Amazon Fund

CONTEXTUALIZATION

The Mamirauá and Amanã Sustainable Development Reserves are located in the state of Amazonas and total an area of about 3.5 million hectares of floodable forests and dryland forests.

The Sustainable Development Reserves (SDR) are part of the legal category of conservation units that have as their basic objective to reconcile nature conservation with the sustainable use of part of their natural resources. These reserves house traditional populations whose existence is based on sustainable systems of exploitation of natural resources, developed over generations and adapted to local ecological conditions.

Therefore, because they are classified as SDR, in Mamirauá and Amanã, scientific research is encouraged and the residence of local populations and the use of available natural resources are allowed, provided that they are according to the management plan and the zoning system elaborated for this purpose.

The Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institute (IDSM) shares with the State Secretariat for the Environment (SEMA) of the State of Amazonas the management of these two reserves, where it conducts research and supports the management of natural resources and participatory management. 

The performance of the IDSM in the Mamirauá and Amanã SDRs contributes to the generation of technologies and knowledge on resource management and management of conservation units, collaborating in increasing the effectiveness of these units in the protection and sustainable management of natural resources.

THE PROJECT

The “Mamirauá” project, implemented by IDSM, supported actions of management and participatory management in the Mamirauá and Amanã SDR, with research, development and dissemination of knowledge on the following topics: sustainable agriculture, sustainable timber forest management, sustainable non-timber forest management, environmental education, environmental protection and monitoring.

The actions implemented included the training of individuals for the implementation of agroforestry systems (SAFs), for the practice of sustainable livestock farming and forestry, timber and non-timber management. The project provided technical assistance for the sustainable production and processing of socio-biodiversity products. Environmental education activities and training of voluntary environmental agents were developed, as well as environmental protection missions, as well as field monitoring and satellite-based monitoring of land use changes.

INTERVENTION LOGIC

The project is part of the component "Science, Innovation and Economic Instruments" (4) of the Logical Framework of the Amazon Fund.

Its direct effects were defined as follows: (i) knowledge and technologies aimed at sustainable use in Conservation Units (UCs) of the Amazon Biome produced and disseminated; and  (ii) knowledge and technologies aimed at monitoring and control in Conservation Units (UCs)  of the Amazon Biome produced and disseminated.

By means of actions aimed at generating knowledge and technologies to improve the management of UCs in the Amazon, as well as by supporting the ecologically sustainable exploration, by traditional populations residing in the Mamirauá and Amanã SDRs, of components of the natural ecosystems of these SDRs under a sustainable management regime, the project aimed at contributing to the Amazon Fund's general objective of "reducing deforestation with sustainable development in the Legal Amazon".

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.

ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED

Below are some of the activities carried out by the project. In the agricultural component, aiming to promote productive diversification and the generation of sustainable economic alternatives, eleven areas of SAFs were implemented, which integrate the simultaneous cultivation of agricultural crops and forest species and 60 farmers were trained for the management of these systems. 

Four workshops were held for 33 livestock farmers in order to guide the implementation of Voisin Rational Grazing technology¹ and disseminate agroecological management practices of pasture areas, reducing the need to open new areas for this activity. The project carried out more than 160 technical assistance activities with farmers and livestock farmers in management practices.

Also in the agricultural component, the production of fruit pulps was strengthened, through the acquisition of equipment that was installed in a fruit processing unit (Fruit Pulp House), including freezers for cooling and conditioning of production, as well as training workshops for farmers and the provision of technical advice on this topic.

In the community timber forest management component, technicians and handlers were trained and technical advice was provided for timber management, as well as equipment was acquired and meetings were held for the commercialization of timber production.

Studies on the dynamics of tropical forests were also carried out, with forest inventories and monitoring of the number of individuals and forest species in the Mamirauá SDR, as well as research in Ecology of Germination and Ecological Restoration, aimed at providing information for the construction of germination protocols, seed storage and ecological restoration models, until then nonexistent in this forest typology.

In the non-timber forest management component, four workshops were held on oilseed management, totaling 86 trained individuals. Research aimed at developing local ecological knowledge on the species of andiroba and copaíba, on the productivity of andirobeiras and copaibeiras, and on the commercial aspects of the products of these species.

A solar-powered andiroba oil extraction machine was also installed. Aiming to strengthen the andiroba production chain and product diversification, a candle production machine was acquired with the lees from the mass of andiroba seeds (which is the leftover after oil collection) and a workshop of good production practices and marketing of andiroba products and by-products was held.

In the environmental education component, young people and children were involved in the experimentation activity to recompose forest areas. Training workshops were held with teachers in the Amanã and Mamirauá SDRs and 300 seedlings were planted produced from the playful activities developed in the context of the project.

Activities were also carried out with forest managers, such as meetings, participatory mapping and seed collection. Also in the theme of education and training, workshops were held on various topics, such as natural resource management, income generation, leadership training and strengthening of community organizations. Finally, handbooks and a guide to participatory tools were prepared and published, as well as works related to environmental education.

In the environmental protection component, five inspection missions were carried out, with the participation of public environmental inspection agencies, which mainly covered areas of the Mamirauá, Amanã and surrounding SDR, covering a total of approximately 3,900 km. In these inspection missions, more than 25 tons of illegal fish, about 600 kg of game meat and fifteen whole animals were seized, as well as various equipment and 10 vessels. A total of 438 vessels were inspected and fines were imposed, totaling about R$1.3 million.

Still in the environmental protection component, training workshops for Voluntary Environmental Agents (AAV) were held, with 298 individuals trained as AAVs. With this action, in addition to the environmental education described above, the activities to protect the SDRs have spread in the communities.

In the monitoring component, areas were monitored in the field and by satellite images. By remote sensing, about 6,800 hectares of converted (deforested) areas were identified and mapped. Field monitoring covered 193 hectares, and maps were made identifying the communities that develop agricultural activity.  At the end of the project, a remote and field monitoring system was consolidated that allows the monitoring of the areas used for agricultural activity in SDR Amanã.

Documents and videos were produced by the project, including a bilingual book (Portuguese and English) entitled “Protagonists: conservation reports from the western Amazon”. Part of these documents and videos, including the book mentioned, can be accessed on the page dedicated to this project on the Amazon Fund website², where various information on all projects supported with Amazon Fund resources can be consulted, both projects in progress and completed projects.

¹ Voisin Rational Grazing is a soil-plant-animal management method consisting of direct grazing and grazing rotation. The area is subdivided into pickets that allow cattle to be directed and, with the method, it seeks to maintain the balance between the soil, grass and cattle.
² https://www.fundoamazonia.gov.br/pt/home/
https://www.fundoamazonia.gov.br/pt/projeto/Mamiraua/
https://www.fundoamazonia.gov.br/export/sites/default/pt/.galleries/documentos/acervo-projetos-cartilhas-outros/Mamiraua-Protagonistas.pdf

Indicators of efficacy and effectiveness

The project activities contributed to the results related to the component "Science, Innovation and Economic Instruments" (4) of the Logical Framework of the Amazon Fund.

Below are the results of some of the indicators agreed to monitor the expected direct effects.

• Number of scientific, pedagogical or informative publications (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: not defined   |  Result achieved: 77

• Number of integrating events (seminars and forums) aiming to disseminate the knowledge produced (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: 5   |  Result achieved: 28

• Number of individuals trained as Voluntary Environmental Agents (AAV) effectively using the knowledge acquired (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: 40   |  Result achieved: 298

• Number of environmental education workshops held (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: not defined   |  Result achieved: 73

• Number of individuals participating in environmental education workshops (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: not defined   |  Result achieved: 1,777

• Number of protection missions carried out (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: 20   |  Result achieved: 5

The measurements of the agreed indicators show that all expected values were exceeded, with the exception of the number of protection missions carried out, which were suspended due to safety issues.

Institutional and administrative aspects      

The project established a partnership with the Municipality of Maraã, which supported the initial renovation that was carried out at the Fruit Pulp House so that the site could receive the equipment acquired with project resources.

The Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS) also supported the group of producers in the purchase of some equipment and materials to assist in the processing of production. Finally, there was a partnership with the Institute of Agricultural and Sustainable Forestry Development of the State of Amazonas (IDAM) to support the group of producers of the Fruit Pulp House in the processes of disposal and commercialization of production for the supply of pulps for school feeding in Maraã.

A partnership was established with the Floresta Tropical Institute (IFT) to train the technicians of the Community Forest Management Program and with the Associação do Polo Madeiraireiro e Furnleiro de Manacapuru (Apomam) for the disposal of managed timber production. 

The actions of the project for the training of voluntary environmental agents (AAV) took place in the context of the Voluntary Environmental Agent Program (AAV) of the government of the state of Amazonas. This program aims to involve all individuals, who have the necessary profile, to provide assistance in environmental education activities, monitoring, preservation and conservation of natural resources in state conservation units, as well as in other areas of the state of Amazonas of relevant protection interest and, in particular, those of collective use of natural resources.

Risks and lessons learned

The main unmanageable risks that affected the execution of the project were climate and public safety risks in the region. The region benefited by the project is part of the Amazon basin, which is the basin with the largest volume of fresh water on the planet. Many local communities organize their stocks according to the rivers of the region, using them even for the transport of people and cargo.

In hydrological systems it is normal to alternate between periods of flooding and periods of ebb. However, in 2015, much of the plantation areas supported by the project (fields and agroforestry sites) were flooded by flooding of the region's rivers, which had a higher elevation than in recent previous years.

This fact compromised the agricultural production of families in 2015 and 2016, resulting in delays in the execution of several project activities, including the full operationalization of the Fruit Pulp House, since the supply of fruits for this processing unit was compromised.

In turn, the environmental protection missions were suspended, in view of the risks involved in their continuity. The situation of insecurity in the region is a challenge when planning an activity that seeks to act in the prevention of illicit acts.

Sustainability of results

The participation of the traditional communities involved in the project activities, with the joint definition of objectives and goals that should be realized, strengthened the autonomy of the communities for their management and the continuity of activities after their completion.

Throughout the project, the community members received training for the management and management of the implemented areas and technologies. Their leaders were inserted whenever possible in decision-making spaces and were encouraged to continue the activities, seeking partnerships that went beyond the actions supported by the project.

This materialized, for example, in the case of the group of the Fruit Pulp House, from the community of Boa Esperança, in the Amanã SDR, which in the period strengthened its partnership with IDAM, which is an institution that promotes rural extension actions and technical assistance in Amazonas.

Finally, it is evaluated that the knowledge and new technologies generated and disseminated by the project, aimed at the sustainable use of natural resources and for monitoring and control in UCs in the Amazon, will continue to produce results even after the completion of the project activities.