Enhancing social-ecological resilience in indigenous communities: the case of asaí berry harvesting in Carmen Alto

Abstract

Carmen Alto is a remarkable indigenous community, of the Bolivian Amazon, interested in the commercial use of the asaí fruit. The objective of this research is to establish a case study about the community, where this productive activity improves the social and ecological resilience. Two methodological frameworks are applied to achieve this purpose: Resilience Assessment and Success Factors of Commons-based Enterprises. Data were gathered through literature review, direct observation, semi-structured interviews to relevant actors and one validation workshop. An assessment of the Carmen Alto resilience shows that the Amazon forest cover is an important source of productive activities, which means income to the community residents. The forest also provides key ecosystem services to the community, like water table homeostasis and nutrient cycling among others. Some activities that degrade the forest, like the palm heart extraction, seem to intensify the known disturbances: wildfires, drought, increase in temperature and disruption of the rainfall seasonality. Carmen Alto is currently reorganizing its productive matrix, which opens the door to incentivize new activities to use the natural resources. Two very different states have been identified as likely for the future. The first one, when the sustainable use of the asaí fruit replaces the extraction of palm heart, promotes the regeneration and conservation of the forest cover, reducing threats to ecosystem services, providing a more profitable activity for both women and men, and increasing the social and ecological resilience of the system. A second, alternative state, promotes the deforestation and significant land use changes (crops and pastures), affecting negatively the ecosystems services of the forest. The analysis of five status factors (Holistic vision, mission and values; Institutions, governing and managerial structures; Capitals and capacity building; Land and resource tenure; and Informed leadership) shows existing conditions for a successful establishment of a commons-based enterprise that uses asaí fruit. Finally, the information from previous steps was applied to design a stewardship strategy to enhance resilience in the Carmen Alto community.