O desenvolvimento na Guiné-Bissau e os problemas ambientais: contexto e atuação local no caso do Parque Natural das Lagoas de Cufada

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the institutionalization of the environmental debate in the history of Guinea-Bissau's formation and its development policies, with an emphasis on the idea of sustainable development. It aims to analyze the development process of Guinea-Bissau, especially the socioeconomic development policy implemented by the government after the independence in 1973 and the policy to encourage cashew production in 1980. Both, through government policies, are at the root of problems of environmental degradation. The environmental problem in Guinea-Bissau is a subject of recent debate, especially with the awareness of civil society in the 1990s, which culminated in the emergence of some NGOs and other organizations that propose the urgence for environmental preservation and conservation in the country. After independence in 1973, the State of Guinea-Bissau was proclaimed as the legitimate owner of all lands and rules. Customs and methods of preserving and conserving the natural environment of local communities were replaced by state laws, which led to the devaluation, disrespect and weakening of traditional power. With population growth coupled with economic interests, the State of Guinea-Bissau was unable to ensure several problems that were safeguarded by traditional consecration. The State has often created these problems through its government policies. Cashew, for example, has become a major economic asset, and as a result, each local community wants to have its own spaces (orchards) for cashew plantations. As a result, protected areas were created, decreed by the State itself. These areas are prohibited from being occupied by traditional powers, but can be destroyed so that the country can grow economically. Under this tension, there is a large flow of occupation, sales and purchases of land within protected areas, promoted both by the first inhabitants, before the formal creation of the place as a protected area, and by the State. Therefore, the influence of the policy of encouraging cashew cultivation, together with the historical context of economic projects and government development policies, are sources of several conflicts that did not exist in the past. The National Park of Cufadas Lake is one of them. NGOs act both as mediators and as promoters of conflicts, creating clashes between international, national and traditional forces.