Deforestation Before Deforestation: Latexes, Forest Production Trails, and Firewood for Steam Ships - Invisible and Forgotten, But not Insubstantial Impacts of the Rubber Boom

• In Event: Forests, Communities, and States: Ecological and Political Challenges in Latin American Environmental History

Abstract

While much attention is devoted to reviewing and monitoring deforestation dynamics in the present day, there was substantial deforestation during the rubber boom. It was associated with the expanded use of steam travel on the rivers, which rivaled the Mississippi and its volume. It was also reflected in the expansion of terrestrial trails between various holdings and waterways that could very well have been built on pre-Columbian systems as well as novel areas. These were known as varadouros. In addition, the trails that were necessary to access different rubber trees within a collection circuit required opening new areas and maintaining these trails. Finally, the extraction of latex from Castilla, an important latex-producing tree characteristic of the upper Amazon and north of the main channel of the Maranon, required destroying the tree in order to extract the latex. Using transportation data, export data, and a variety of other sources including those of specific seringais, we document a significant deforestation pulse.

Author

• Susanna Hecht, University of California, Los Angeles