Indigenous territories and governance of forest restoration in the Xingu River (Brazil)

During the early 2000s, indigenous and non-indigenous peoples inhabiting the headwaters of the Xingu River (Mato Grosso state, Brazil) engaged in a collective decision to undertake the `Y Ikatu Xingu Campaign, a social phenomenon and forum for the restoration and protection of Xingu’s headwaters and riparian forests–a common-pool resources shared by indigenous, farmers, and urban populations in the region. These areas have been significantly deforested over the last 50 years due to public policies and land privatization aiming at economic development, agricultural and agribusiness expansion in Central and Amazonian Brazil. These political and economic drivers contributed to the conversion of five million hectares of Seasonal Evergreen Forests and Cerrados (Brazilian savanna) into agricultural land. In order to reverse the damaging trends of the future of the Xingu River and promote common benefits to indigenous and non-indigenous peoples, the Campaign fostered the creation of the Xingu Seed Network to promote exchange and commercialization of native seeds demanded by farmers and landholders for planting and restoring permanent preservation areas, such as riparian forests, and vegetation associated with lakes and springs of the Suiá-Miçu River Basin. The aim of this study is to examine the role played by the 'Y Ikatu Campaign in the conservation of these common-pool resources – Xingu’s headwaters, riparian forests and rivers–and in mobilizing heterogeneous social groups living in this region to engage in the protection of the watershed.. Our analysis focuses on socially and culturally diverse inhabitants (indigenous and farmers) of the Suiá-Miçu River Basin, who are searching for innovative technologies for the recovery of riparian areas, and for income generation for local communities. The Institutional Analysis and Development framework was adopted as an approach for understanding interactions of multiple social agents, governmental and non-governmental organizations, engaged in the process of restoration and protection of common resources. Spatial and temporal land-cover changes analysis of the Suiá-Miçu River Basin show an increase in deforestation during the past 40 years, primarily for soybean farming and pastures. We showed that indigenous people have a fundamental role in questioning and advancing the outcomes of restoration efforts, and monitoring environmental impact on water quality of rivers, as well as on conditions of forests and other ecosystems surrounding indigenous lands. We discuss the perspectives of Kĩsêdjê indigenous inhabitants of the environmental governance related to restoration efforts and monitoring, and their concerns with a dynamic scenario of agribusiness expansion in the Xingu River Headwaters region.