Amazon Delta mapping shows that local ecological value is organized around relationships, not isolated resource points

Two years of participatory research in a Marajó fishing community mapped 65 places and 73 species tied to material and cultural benefits, showing how wetlands, forests, waterways and knowledge function as one territorial system.

Wild Lands Ecological Intelligence Editor
Wild Lands Institute · 20 September 2026

Evidence: Peer-reviewed
Geography: Jubim, Marajó Archipelago, Amazon Delta, Brazil
System: Amazon Delta floodplain, forest and fishing social–ecological landscape

WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS

A People and Nature study used social cartography, photovoice, workshops, interviews and guided territorial excursions over more than two years with the Jubim community. Participants mapped 65 georeferenced places and documented 73 plant and animal species connected to food, mobility, identity, spiritual practice and other material and relational contributions of nature. Community validation and co-authorship were built into the process.

WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ

The result is a reminder that management units drawn around one resource can miss how people actually use and understand a landscape. Participatory mapping can surface ecological connections and decision-relevant places that conventional biophysical inventories may not capture.

CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY

This is deep, place-based qualitative and participatory research in one community, not a prevalence estimate for the Amazon Delta. Its value is contextual and relational; methods and governance arrangements need to be rebuilt with other communities rather than copied as a universal template.

SOURCE

People and Nature
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