Deforestation, cattle capitalism and neodevelopmentalism in the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, Brazil

Abstract

The recent upsurge of deforestation inside conservation areas requires empirical investigation of the causes and consequences of this alarming process. Local relations between the agents of cattle capitalism, neodevelopmentalism and contemporary deforestation, from politicians and ranchers to the traditional extractive populations of multiple-use conservation areas, are assessed. Whether, when, and how state, market, and cultural institutions support the hegemony of cattle capitalism – and subvert the logic of traditional lived environments – are analyzed. Theoretically, the article shows how moral economic transformations, from rubber tapping to cowboy lifestyles, alongside neodevelopmentalist policies, enable regionally dominant political economies to expand through deforestation.