Between cooperation and conflict: The implementation of agro-extractive settlements in the lower Amazon floodplain

Abstract

In recent years, numerous territorial categories have been created in order to integrate local management systems into a broader legal framework. Despite the political advance of this institutional innovation to include marginalized groups, different perceptions andmotivations among key stakeholders in the implementation process may challenge the performance of such initiatives. This chapter is focused on the implementation of a new territorial model for the Amazonian floodplain aimed at combining conservation, social inclusion, and local development. A diachronic analysis of the engagement of four main stakeholders reveals a tension between cooperation and competition among them in which power relations, leadership, and economic incentives play central roles. This study illustrates the importance of coupling cooperation and conflict analysis in co-management studies.