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The article's aim is show an interpretation about environmental interdisciplinary perspective and the input of the network approach at this debate like a theoretical basis. Here still will be explain about the catfish's commercial network (example like a object between the city and nature relationship in the Amazon) show asks about interdisciplinary research in the Environmental Science. It's understood that interdisciplinary environmental studies require news approaches of the concepts and methods of the disciplinary areas. The network's understanding and analysis, encompass several disciplines and incorporate differents contents. Through catfish's commercial network, this article show a theoretical and methodological proposal to interdisciplinary research in environmental science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aim to incorporate new dimensions into the discussion hitherto held in the construction of the notion of territorial responsibility. In order to do so, we inserted three strands that indicate the importance of Parintins in the Amazonian sub-regional territorial system. For this, the concept of the Urban-Riverside Territorial System (STUR) and its methodological proposal are added. The first is related to the presence of institutions in the city, providing other forms of social organization such as organized collectives that benefit from this density of territorial relations, emphasizing the role of political mediation. The second refers to the role of Parintins as a consolidated subregional commercial distributor through the strengthening of commercial companies and territorial river distribution systems. Finally, the environmental responsibility that occurs due to the intensification of regional product absorption by the city related to the main existing territorial systems in the city: timber and fishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the second time in history, Brazil hosted the most important football tournament on the planet: the fifa World Cup. In the edition held in 2014, the Amazon region participated directly in the process, with the city of Manaus as one of the 12 subsections elected. This article is based on considerations on this mega-sport event and its impacts on Pan-Amazonia. In order to understand the legacies and impacts of the 2014 World Cup as a mega-sport event in the Amazonian region of the Brazil-Peru-Colombia the cities of Tabatinga (br) and Letícia (co) were analysed. Considering that these cities were not host cities of the world championship, we recognize their importance as entry to the Brazilian territory to watch the games in Manaus and other Brazilian cities. Not much emphasis was given to cities outside the mega-event circuit in question, leaving aside the analysis of spatial and territorial reconfigurations linked to this global activity in the national territory. From extensive fieldwork in both cities in the period prior to the event (2013), during the year and season of the event (2014) and later (2015) we recognize some infrastructural transformations in the Letícia hotel chain and short-term impacts on the system of transportation in Tabatinga. Although relatively brief and relatively simple, the mobilizations that took place in the two cities proved to be relevant, making clear not only the "little" that was done, but especially the "much" that could have been done and was not. This "much" does not only concern urban infrastructures, hotels, communication and transport, which have not been improved. It refers mainly to the missed opportunity on the part of the public power and the tri-national private initiative to join forces to further consolidate the important pan-Amazonian urban network that the region of the Brazil-Peru-Colombia Triple Border establish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Brazilian Amazon, a strong transformation of eating habits has been identified. An important element of this transformation is the replacement of locally obtained protein by industrialized poultry. This transformation of eating habits occurs differently depending on the market structure, production and commerce. We sought to analyze the Tri-Border region of Brazil-Colombia-Peru from the perspective of the production and trade of poultry. We identified the importance of the city of Tabatinga and the particularities of the other cities, as well as urban interactions, supply flows and the economic relations that occur with the nearby Peruvian and Colombian cities. Using "chicken" as an important variable, this paper discusses the urban network and the frontier dynamics in the western border of the Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Amazon and Amazonas state in particular, can be considered one of the last frontiers of the transition process of alimentary habits. The replacement of the traditional diet for a * supermarket diet* is striking in all regions of the Amazon. In order to analyze the relationship between the transition alimentary habits, health, aging and urban network in the Amazon this article outlines a case study in the city of Tefe, Amazonas State, Brazil. Tefé is characterized as a hub city by IBGE and of territorial responsibility by NEBECAB, which means the city organizes a micro - urban network. It is hypothesized that the shape of the urban network and the relationship of rural production surrounding the cities are key elements to understand the geography of food in the Amazon. Another hypothesis is related to social development policies which resulted in a monetization of economic dynamics. With the universal retirement intensified the transition of the alimentary habits, hence the importance of analyzing how this transition occurs among the elderly , especially women who are traditionally responsible for cooking is important to understand the geography of food in the region. We used data from field research conducted in May 2012 and April 2013, derived from forms that aimed to understand the socio-economic conditions of the elderly and their housing. Data analysis identified that the meal which shows more clearly the transition to the *supermarket diet * is the breakfast and that access to retirement pension makes it possible to buy supermarket products . When comparing the results it can be highlighted that the population of lower income have less or no access to fruits and breakfast is less varied, showing the social and economic injustice implicity in the changes in eating habits, unfortunately common scenario for small cities in the state Amazonas, Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of the relation city-countryside in the Amazonas state can be associated to the seasonality of the river system, specifically the high and low waters. When the river is in its high season, between the months of May and July the low lands are flooded, uniting rivers and lakes. This phenomenon characterized as interfluves turns places that are of difficult access during dry season easily linked and united by the fluvial network. In this sense, the spatial dynamics modifies itself seasonally and the "ribeirinho", traditional inhabitants that lives by the rivers, is mobile living in the city or in the countryside, navigating through the rural-urban networks. This mobility characterizes both rural and urban spacialities making there distinction difficult. In order to analyse this relation the production of açaí in Codajas, state of Amazonas. Analysing the açaí of Codajás will show that the counties of Amazonas state, specially those with small cities can not be understood without the social relationship of production that are constructed in this interfluve city-countryside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The main objective of this study is to investigate diet patterns among rural and urban populations of the Center‐West, Northeast, and Amazon regions of Brazil through the carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of fingernails, recognizing that the extent of market integration is a key driver of food consumption. Materials and methods: In the Center‐West, Northeast, and Amazon regions of Brazil, fingernails were sampled in clusters encompassing a major city, town, and rural village. A total of 2,133 fingernails were analyzed. Fingernails were clipped by donors using fingernail clippers. In the laboratory, samples were cleaned then weighed in small tin capsules before being isotopically analyzed for carbon and nitrogen. Results: The overall mean δ13C and δ15N were −19.7 ± 2.8‰ and 10.6 ± 1.1‰, respectively. In the more remote villages, where access to food markets is more challenging, lower δ13C prevails, suggesting that Brazilian staple foods (rice, beans, and farinha) still dominate. In areas with easier access to food markets, δ13C values were higher, suggesting a change to a diet based on C4 plants, typical of a Brazilian supermarket diet. The variability among inhabitants in the same location expressed by a significant inverse correlation between δ13C and δ15N fingernail values suggested that "market integration" does not affect everyone equally in each community. Discussion and Conclusion: The nutrition transition has not yet reached some remote villages in these regions of Brazil or that the nutrition transition has not yet reached all residents of these remote villages. On the other hand, in several villages there is a considerable adherence to the supermarket diet or that some residents of these villages are already favoring processed food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the relationship between the rubber tappers of the Amazon and the protection of the forests in the face of threats to the environment. Highlights the historical aspects of the category, from the labor exploitation processes in the rubber cycles to the forms of resistance of the Council of Extractive Populations located in the Médio Juruá River, Carauari/AM. The information was based on a bibliographic review and on the narratives of the people from this territory collected through the oral history technique. The analyses were based on Henri Lefebvre's conception about the production of space. Despite the economic boom, the rubber cycles were marked by the exploitation of the labor of rubber tappers and their families. The National Council of Extractive Populations (CNS) emerges as a form of resistance to this problem. Its role is to guarantee access to social rights for forest peoples, accompanying the actions of the State. These individuals acted locally for the consolidation of protected areas, ensuring improved quality of life and income generation. Thus, solidifying a socioenvironmental governance for the promotion of sustainability and socioenvironmental justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the nutritional transition has been encroaching on remote rural areas of developing countries where feeding patterns are shifting from unprocessed foods to industrialized processed goods. Such changes in the Amazon region have been detected, for instance, by comparing the natural carbon (13C:12C) and nitrogen (15N:14N) isotopic ratios of people living in riverine communities with urban dwellers their putative diet. In this study, we considered how landscape variables impacted food consumption by comparing fingernail isotopic ratios of individuals in the rural settlement of Costa do Caldeirão located in the floodplain (várzea) of the Solimões River, and in the rural settlement of Paquequer located in a non-flooded area (terra-firme) near the Madeira River banks. A total of 70 fingernails were sampled for carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis during the low water period and again during the high water period from the same residents of the várzea and terra-firme. The consumption of C4-like resources (e.g., frozen chicken and canned meat) increased in both rural settlements during the high water period when C3-like resources (fish, cassava, rice, beans) are less available due to the flooding of lowland areas, but this difference was more pronounced in the terra-firme. The higher consumption of C4-like resources in the várzea compared to the terra-firme shows how seasonal flooding is a key factor influencing food security and health, due to stark variations in river water levels. While fish and farinha are still important staple foods, differences within rural settlements suggest that, besides seasonal variation and changes in water levels, other factors such as age, origin, and income may be crucial to understanding individual dietary behavior change in line with the nutritional transition model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild meat is critical for the food security and income of millions of people, especially for poor rural households. Its role as a primary source of macronutrients worldwide has been recognized, but there have been few attempts to evaluate the contribution of bushmeat consumption to micronutrient intake. This is so particularly in the context of nutritional transitions induced by modernization and globalization. Here, we calculated the role of bushmeat as a source of micronutrients in the diets of urban and periurban inhabitants within the Tres Fronteras (Peru, Brazil, Colombia) region in the Amazon. We gathered food intake data from 35 households using 3-day 24-h food recalls combined with food weighing. Additionally, we interviewed 105 households on food consumption frequency. Our results indicate that 14.3% of the households consumed bushmeat, which represented approximately 32% of their caloric intake, 72% of consumed protein, and 77% of iron. Typically, households consuming bushmeat presented higher a nutritional status, i.e., lower intake of carbohydrates (-10%) and higher intake of proteins (+46%), iron (+151%), and zinc (+23%), than households not consuming bushmeat. Most of the sampled households did not achieve standard nutritional requirements for calories (94%), fiber, vitamin C, or iron (97%) per adult per day. None of the households achieved the recommended daily intake for calcium. Households consuming bushmeat consumed statistically significantly higher levels of iron, zinc, and vitamin C than households that did not eat bushmeat. The latter consumed an excess of 31% calories from processed foods per adult per day, and lower amounts of iron (-60%) and zinc (-19%). We argue that households not consuming bushmeat are at greater risk of anemia in the short run and other chronic health problems in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bushmeat consumption persists in urban areas in the Neotropics, yet knowledge of its scale and the relative importance of cultural and economic factors in determining consumption and preference remain elusive. Moreover, the roles of cultural beliefs, social norms, and attitudes in driving urban bushmeat consumption are rarely evaluated. Therefore, we explored in this article the factors that influence consumption and preference for bushmeat in Amazonian towns. Given the availability of other sources of animal protein and the cultural and social importance of bushmeat in the region, we hypothesized that cultural attributes should be better predictors than economic factors of bushmeat consumption and preference. Data analysis involved fitting two-level mixed-effects regressions (random intercepts) to a structured sample of 227 individuals (99 households) from four towns in the Brazilian (Tabatinga and Atalaia do Norte) and Colombian (Leticia and Puerto Nariño) Amazon. The results indicate that a third of the interviewees had consumed bushmeat in the past month, which had primarily been harvested by the family or received as a gift rather than obtained through trade. In general, both economic and cultural factors predicted bushmeat consumption and preference, but the objective proxy for culture, individual origin, was unimportant. Among the tested indicators, the strongest predictor was the importance of bushmeat to social relations. Moreover, informal social norms, such as the greater importance attributed to taboos, tended to decrease the average number of wild species that a person would eat, whereas attitudes toward the illegality of hunting were less important. The two economic indicators, increased income and wealth, tended to decrease preference for bushmeat and the likelihood of consumption. Our findings highlight the importance of human beliefs, attitudes, and social norms to the understanding of bushmeat consumption and preference and may contribute to the design of more effective and locally appropriate conservation and management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have intended to quantify urban consumption and trade in Amazonian towns. However, little is still known about the different ways in which bushmeat is made available in urban areas, including commercial and noncommercial flows, and how those flows contribute to link forests to urban livelihoods. In this study we qualitatively describe the structure and functioning of bushmeat flows in terms of species, catchment area, stakeholders involved, and the motivations for their activity in the main towns of the Amazon trifrontier region between Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. We show that bushmeat trade to urban areas exists under an organized but invisible commodity chain providing a source of income to about 195 persons. Bushmeat is made available either directly from the hunter to the urban consumer, at the main market place, or in food stalls and restaurants. On the Colombian border, the trade is totally invisible, whereas in Peru and Brazil, bushmeat is sold in open markets despite regulations. The catchment area comprises the main rivers: up to Caballococha along the Amazon River, along the Atacuary River in Peru, along the Javari River between Peru and Brazil, and along the Loretoyacu and Amacayacu rivers in Colombia and in periurban forests. Although the trade is rather localized (no commercial flows to larger towns), international transborder trade is commonplace, disregarding Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora regulations. Bushmeat clients in urban areas are mainly nonindigenous or mestizos who can afford bushmeat as a luxury meal. Instead, indigenous people in urban areas do not access bushmeat through the market but rather through their social networks with whom they maintain noncommercial flows including immediate exchange and long-term exchange mechanisms. Although bushmeat is no longer consumed as a daily meal among urban and periurban indigenous families, it constitutes what could be called a "festival food," referring to the use of food to express cultural values and origin. These results highlight the need to differentiate bushmeat trade and noncommercial flows of bushmeat in law enforcement activities. Indeed, although bushmeat trade is banned in all three countries, subsistence use is allowed. Bushmeat consumption contributes to urban subsistence when it is obtained as a gift, and this pattern is increasingly characteristic among mobile and multisited indigenous households in urban Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide a synthesis of what regional scientific research networks in less developed regions of the world can do and why they might be relevant for societal decisions and practice. We do so through a focus on three regional science network initiatives that aim to enhance understanding of the multiscalar dynamics of global environmental change (GEC) regionally and globally, namely the Southern Africa Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000), the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA), and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change (IAI). With a view to aiding future efforts at regional research network formation, we assess whether and how these three networks enhanced regional science, and the extent to which they sought and managed to bridge the science-policy gap that challenges GEC science as a whole. Identifying key decisions and attributes bearing on their successes, the analysis attends specifically to how the three networks sought to build capacity, how differences and similarities between them affected their level of autonomy from governments, and how this and other factors influenced their functioning and achievements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Amazonian populations are experiencing dietary changes characteristic of the nutrition transition. However, the degree of change appears to vary between urban and rural settings. To investigate this process, we determined carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in fingernails and dietary intake of Amazonian populations living along a rural to urban continuum along the Solimões River in Brazil. Methods: Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios were analyzed from the fingernails of 431 volunteer subjects living in different settings ranging from rural villages, small towns to urban centers along the Solimões River. Data from 200 dietary intake surveys were also collected using food frequency questionnaires and 24-h recall interviews in an effort to determine qualitative aspects of diet composition. Results: Fingernail δ13C values (mean ± standard deviation) were −23.2 ± 1.3, −20.2 ± 1.5, and −17.4 ± 1.3‰ and δ15N values were 11.8 ± 0.6, 10.4 ± 0.8, and 10.8 ± 0.7‰ for those living in rural villages, small towns, and major cities, respectively. We found a gradual increase in the number of food items derived from C4 plant types (meat and sugar) and the replacement of food items derived from C3 plant types (fish and manioc flour) with increasing size of urban centers. Conclusion: Increasing urbanization in the Brazilian Amazon is associated with a significant change in food habits with processed and industrialized products playing an increasingly important role in the diet and contributing to the nutrition transition in the region. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]