Paper short abstract:

This article examines whether and how local people in two Amazonian cities, Manaus and Novo Airão, perceive the Brazilian Amazon as a global natural resource, essential for human and environmental security and what are the consequences for being local in this global natural resource.

Paper long abstract:

This article examines whether and how local people in two Amazonian cities, Manaus and Novo Airão, perceive the Brazilian Amazon as a "global natural resource", essential for human and environmental security. It begins by providing an insight into the main points analysed by the existing literature, which for the most part view the concept of the Brazilian Amazon as a part of the "global commons" from an "etic" (culture-generic) perspective. In contrast, by using an "emic" (culture-specific) approach, based on a combination of 67 in-depth interviews and participant observation, the article examines the differences and similarities in viewpoint of local people in the Amazonas region, and analyses their perceptions in light of the existing literature. The findings reveal that global international demands tend to be adopted by national governments in the Global South without any adaptation to local needs, resulting in serious consequences to local human and environmental security. As a result, the article suggests that the concept of "interconnected geographies of care" would provide a better approach to the global challenges the Brazilian Amazon faces and help reveal the steps the Brazilian government needs to take to meet these challenges.