Thursday, 3 December 2009
The end of the forest project: brochure and conference
Hope you enjoyed following this blog!
Janna
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Mamirauá: Conservation, Sustainable Development and Research
Mamirauá was the first Sustainable Development Reserve in Brazil and serves until today as model for other areas in Brazil as well as abroad. Instead of expelling the 12 000 people living in the reserve, as is normally done in natural reserves, where no people are allowed to live, the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institute was created, seeking to combine conservation and research about the biodiversity-rich site, develop ecotourism and sustainable development in a participative way together with the local communities.
The area of 1,124 mio hectars hosts a biodiversity hotspot of floodplain forest, which is the only place in the world where the Uakari monkey and the black-headed squirrel monkey live, the place with the highest density of jaguars and home to other endangered species such as the manatee and the pink river dolphin. The Pirarucu, the biggest fresh water fish in the world, was due to it´s popularity and commercial value on the brink of extinction when the reserve was created and has now become abundant again thanks to a sophisticated fishing management plan. Commercial fisher boats from outside are not allowed in anymore and detailed zoning and timing regulates the local fishing activities. Direct marketing of the fish in Manaus circumvents middlemen and brings reliable high prices to the local communities. At the same time, the system allows for control of the amounts and kinds of fish extracted. A similar system is applied to sustainable small-scale logging. Had the reserve not been created and the Pirarucu been extinct, it´s likely that the unsustainable logging habits which had taken roots before would have accelerated. Scrupulous timber traders had made local people dependent on them by swapping staple food against the logs at exchange rates which threw the local people into constant debts. “Using the forest so that it lasts forever” is the new slogan.
Nowadays, apart from sustainable fishing and logging, ecotourism and the marketing of handicraft provide the major sources of income. The Uakari Ecolodge at the heart of the reserve is co-managed by the locals who also ripe the benefits. One part of it goes directly to the communities involved, another to sustain the system of voluntary local eco-guards. Programmes to improve the sanitary and health situation, especially maternal health, schooling and family agriculture as well as radio communication have further improved the standard of life in the reserve. While most activities are currently confined to the focal area of the reserve where the majority of the people live, outreach to the rest of the area, as well as the recently created neighbouring reserve Amanã are under way.
The Amazon´s Hopes for REDD
It becomes clear that Brazil is faced with a dilemma: as a developing country, it tries to follow the model of industrialized countries and other developing countries to draw heavily on its natural resources, especially the rainforests, in the hope of advancing economically. In addition, many politicians and state officials of all ranks have stakes in the destructive economic activities in the Amazonas. A recent Greenpeace report reveals that cattle ranching is with 80% the most important source of deforestation in the Amazonas. A big share of the meat and leather produced is exported all around the world, including Europe. The Brazilian government plans to double the share of Brazil in the world meat trade even though the country is already the leading exporter. The Federal government holds shares and finances the expansion of the major slaughterhouses in the Amazon. The Federal as well as the States` governments further infrastructure projects in the rainforest which threaten the precious natural heritage.
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Boat trip down the Rio Negro
Life on boat is peaceful, everybody is waiting for our arrival in
On the Way to the Rio Jauperí
Our boat trip to the Xixuau Reserve off Rio Jauperí gives us a first taste of travelling the water ways, the typical means of transport in the Amazonas, if you cannot afford a plane. The landscape around is beautiful, but everything takes much longer than expected. The first hours on the boat are pleasant. After the engine being broken and ours not moving from a spot in sight of Manaus for 24h, we start loosing a bit ourpatience, as we lack clean water as well...However, finally, Plinio, the President of the Reserve and organiser of our trip releases us with a speed boat: only 7 hours, and we reach our destination.
The Xixuau Reserve Fighting against Political Obstacles for its Existence
One of the two model forest projects I´m going to visit in the Brazilian Amazonas, is the Xixuau-Xiparina Reserve, located in the South of the Brazilian state of Roraima. Compared to the project sites I visited in
Only a tiny fraction of the vast reserve consisting of untouched primary forest is under use by the community, about 30h. Exploitation of the natural resources is forbidden, logging only for own-use of the community. Fishing and small-scale farming provide basic food stuff, topped-up by income from activities such as ecotourism and nature documentaries. With the help of donors, a number of projects have been realized which considerably improve the livelihoods of local people. 3 primary schools are operating, a nurse is in training, the health post is well stocked and malaria has practically been eradicated in the area. Communication with the outside world is facilitated by a satellite telephone and internet powered by solar panels. Future projects scheduled to be realized as soon as the legal situation is secured are a secondary school, a forest college, a research center, diversification of economic activities for instance to apiculture (beekeeping) and improving the functioning of the eco-farm.
The nature and wildlife of the reserve are extraordinary and can be explored by canoe or on foot. Small river dolphins and big alligators can be seen swimming in the Xixuau river right in front of the main settlement every day. Giant otters, anacondas and river turtles are further fascinating creatures populating the rivers while the tree tops are full of various species of monkeys and birds.
According to
The enlarged reserve is supposed to form one day part of a long “ecological corridor”, stretching via several other reserves to the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve -my next destination.
Friday, 7 August 2009
Manaus, a modern, Mediterranean city at the heart of the Amazon
After having read the travel account “My Amazon”, I wonder if I had not wrongly chosen my base for the next month. The author Juan Madrid describes
Thiago, young assistant to the only green Member of the Parliament of the State of
The vast green tropical rainforest surrounding the city and stretching over the entire state is to 97% preserved. The contrast to the neighbouring state Pará, where large-scale deforestation is rampant, is according to Thiago not only due to its seclusion. Rather an alternative economic model, not based on the exploitation of natural resources, but on the development of other industries, furthered by a tax-exemption, marks the difference.
At night, the city is probably most pleasant, when a gentle wind takes away the heat of the day, squares and buildings are illuminated and a Mediterranean flair takes over. In front of the newly renovated Palacette Provincial, which hosts 5 interesting exhibitions for free with excellent French- and English-speaking guides, a brass band entertains the public, playing in a romantic pavilion in the midst of a park of water and plants. More people are even attracted by a band playing famous Brazilian folk songs on the large square belonging to the splendid Teatro Amazonas. People dance and enjoy a traditional shrimps dish while the most popular songs are echoed by the entire audience, about 200 voices. It can be felt that this part of the city is safe even at night, and fortunately my hotel is just a stone throw away.