Multi-scale participatory scenario methods and territorial planning in the Brazilian Amazon

•Land-use change scenarios were carried out to evaluate territorial planning processes in traditional communities located in the Brazilian Amazon, a region where are being executed territorial management public policies.•Scenarios were elaborated from participative methods, involving local community leaders from a Brazilian agrarian reform settlement as well as representatives of institutions developing projects in the area.•Participatory scenarios methods were adapted to be applied in the specific rural Brazilian Amazon situation, characterized by land disputes due to unstable landed situation, territorial planning, resources redistribution public policies and identity-challenged populations.

In recent years, discussions regarding scenarios methods for the Brazilian Amazon have been mostly explored from the sole perspective of deforestation concerns. This paper proposes an original approach using participatory scenarios as a method that may be able to put in perspective, at different levels of decision-making, a specific action of territorial planning in Pará State, Brazil. The method allows the dialogue between stakeholder representatives, government organizations and communities involved in that territorial process. The scenarios produced substantial and sometimes contradictory data: while they can be considered as a way of empowerment for the local communities, participatory scenarios also have their limits and may reveal structural forms of authority or domination within the project-promoting institutions and local communities. The information collected allows scientists of various areas (Modeling, Social Sciences), community leaders and managers to elaborate a reflection upon the levers that may condition the implementation of effective actions and public policies in territorial units.