Federal University of Pará (UFPA) and the Research Development and Support Foundation (Fadesp)
To implement a methodology to help establish economic and environmental zoning on a local scale for the islands surrounding the city of Belém; and to expand the research infrastructure in the Graduate Programme in Water and Fishing Ecology at UFPA
UFPA; the population living on the islands that surround the city of Belém;
and those that carry out public policy in territorial management
State of Pará
The region covered by the proposed research includes the islands close to the city of Belém: Combu, Onças, Mosqueiro and Outeiro. This is where the sweet water (at the southern region of the Guajará Bay and to the right of the Guamá River) meets salt water (to the north of Belém, adjacent to the city of Colares). Among the environments that are part of this region are rivers, steams, forests, plains, basins, marshlands and beaches on the islands.
Traditional fishing is quite common in the state of Pará. Small producers usually fish, but it is often associated to other activities. Resources are explores seasonally, using basic work tools. This activity is quite common among
the populations that live on the water’s edge and on the banks of the rivers and lakes in the interior of the Amazon. On the islands included in this research, most of the population lives on the banks of rivers, mainly surviving off açai and fishing. The region is part of the local economy, above all supplying primary products.
The project in question will apply a multi-criteria analytical methodology based on a Geographical Information System (SIG) on the islands surrounding the city of Belém; specifically, the islands of Combu, Onças, Mosqueiro and Outeiro. Maps will be developed, showing priority areas for environmental conservation and priority areas for sustainable development. In the research, aspects of a biological and socio-economic nature will be assessed.
It is important to mention that collecting, georeferencing and processing biological and socio-economic data will provide detailed information o the local economy, farming skills, reproduction zones and fish feeding habits, among other aspects in the region. Producing maps with this data will provide important information on the region.
Besides this, once research has been concluded, a report will be published on how the methodology used was implemented in the research so as to help similar projects in the Amazon region, mainly in estuary regions.
This project falls within the “scientific and technological development” (4) component of the logical framework of the Amazon Fund. The outcome of this component is to ensure that the scientific, technological and innovative activities contribute to the recovery, conservation and sustainable use in the Amazon biome.
The project had the following outcomes: “produced and disseminated knowledge and technology related to aquatic ecology and fishing aimed at the sustainable use of the Amazon biome” (4.1) and “produced and disseminated socioeconomic, environmental and technological knowledge aimed at regional scale land-use planning in the main islands surrounding the city of Belém (Pará)” (4.3). Achieving these aims involved the project
providing assistance in the land-use planning of the estuary region, reconciling socioeconomic needs to the ecological and biological reality of the islands surrounding the city of Belém (Pará) and generating knowledge related to aquatic ecology and fishing, all aimed at the sustainable use of the Amazon biome. These results should contribute to the landuse planning of these islands and generate income for local populations based on sustainable economic activities, another result being the conservation of biodiversity, including the native vegetation.
Click on the following image to view its objectives tree, that is, how the project's outputs and linked to the expected outcomes and impact.
| Date of approval | 01.17.2012 |
| Date of the contract | 07.17.2012 |
| Date of conclusion | 09.30.2015 | Disbursement period | 30 months (from the date the contract was signed) |
| date | amount | |
|---|---|---|
| 1º disbursements | 11.16.2012 | R$620,525.21 |
| 2º disbursements | 02.17.2014 | R$258,779.35 |
| 3º disbursements | 03.13.2015 | R$258,779.37 |
| Total amount disbursed | R$1,138,083.93 |
Activities conducted until now include training in georeferencing, collection and documentation of data retrieved from the field, as well as map production containing collection locations that were visited and the delimitations of sub-basins of interest.
Meetings were held with the Municipal Secretariat of the Environment in Belém and the director of Protected Areas of the Municipal Secretariat of the Environment (SEMMA); with technicians from the Federal Equity Secretariat (SPU); and with the Public Prosecutors’ Office in the presence of the following institutions: the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), SEMMA in Belém, the Pará State Secretariat of the Environment (SEMA-PA), the State Secretariat of Fishing and Aquaculture (SEPAq), representatives from the fishing colony Z-9, as well as from UFPA.
Once reconnaissance was conducted on the islands of Mosqueiro, Cotijuba, Combu and Onças, and once the selection was complete for the streams to be monitored, collection and processing of biological samples began at the Laboratory for Fishing Biology and Water resource Management at UFPA. This was made possible by IBAMA’s renewal of licenses to collect biological data.
The research was coordinated by the PPGEAP-UFPA team, who worked with other groups from this University to assist the scientific production. The following partnering teams deserve special mention: Geography Course at the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences, Graduate Programme for the Science and the Environment, Coastal Studies Institute, School of Biological Sciences and the Graduate Programme in Environmental Biology, the last two teams were from UFPA’s Braganza campus.
Fifteen researchers were involved in the project’s execution in the region. According to data from 2015, UFPA has 4,865 employees, composed of professors, researchers and other employees, 52% of whom are women. 50% of the total number of individuals performing a coordinating role at the UFPA are women. Also, based on data from 2015, the Brazilian Foundation for Research Support and Development (FADESP), which is the supporting
foundation responsible for the project’s financial management, employs 88 individuals, 56% of which are women, and 73% of the coordinating roles are performed by women too.
The project’s activities contributed towards the results of the “scientific and technological development” (4) component of the logical framework of the Amazon Fund.
“Scientific and Technological Development” Component (4)
Outcome 4.1: “Produced and disseminated knowledge and technology related to aquatic ecology and fishing aimed at the sustainable use of the Amazon biome”
Outcome 4.3: “Produced and disseminated socioeconomic, environmental and technological knowledge aimed at regional scale land-use planning in the main islands surrounding the city of Belém (Pará)”
The project’s main indicators are listed below:
The data collected during the research generated five priority maps concerning the four islands covered by the project. Among other aspects, these maps depicted the distribution of anthropogenic activities on the islands, as well as the identification and size of the degraded areas; the good condition of the islands’ channels or igarapés; and the great environmental importance of these environments for maintaining the aquatic fauna.
The maps developed from the research were presented by the project’s coordination during discussions held by the Pará State Public Ministry regarding the case of the ‘Baía do Sol’ Colony of Fishermen (Mosqueiro island) pertaining to the deployment of closed season insurance (compensation paid to artisanal fisherman forbidden to fish during the period when it is prohibited to fish for certain species).
A booklet, presented in a language understandable to the region’s population, was produced with the objectives of summarizing the results from the studies performed during the project’s execution. The booklet was designed as an educational instrument to disseminate information on environmental preservation to all interested parties. Around 1000 copies of this booklet were distributed.
The project’s team participated in two events to disseminate knowledge from the project, namely: the XXI Brazilian Meeting of Ichthyology (Recife – Pernambuco, 1st to 6th of February, 2015) and the 55th Conference of Estuarine Coastal Sciences Association (London – England, 6th to 9th of September, 2015).
The research resulted in the production of two master’s dissertations, two undergraduate research projects and an article published in a journal, as well as a master’s thesis still being developed. In addition to the knowledge produced, the project contributed to the consolidation of the first master’s and PhD programmes on ecology in the state of Pará, creating qualified human resources for activities in the Amazon region.
Based on the development of new knowledge regarding the social, economic and environmental aspects on the four islands covered by the project, the construction of expanded facilities of the Laboratory of Biological Research and Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management, the dissemination of the acquired knowledge, the first impacts from discussing public policy and academic studies produced as a result of the research, it is possible to conclude that the project achieved its objectives.
The importance of incorporating the support of local actors with the project, such as community agents and association representatives, was the main lesson learned. This support proved to be essential for involving the river community in the research and subsequently disseminating its results. The community agents were responsible for establishing the days and times of the meetings between the river population and the researchers, since they understand the local daily activities, which means that the meetings were well attended. For example, having a close relationship with the local population guaranteed that the meetings were held in places such as the Municipal School on the island of Onças, which is one of the few places on the island that has electrical energy, and the Headquarters of the Colony of Fishermen from the island of Mosqueiro.
The project was helpful in terms of planning and zoning for the islands surrounding the city of Belém in the Amazon estuary, indicating the areas that should be considered priorities for conservation and social development policies. Any future developments that could arise from the research results depend on the knowledge produced by the competent public agencies being properly applied and on the ability to mobilize the local population, who themselves participated in the research and have access to its results.
Additionally, the socioeconomic, environmental and biological knowledge generated by the project can be used in other research in various areas of knowledge, as can the methodology used in the project, which is based on a multi-criteria analysis and can be replicated in similar projects in the Amazon region.
Finally, the Laboratory of Biological Research and Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management at UFPA, which was expanded and equipped for the project, has already been used for several other lines of research by UFPA, while new technological products and processes aimed at the sustainable use of the Amazon biome are expected.
In this area we offer some PDF files with the main publications generated by the project. Click the filename to start the download.
Protected Forest Association (AFP)
Federal University of Pará (UFPA) and the Research Development and Support Foundation (Fadesp)
State of Acre/State of Acre Military Firefighters (CBMAC)
Municipality of Alta Floresta, in the state of Mato Grosso
Water and Land Institute (IAT)
Banco do Brasil Foundation (FBB)
