Territorial dynamics in southern Brazil: dismantling of the rural development policy and the emergence of a territorial policy of biodiversity conservation

Abstract

The article seeks to reflect on the process of dismantling the Brazilian territorial policy focused on rural development and the localized emergence of a territorial policy of biodiversity conservation, considering the context of the Território Rural Litoral and Território Rural Campos de Cima da Serra in southern Brazil. In these territories, the territorialities of rural actors, food and nutritional security, and the management of native ecosystems and sociobiodiversity have stood out as central themes for sustainable rural development. Throughout the process of dismantling the Sustainable Development Program for Rural Territories, in 2016, the ongoing dynamics continued with the constitution and implementation of the National Action Plans for Endangered Species, with a territorial focus, being the first experiences for the constitution of a territorial policy of the biodiversity conservation. This process occurred concomitantly to the decimation of intersectoral and participatory policies, especially those aimed at family farming and traditional peoples and communities. From the analysis of the transition between territorial policies, moving from the sustainable rural development focus to the environmental one, it can be seen that the spaces for social participation, when appropriated by the different actors, dynamize ongoing processes in the territories, which are intrinsically related to historical, territorial, and identity dynamics.