Doctoral Dissertation Research: Hunting in the Rural Livelihood Systems of Peasant Households in Seringal Sao Salvador, Acre, Brazil

在整个亚马逊地区的热带森林中，狩猎对农民人口很重要，然而，为什么农民家庭狩猎还不是很清楚。过去的研究主要集中在狩猎对野生动物种群的影响，或土著群体的狩猎行为和策略，但对该地区农民群体狩猎的原因知之甚少。本论文的研究将家庭内部和社区农户之间的农民经济理论与亚马逊地区土著群体的狩猎策略和行为文献联系起来。将研究狩猎的社会和象征功能，例如，通过分析当地男性如何利用狩猎使他们的儿子和侄子成为男子汉。该项目将调查家庭组织和决策对农民狩猎策略和行为的影响，并分析家庭间关系对狩猎行为的影响。该项目将调查狩猎如何影响其他以森林为基础的活动和森林资源基础的可持续性。更广泛的影响：这项研究建立在巴西非政府组织PESACRE的工作基础上，该组织自1998年以来一直与研究地点的社区合作。在以“森林政府”著称的阿克里州，这项研究旨在将狩猎在农民家庭和社区农村生计中的重要性与更广泛的森林管理问题联系起来。了解亚马逊地区农民社区生计系统中狩猎和使用野生动物的社会动态，将有助于保护和发展组织、阿克州和整个亚马逊地区的组织努力提供兼顾该地区文化和生物多样性的项目。此外，该项目有助于培养年轻的社会科学家。

Hunting is important to peasant populations throughout the tropical forests in the Amazon region, yet why peasant households hunt is not well understood. Past research has focused on the effects of hunting on wildlife populations, or hunting behavior and strategy by indigenous groups, but little is known about why peasant groups in the region hunt. This dissertation research links theories of the peasant economy within the household and across peasant households in the community with the literature on hunting strategy and behavior by indigenous groups in Amazonia. The social and symbolic functions of hunting will be studied, for example by analyzing how local men use hunting to socialize their sons and nephews into manhood. The project will investigate the influence of household organization and decision-making on peasant hunting strategy and behavior, and analyze the effects of inter-household relationships on hunting practices. The project will investigate how hunting affects other forest based activities and the sustainability of the forest resource base. Broader Impacts: This study builds upon the work of a Brazilian NGO, PESACRE, which has worked with the communities in the research site since 1998. In the state of Acre, an area known for its "forest government", this study aims to link the importance of hunting in the rural livelihoods of peasant households and communities to wider issues of forest management. An understanding of the social dynamics of hunting and the use of wild game in the livelihood systems of peasant communities in Amazonia will help conservation and development organizations and the state of Acre and throughout Amazonia in their attempts to provide projects that account for both the cultural and biological diversity of the region. Further, this project contributes to the education of a young social scientist.