Experience and knowledge on conflict negotiation and environmental justice in San Francisco river, Minas Gerais State, Brazil: the Institutional Cooperative net on fish mortality - a case study

Abstract

This article refers to a case study about the Inter-institutional Net of Cooperatives, Research Action and Fish Mortality Monitoring in The Medium San
Francisco River. This Inter-institutional Net on Fish Mortality was created in 2005 during the implementation of the Brazil/Canada Project: Inland Fishery - Sustainable Livelihoods and Conservation. This text describes the research action process developed in the creation of the Net, and also, the main aims and results achieved since the beginning of the work implementing a collaborative negotiation of the environmental conflict involved in this article: artisan fishers of The San Francisco River and their environment, impacted by heavy metal contamination in the area influenced by The Zinc Processing Industry - Votorantin Metal Group - at Três Marias municipality. The inequality of political and economic power and the participation in the decision
making process among the stakeholders involved (industry; governments; artisan fishers, NGOs and universities) confirm the academic literature about the importance to develop empowerment and equity in the co-management process, so as to guarantee environmental and social justice on this and another similar social-environmental system contexts.