I always had a very romantic idea about the Amazon. The Amazon for me was an untouched nature with an immense forest and huge trees. Very much the classic thought of wilderness of Cronon (1995) that we have discussed during our course. Last week, I had a unique chance to experience the center of the Amazon rainforest in Para state for one week. CI organized an internal workshop to strengthen efforts to promote the Amazon restoration program. Is there better motivation to restore the Amazon other than experiencing the rainforest yourself? This workshop was a great opportunity to understand the magnitude of the program being proposed, to know CI members from all over, and to feel how it is to live in the Amazon.

The first field activity we had was to go to the National Forest of Tapajos (FLONA Tapajos). I confess I got a little disappointed in the begging. Instead of giant trees and an impenetrable canopy that I have always imagined, I came across a secondary forest with few large trees and no consistent forest canopy. This forest was historically affected by logging activities from communities that lived in and around the forest. When it became a protected area (PA), these activities did not stop.

Reflecting about my disappointment, I was frustrated that the PA was not “untouched”, not as wild as I expected. What I did not think was that the human interventions were very probably due to necessity. For locals, the forest is their supermarket! It is easy to demark a PA and think that for now on, the forest will be “protected”. On the other side, if you are a local, it is not easy to have your food source taken from you. Our “ideal wilderness” keep excluding people from nature. However, these people were living there long time before the delimitation of the PA and they depend heavily on the land to survive.

As Cronon (1995) smartly pointed out: “The time has come to rethink wilderness.”

My frustration was soon compensated by knowing the wonderful work that a local community is developing inside the FLONA Tapajos and that is combating illegal logging. This local community organized itself and created a cooperative called CONFLONA (“with FLONA”), which, within the regulation of the PA, develops sustainable activities related to wood and non-wood products. Non-Wood practices include collecting honey, seed, fruits, latex, and others. But this cooperative also develops sustainable logging in 1% of the PA in accordance with the PA’s zoning plan. Their logging activities follow many strict rules from the environmental laws in Brazil and also from an international certificate of sustainable logging. The area logged in one year will be logged again 35 years later, allowing time for the forest to recover itself. Moreover, the cooperative is partnering with a local university to monitor the logged areas and make sure the forest will be able to recover its biomass. In addition to providing jobs, the sustainable activities promote health, education, and social assistance to all members of the community once the profits of these activities are shared within the community.

Relating to the previous post I made, I have always thought about sustainable development as the direction we should follow to get out of the dual vision of development or environment. I have always believed in that but I had known in person few examples of sustainable activities that actually worked for both. But, in this trip, I have experienced so many fantastic examples that I have never felt so confident to raise sustainable-use flag. We have so much to learn from these communities!!

After this experience, I am happy to say that the Amazon is not only about an infinite forest, but it is also about people. People like Aldair (Figure 4), a humble “ribeirinho” (person that lives along the river) and beekeeper that depends on healthy wild bees for his livelihood. People like Maria Odila (Figure 3), a strong woman that leads a feminist organization of aquaculture to guarantee food for her community and fight violence against women. And people like Leila, a proud Borari (Indigenous Tribe) and indigenous rights activist. I can see many similarities among these Amazonian people: they are proud of who they are and where they are, they have a permanent smile on their faces, and a strong relationship with nature. We need to rethink wilderness and include people in conservation efforts.

More than anything, I am glad to be part of the CI team. I am impressed by how the vision “people and nature” is strong in CI’s projects and in this restoration program as well. Different from most restoration projects that envision mainly carbon stock, landscape connectivity and biodiversity conservation, very much “nature for nature” or “nature for people” views, CI is innovating encompassing human well-being as a goal. This approach could not align more with my conservation vision.

I am very happy with the Amazon that I met, a less romantic for sure, but much more alive, full of culture, proud and love for nature

About my project:

This experience was great to have a better understanding of everything that is involved in promoting an environmental project such as communication, finance, and logistics. I also had the chance to present my project to CI team, receive feedback on it, and connect with key people that could assist me in developing my project. 

Some of the feedback I received was to check other restoration projects from CI so I can have a better understanding of the things other projects have done regarding methodology.  Another advice was to try to make my method replicable to other areas of restoration in Brazil, and maybe out of Brazil. Also, I received some tips on how to calculate carbon stock.

Reference:

Cronon, William, “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature” in William Cronon, ed., Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature. (1995) New York: W. W. Norton & Co., pp. 69-90.