The quilombo community Bom Jardim da Prata in São Francisco / Minas Gerais and the socio-environmental conflicts related to the São Francisco river and surroundings

Abstract

The São Francisco River runs through the mesoregion of the north of Minas Gerais and contributes to the survival and perpetuation of traditional communities that occupy its surroundings. The north region of Minas Gerais concentrates a plurality of traditional peoples that rely on the river for their daily activities and survival. Among these peoples, the Quilombo community Bom Jardim da Prata stands out, occupying a rural area located in the municipality of São Francisco. Despite the importance of the São Francisco River in the region, socio-environmental impacts have been frequent. Those results from territorial disputes and predatory uses of its natural resources, especially by farmers and large companies aiming for economic benefits, also creating difficulty for sustainable management actions. Thus, the main objective of this article is to analyze the socio-environmental conflicts arising from the relationship established among traditional communities, economic agents and the São Francisco River. The research is qualitative, emphasizing bibliographic sources from theses, dissertations and articles dealing with this theme, mappings, and critical analysis from field research. As considerations, the indiscriminate use of natural resources of the São Francisco river surroundings causes environmental impact and difficulty the survival of traditional communities and the perpetuation of their knowledge. Big companies' economic interests alongside territorial conflicts between communities, farmers, landowners and large agribusiness companies are also responsible for those impacts.