Rural development and shifts in household dietary practices from 1999 to 2010 in the Tapajós River region, Brazilian Amazon: empirical evidence from dietary surveys.

BACKGROUND: Research on changing dietary practices is rare in lower and middle income countries, and understanding the impact of global economic processes on population health and nutrition is important, especially of rural communities. We analyzed the diet of 22 families in Brasília Legal, a riverside community in the Tapajós River region of the Brazilian Amazon, using nonparametric tests to compare dietary surveys taken in 1999 and 2010. RESULTS: Data from the two surveys show that food obtained through commercial supply chains became more frequent in household diets, corresponding to significant increases in daily consumption of food items rich in energy, protein, and sugar. At the same time, there was a decline in traditional Amazonian food intake. CONCLUSIONS: Comparing these results with household socio-economic characteristics and drawing on open-ended interviews, we consider the multiple influences that economic development processes may have had on local diets. The introduction of new income sources and employment opportunities, infrastructural and transportation expansion, as well as environmental change appear to have influenced the observed dietary shifts. Such shifts are likely to have important implications for the nutritional status of communities in the Amazon, highlighting concerning trade-offs between current development trajectories and human health. Public policies and health education programs must urgently consider the interactions between sustainable development priorities in order to address emerging health risks in this rapidly changing region.

Public health guide to field developments linking ecosystems, environments and health in the Anthropocene.

The impacts of global environmental change have precipitated numerous approaches that connect the health of ecosystems, non-human organisms and humans. However, the proliferation of approaches can lead to confusion due to overlaps in terminology, ideas and foci. Recognising the need for clarity, this paper provides a guide to seven field developments in environmental public health research and practice: occupational and environmental health; political ecology of health; environmental justice; ecohealth; One Health; ecological public health; and planetary health. Field developments are defined in terms of their uniqueness from one another, are historically situated, and core texts or journals are highlighted. The paper ends by discussing some of the intersecting features across field developments, and considers opportunities created through such convergence. This field guide will be useful for those seeking to build a next generation of integrative research, policy, education and action that is equipped to respond to current health and sustainability challenges.

Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors Influencing Mercury Dynamics During the Past Century in Floodplain Lakes of the Tapajós River, Brazilian Amazon.

In the Tapajós River region of the Brazilian Amazon, mercury (Hg) is a prevalent contaminant in the aquatic ecosystem. Few studies have used comprehensive chronological analyses to examine the combined effects of environmental and anthropogenic factors on Hg accumulation in sediments. Total mercury (THg) content was measured in sediments from eight floodplain lakes and Pb210 isotope analysis was used to develop a timeline of THg accumulation. Secondary data representing environmental and anthropogenic factors were analyzed using geo-spatial analyses. These include land-cover change, hydrometeorological time-series data, lake morphology, and watershed biophysical characteristics. The results indicate that THg accumulation and sedimentation rates have increased significantly at the surface of most sediment cores, sometimes doubling since the 1970s. Human-driven land-cover changes in the watershed correspond closely to these shifts. Tropical deforestation enhances erosion, thereby mobilizing the heavy metal that naturally occurs in soils. Environmental factors also contribute to increased THg content in lacustrine sediments. Climate shifts since the 1980s are further compounding erosion and THg accumulation in surface sediments. Furthermore, variations in topography, soil types, and the level of hydrological connectivity between lakes and the river explain observed variations in THg fluxes and sedimentation. Although connectivity naturally varies among sampled lakes, deforestation of sensitive floodplain vegetation has changed lake-river hydrology in several sites. In conclusion, the results point to a combination of anthropogenic and environmental factors as determinants of increased THg accumulation in tropical floodplain sediments in the Tapajós region.

Spatial and temporal evolution of family-farming land use in the Tapajós region of the Brazilian Amazon / Evolução espacial e temporal do uso da terra para agricultura familiar na região do Tapajós, Amazônia Brasileira

Pressures on the Brazilian Amazon forest have been accentuated by agricultural activities practiced by families encouraged to settle in this region in the 1970s by the colonization program of the government. The aims of this study were to analyze the temporal and spatial evolution of land cover and land use (LCLU) in the lower Tapajَs region, in the state of Parل. We contrast 11 watersheds that are generally representative of the colonization dynamics in the region. For this purpose, Landsat satellite images from three different years, 1986, 2001, and 2009, were analyzed with Geographic Information Systems. Individual images were subject to an unsupervised classification using the Maximum Likelihood Classification algorithm available on GRASS. The classes retained for the representation of LCLU in this study were: (1) slightly altered old-growth forest, (2) succession forest, (3) crop land and pasture, and (4) bare soil. The analysis and observation of general trends in eleven watersheds shows that LCLU is changing very rapidly. The average deforestation of old-growth forest in all the watersheds was estimated at more than 30% for the period of 1986 to 2009. The local-scale analysis of watersheds reveals the complexity of LCLU, notably in relation to large changes in the temporal and spatial evolution of watersheds. Proximity to the sprawling city of Itaituba is related to the highest rate of deforestation in two watersheds. The opening of roads such as the Transamazonian highway is associated to the second highest rate of deforestation in three watersheds.

As pressões sobre a Floresta Amazônica Brasileira têm sido acentuadas por atividades agrícolas de muitas famílias que foram estimuladas a se estabelecer nessa região durante o Programa de Colonização do Governo Federal, na década de 1970. Os objetivos deste presente estudo foram de analisar a evolução espacial e temporal em termos de mudanças de cobertura da terra e uso da terra (CTUT) na região do baixo Tapajós, no Estado do Pará. Contrastam-se 11 bacias que são geralmente representativas do processo de colonização regional por agricultores familiares, e para tanto imagens de satélite Landsat de três diferentes anos (1986, 2001, e 2009) foram analisadas utilizando-se um Sistema de Informação Geográfica. Imagens individuais não-supervisionadas foram classificadas usando-se GRASS, e o algoritmo de classificação de Probabilidade Máxima, para todos os comprimentos de onda do espectro visível e infravermelho (1 a 5 e 7). As classes retidas para a representação do CTUT nesse estudo foram: (1) floresta primária levemente alterada; (2) floresta de sucessão; (3) terra agricultável e pastagem; e (4) solo nu. A análise e observação de tendências gerais em 11 bacias mostram que o CTUT tem mudado rapidamente. O desmatamento médio de floresta primária em todas as bacias foi estimado em mais de 30% no período de 1986 a 2009. A análise em escala local de bacias revela a complexidade do CTUT, notavelmente em relação a grandes mudanças na evolução espacial e temporal das bacias. A proximidade com a cidade de Itaituba, que se encontra em plena expansão, está relacionada com a maior taxa de desmatamento em duas bacias hidrográficas, ao passo que a abertura de estradas, como a Rodovia Transamazônica, está associada à segunda maior taxa de desmatamento em três bacias hidrográficas.