format: Book Chapter
Language:Portugués
Published: A.S. Editores 2003
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/18723
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author Salgado, I.
Kaimowitz, D.
author_browse Kaimowitz, D.
Salgado, I.
author_facet Salgado, I.
Kaimowitz, D.
author_sort Salgado, I.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Porto de Moz is a small municipality (22.460 inhabitants) bordered by the Xingu and Amazonas Rivers, in the state of Pará. The local economy is based on small-scale agriculture, fishing, and timber extraction. Land ownership is extremely concentrated, and a large part of the municipal lands are unclaimed and subject to land grabbing by fraudulent and violent means. Control over land is essential for the largest sawmills, which relies on illegal logging. The mayor and his relatives own three of the four local sawmills, and therefore have high stakes in the struggle for land. There are a few grassroots organizations in Porto de Moz whose members overtly oppose and try to resist the abuses of the municipal government. Among these efforts, they formed a “Natural Resource Municipal Committee” which laid plans for a more equitable and sustainable development model in the Municipality, but have never received any support from the local government. Federal and state agencies that could mediate the local conflicts are conspicuously absent from the municipality. The isolation and transportation problems contribute to this situation; however, the mayor’s effort to keep any authority that could interfere with his interests is evident. Porto de Moz is an extreme example of the excessive power that mayors have in the Brazilian system. Nevertheless, it does not mean that decentralization should be avoided, but rather that there must exist effective checks and balances on the local power to prevent this kind of abuse.
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spelling CGSpace187232025-01-24T14:20:28Z Porto de moz: o prefeito, "dono do municipio" Salgado, I. Kaimowitz, D. decentralization forest management land use ownership local government community action Porto de Moz is a small municipality (22.460 inhabitants) bordered by the Xingu and Amazonas Rivers, in the state of Pará. The local economy is based on small-scale agriculture, fishing, and timber extraction. Land ownership is extremely concentrated, and a large part of the municipal lands are unclaimed and subject to land grabbing by fraudulent and violent means. Control over land is essential for the largest sawmills, which relies on illegal logging. The mayor and his relatives own three of the four local sawmills, and therefore have high stakes in the struggle for land. There are a few grassroots organizations in Porto de Moz whose members overtly oppose and try to resist the abuses of the municipal government. Among these efforts, they formed a “Natural Resource Municipal Committee” which laid plans for a more equitable and sustainable development model in the Municipality, but have never received any support from the local government. Federal and state agencies that could mediate the local conflicts are conspicuously absent from the municipality. The isolation and transportation problems contribute to this situation; however, the mayor’s effort to keep any authority that could interfere with his interests is evident. Porto de Moz is an extreme example of the excessive power that mayors have in the Brazilian system. Nevertheless, it does not mean that decentralization should be avoided, but rather that there must exist effective checks and balances on the local power to prevent this kind of abuse. 2003 2012-06-04T09:08:44Z 2012-06-04T09:08:44Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/18723 pt A.S. Editores Salgado, I., Kaimowitz, D. 2003. Porto de moz: o prefeito, "dono do municipio" . In: Toni, F., Kaimowitz, D.. Municipios e gestao florestal na Amazonia. :219-252. Natal, A.S. Editores.
spellingShingle decentralization
forest management
land use
ownership
local government
community action
Salgado, I.
Kaimowitz, D.
Porto de moz: o prefeito, "dono do municipio"
title Porto de moz: o prefeito, "dono do municipio"
title_full Porto de moz: o prefeito, "dono do municipio"
title_fullStr Porto de moz: o prefeito, "dono do municipio"
title_full_unstemmed Porto de moz: o prefeito, "dono do municipio"
title_short Porto de moz: o prefeito, "dono do municipio"
title_sort porto de moz o prefeito dono do municipio
topic decentralization
forest management
land use
ownership
local government
community action
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/18723
work_keys_str_mv AT salgadoi portodemozoprefeitodonodomunicipio
AT kaimowitzd portodemozoprefeitodonodomunicipio