MARTINEZ, G. B.

English

Repository Open Access to Scientific Information from Embrapa

510POTENCIALITIES AND THREATS BY BUFFALOES ON THE AMAZON FLOODPLAINMARTÍNEZ, G. B.1 Research of Embrapa. Av. Dom Frederico costa, 165 - Bairro PrainhaSantarém, Para State, Brazil- CEP 68.005-480 - Telefone: (93) 522 - 4766E-mail: gladys@tap.com.br/galdys@cpatu.embrapa.brABSTRACTDespite ali its potentialities, the buffaloes in this region has been suffering pressure from groups ofopposing interests. On one side, there are the cattle breeders who believe in the productivepotentialities and sanitary and nourishing endurance of the animals. On the other side, there are theenvironmentalists who relate the damages on the floodplain ecosystem to the raising of buffaloes inthe region. Farmers maintain the buffaloes on the floodplain during times of low water. But, whenrising waters become toa deep, floodplain ranchers have three options. They can confine cattle tofloating platforms (calied: marombas); they can pen them in smali upland corrals (known locally ascaiçaras) adjacent to the floodplains; or they can transfer them to upland pastures. The excessiveanimal load on the fragile ecosystem like the floodplains and under adverse conditions, bringsmechanical degradation to the soil by invaders that settle on these are as and aggressively competewith the pastures and by compactation as a result the animal pressure on the soil. The conflictsbetween the cattle breeding and other activities developed by the floodplain inhabitants has createdcontroversy about the viability of thís activity in the floodplain areas and has put at risk animportant part of the regional economy. However, Embrapa Amazon Eastern - BrazilianAgricultural Research Organization, Procuradoria da República (Republic Procuracy) in theSantarém municipality and IBAMA have been monitoring the use of the floodplain by the cattlebreeding, especialiy buffaloes. They have been visiting communities, real detection of problems,discussion of promising alternatives, suggestions for animal management and helping with somedecisions about how to better find solutions to this dilemma. The result of this work is thefoundation of the "Termo de Ajuste de Conduta" (Behavior Adjustment Term) which regulates theconflict according to the peculiarities that each case demands.Key words: Amazon, buffalo, floodplain, potencialitiesINTRODUCTIONln Brazil, efficient buffaloes performance in hot and humid regions in comparison with otherdomestic animals stood up the buffalo like an economical interest to the region. Some studiesindicate that buffaloes have a good meet and milk production and draft power capacity.Nevertheless, when the buffaloes are created in floodplain areas, without an adequate management,it creates conflicts with other economical activities because the cattle breeding is extensive and itfaces inefficient ways of enclosing the animals. It' s worth pointing out that the floodplain is anunstable soil, of recent origin which its formation is due to a sedimentation process of suspendedpartic1es, brought from other regions by the muddy water form the rivers and this process persistswith great intensity (1). ln this process, the soil is renewed annualiy in a cyc1e of overflow and lowwater of the amazon river. The floodplain has a tendency of elevating the leveI of the soil and, at thesame time, reducing the annual flood period. The floodplain soil is made up of an area with a moreelevated topographic leveI that goes alongside the river, the "restinga" (sandbank) and it is wherethe "matas ciliares" (river border forest) concentrate and goes on in inclination; and the "low land"areas which are covered by floodable "natural fields", made up of excellent pastures (2). The twokinds of environment are inundable during a certain period of the year. The "igapó" (swamp land) isa more stable and ancient are a, it was created by erosion rather than sedimentation (2). Farmersmaintain the buffaloes on the floodplain during times of low water. But, when rising waters becometoa deep, floodplain ranchers have three options. They can confine cattle to floating platforms1ST BUFFALO SYMPOSIUM OF AMERICAS511(called: marombas); the can pen them in small upland corrals (known locally as caiçaras) adjacentto the floodplains; or they can transfer them to upland pastures. The biggest problem is that most ofthe cattle farmers have increased their herd over a long period of time and they have maintained thesarne kind of breeding, which puts an excessive animalload to the soil. Besides that, those farmerskeep their animals on floodplains during the overflow season under adverse conditions to the animaland to the ecosystem. Due to the fact that cattle breeding is a very important economical segmentfor these areas, this management has created great conflicts arnong the ranchers, especially thosewho develop other activities like fishing and agriculture. The cattle breeder, no matter the numberof animals he has, is considered economically superior when compared to the agriculturist and thefisherman because cattle represents " cash" at any time. In some cases, the conflicts have happenedso intensely that some agriculturists, aggrieved by the animal invasions in their areas , attack theanimals with machetes cutting them deeply.MATERIAL AND METHODSThe conflicts between the cattle breeding and the other activities developed by the floodplainranchers has created controversies about the viability of this activity in the floodplain areas and canput at risk an important segment of the regional economy. However, since December 1997, theEmbrapa - Brazilian Agricultural Research Organizatio, Procuradoria da Republica (RepublicProcuracy) in the municipality of Santarém, and sometimes lbarna have started a prograrn, stillrather strict, of monitoring the use of floodplain by cattle breeding, mainly buffaloes breeding. ln itsinitial phase, we carne to the conclusion that those conflicts were interpersonal because they wereancient and unsolved problems. Through visiting the communities, real detection of problems,discussions about the promising alternatives, suggestions for animal management and decisionsabout how to better solve this dilemma, the "Termo de Ajuste de Conduta" (Behavior AdjustmentTerm)" regulation of the complementary Law number 75-93, which has the intention of taking theparts to a conciliation. This document was emitted by the "Procuradoria da Republica" (RepublicProcuracy) of the municipality of Santarém and is based on the technical report emitted by Embrapain which the community dwellers have a commitment to fully accomplish it. Through thismechanism, the group has obtained excellent results and it has been leading them to a perspective ofa sustainable use of this ecosystem, interacting different activities in an integrated system ofgenerating profit.RESUL TS AND DISCUSSIONThe suggestions of how to correctly manage the great animals in the floodplains of this region arenot similar to other areas, though some basic action must be taken by the farmers as a way to avoidmore conflicts in the rural area. At this point, a laborious work must be done in order to change anold regional culture in which "nature" creates the animals. It is indeed necessary to create asequence of explanations about animal management and to abolish certain paradigms on raisinggreat animals, especially buffaloes in floodplain areas. The result of it will bring serenity/peace tocreate a multi-purpose system where different activities will be able to share the sarne ecosystem.Nowadays, more than 20 communities have been receiving assistance in the western Pará region -Brazil under the regulations of the 'Termo de Ajuste de Conduta" (Behavior Adjustment Term)".Its main directions are based on taking the animals out of the floodplains in the annual overflowseason of the arnazon river and its affluents, this action should be taken before the level of the riverwater covers the "restingas" (sandbanks). This way, the recovery of native/cultivated pasture isguaranteed after the natural aggression occurred by the rising of the river waters. The expected timefor this to happen can be from February through April. The return of the animals to the floodplainsshould only occur when the water of the arnazon river and its affluents comes down to a level whereit can allow the natural recovery of the native/cultivated pasture after the overflow season and hardsoil with the intention of better moving the animals. The expected time for this action to be takenshould be from July through August. Besides that, it is very important, as a way to protect thenatural environments, that the buffaloes be kept in corrals or fenced during the night, especially1ST BUFFALO SYMPOSIUM OF AMERICAS512when the "fields" are flooded and it exerts more pressure to the "restingas" (sandbanks). This way,it makes the contraI of moving the animals possible and it reduces the invasion of animals to theneighboring lots. Finally, an accomplishrnent to obtain results in the Sh0l1run is to recover andmaintain degraded areas but the excessive trampling. This recovery should be gradual and throughthe planting of "mojuí" grazing (Brachiaria mutica), especially in the "restingas" (sandbanks) toprovide feed for the herd and retention of the animals in the uplands. The relation for the recoveryof this area must be at least one 1,4 for hectare for every 5 animals a year. In short, nowadays thefarrners have some orientatíons of how to praceed to keepon benefiting forrn the floodplainswithout damaging the other activities. A very important item of the basic suggestions is therecovery of areas worn out by the inadequate use of cattle raising, however, very few have beenacting as demanded. In the short run, this effects may not be serious but in the medium and longrun, the situation may be critical because of the lack of pasture to the animals, which will createnew invasions to the surrounding areas. Thus, Within the first years of the agreement, it is vital tohave technical support to control the "in and out" of animal in this areas at adequate times, as wellas the demand and awareness about the importance of recovering of rnisused pastures. In theassessment, still prelirninary, about the intervention of official organizations in agreements amongcornrnunitydwellers, it is important to point out that it was better than we expected. The way peopleshowed they were satisfied can be seen on cornrnents like: "Let' s organize ourselves", " the buffalolaw is corning" or "afier the agreement, the fish are corning back, someone has catched 60"tucunarés" fish in one day!". What really matters, besides those cornrnents, is that a group ofentities believing in this experience, has joined Embrapa - Brazilian Agricultural ResearchOrganizatio and "Procuradoria da Republica" (Republic Pracuracy) of the municipality of Santarémto act in an integrated and deterrnined way, organizing actions to solve the prablerns in a polite waynot only for the cornrnunity with the disharrnony but also for the regions surrounded by theprablerns. Because of the positive results obtained by this cornrnunity agreements the entities thatjoined Embrapa - Brazilian Agricultural Research Organizatio were: "Colônia de Pescadores Z-20"(Fishers Associative), IPAM/Prajeto Várzea - (Organization No Governmental) and SEMAB -Agricultural MunicipalitySecretary of Santarém-Pará State.REFERENCES(1) FALESI, I. C.; SILVA, B. N. R. da. (1999). Ecossistemas de várzeas da região do BaixoAmazonas. Belém: Embrapa Amazônia Oriental. 72p.(2) SIOLI, H. (1951). Sobre a sedimentação na várzea do Baixo Amazonas. Belém: IAN. IAN.Boletim Técnico, 24. 76 p.1ST BUFFALO SYMPOSIUM OF AMERICAS

Potencialities and threats by buffaloes on the Amazon floodplain.

http://www.alice.cnptia.embrapa.br/bitstream/doc/403455/1/Potencialities.pdf

Potencialities and threats by buffaloes on the Amazon floodplain.

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Repository Open Access to Scientific Information from Embrapa