MAMIRAUÁ ECOLOGICAL STATION INTEGRATED CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT


(Project BR0043)


T


he Mamirauá Ecological Station is the only protected area in the Brazilian Amazon consisting entirely of seasonally flooded forests known as várzea or whitewater floodplains - one of the world's most threatened habitats. Although the Amazon basin contains the largest continuous stretch of rainforest on earth, as little as two per cent of Brazilian Amazonia is covered by flooded forests (including igapó or blackwater floodplains as well).


The Mamirauá flooded forests are inundated for up to six months a year. Biological diversity is high and many species, such as the threatened "uakari" monkey and the recently­discovered blackish squirrel monkey, are found nowhere else on earth. It has a wide variety of birds including the Amazonian umbrella bird and many aquatic animals such as pink dolphins and manatees.


Unfortunately flooded forest habitats are also among the most vulnerable in Amazonia because of their sediment­rich soils, productive fisheries, and accessibility to timber. The ecological station is no exception. Local communities living in and around the reserve exploit natural resources (mainly fisheries and timber and, to a lesser extent, game) and are involved in small­scale agricultural development. However, the main threat comes from large­scale logging activities and commercial fisheries from Manaus.


In an effort to conserve Amazonian várzea flooded forest, WWF is supporting this project by involving some 2,000 park residents in sustainable resource use planning to ensure that fish and timber are not overexploited and that the living standards of these communities improve.


Sustainable resource use may be a new name but it is not a new concept for park residents aware that their livelihood depends on the continued availability of natural resources. Over the past decade a sustainable fishing scheme has been put in place following encouragement from the local church. The scheme involves designating some lakes as no­fishing areas and identifying "controlled­use" lakes in order to replenish stocks depleted by over­fishing.


The project is building on community participation by involving them in planning the reserve's future. The aim is to implement a 200,000 hectare initial focal area divided into three zones: fully protected areas, buffer zones for subsistence use and areas of permanent settlement.


Information on natural resource use - crucial for zoning and planning sustainable resource use - will also be used to help boost income and improve community health, nutrition, and education. Efforts are also being made to include environmental education in the school curriculum through teacher­training courses and the production of relevant teaching materials.




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