Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Buffalo under Threat in Amazon Valley, Brazil

2013; Volume: 32; Linguagem: Inglês

0125-6726

W. G. Vale, Antônio Humberto Hamad Minervino, Kedson Alessandri Lobo Neves, Adriana Caroprezo Morini, Jaime A. S. Coelho,

Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock

Since 1986 after a visit to Brazil, the eminent scientist and FAO expert Prof. Dr. William Ross Cockrill considered the Brazilian Amazon Valley as the “buffalo paradise” due the utilization by grazing buffalo of a profitable off-take from the land. In the regions of lower and middle Amazon River due tropical environmental condition of the grassland soils, the flood plains are closely related water level of the rivers, which show a five meters difference between the driest season (November and December) and fuller (May and June). Thus in western Para region where the flood period coincides with the most intense rainy season and less rainy with the ebb of the rivers many small ponds and lagoons are seasonally formed which give a natural excellent conditions for livestock, that is highlighted by abundance of native forage with high nutritive value. At the time of full, pastures are flooded, making grazing possible only for buffalo species that moreover causes weight loss and even death of other animal species, especially cattle. The current development process in the floodplains areas in western Para region is leading to progressive degradation of ecosystems. The large livestock animals, cattle and buffaloes represent one of the most important socio-economic activities of small and medium producers. However, many factors have threatened the buffalo breeding in this region and generated controversy about the viability of this important economic sector in the region, and case any social measures and advanced breeding techniques are not taken into the problem, buffaloes will tend to disappear from the regional scenario. The disorderly occupation of these areas and the lack of economic alternatives for the riparian justify the intense exploitation of natural resources because they depend for survival. From 1975 to 2000, the buffalo population in Brazil has increased by about 13% per year, making it one of the fastest growing in the world flocks, however at the regional level since 2000 when the population reached about 200 thousand heads began a decline of buffalo herd, which now came in 2012 to less than 110 thousand heads. Although buffaloes showed higher productive and reproductive performances when compared to cattle, on the other hand this fact is mitigated by the unclear role that buffalo seems to plays in a floodplain controversy conflict where it has being accused of altering the floodplain environment and interfering with other productive activities such as fishing and agriculture. In this paper it is discussed the main causes and actors involved in that conflict which were classified as social like the land question, farmers, smallholders and riverside communities, religious groups,