Throughout the week of November 4 to 8, Beach Park held the 4th Jornada Sustentável, an event focused on environmental education and promoting sustainability. With a diverse program that brought together specialists, students, NGOs and associations dedicated to the environment, the Jornada was a unique opportunity to foster scientific knowledge, exchange [...]
From November 4 to 8, Beach Park held the 4th Sustainable Day, an event focused on environmental education and promoting sustainability. With a diverse program that brought together specialists, students, NGOs and associations dedicated to the environment, the Jornada was a unique opportunity to foster scientific knowledge, exchange ideas and promote the conservation of Brazilian biodiversity.
The week began with an exclusive visit to Arvorar Parka new Beach Park development that will be opening soon. This theme park, which focuses on environmental education and the conservation of Brazilian biodiversity, was developed with the aim of inspiring and sensitizing visitors to the importance of environmental conservation. According to Beach Park's Sustainability Manager, Raíssa Bissol, Arvorar will be a learning and awareness center, enabling people to connect with nature and understand the importance of conserving Brazilian ecosystems.
On the second day of the Conference, the program continued in the Azul do Mar space, with a series of lectures and panels on the theme of "Rehabilitating, Reflooding and Conserving - Present Actions for the Future". With nationally renowned experts, the event brought in-depth discussions on the practices and challenges faced by those on the front line of environmental conservation.
Among the speakers were Neiva Guedes, president of the Blue Macaw Instituterecognized worldwide for her work to preserve the hyacinth macaw and her place in the UN Women Hall of Fame; Vanessa Kanaan, president of the Brazil Fauna Instituteand Marcelo Rheingantz, executive director of Refauna Brasil. Vanessa and Marcelo shared their experiences and talked about the importance of monitoring and community engagement for the success of rehabilitation projects and the reintroduction of species into the wild.
"Without community engagement, no release project is successful," emphasized Vanessa.
During the morning lectures, the Arvorar Call for Proposals was launched, a Beach Park initiative that aims to fund wildlife rehabilitation projects in Ceará. The notice was created to support initiatives that seek to improve rehabilitation and release techniques for wild animals in captivity or that have been deprived of their liberty. With amounts ranging from R$20,000 to R$100,000 per project, the notice aims to strengthen and expand environmental conservation actions in the state of Ceará.
The highlight of the event was the Refauna Arvorar Project, developed by Beach Park in partnership with the NGOs Caatinga Association e Aquasis. This project is dedicated to repopulating endangered birds native to Ceará, such as the Jandaia-verdadeira (Aratinga jandaya) and the Cara-Suja Parakeet (Pyrrhura griseipectus). The manager of Parque Arvorar, Leanne Soares, highlighted the importance and sentimental value of the project, which represents a shared dream of all those involved. "This project is the heart of Arvorar and was conceived with this in mind. We always think we can do more and work on conservation in a broader way," said Leanne.
Another highlight of the day was the round table discussion "Education for conservation", led by Camila Martins, biologist and founder of Em.prática - Consultoria em Projetos Educacionais, and Romana Aguiar, coordinator of Environmental Education at Parque Arvorar. Both emphasized the importance of making environmental education accessible to all audiences and promoting an emotional connection with nature. Camila stressed the need to engage not only researchers, but the entire community, especially children, adults and young people. "It's not enough to talk to ourselves; we have to talk to all audiences. We need to involve children, adults and the community as a whole," said Camila.
For Romana, Arvorar's pedagogical plan is designed to be interdisciplinary and allow diverse audiences to connect with nature. "Inspiring to conserve is Arvorar's mission. When we talk about inspiring, we're talking about something subjective, but conserving is something concrete. In conservation, what is in the field of ideas is materialized for execution," said Romana.
In addition to the local projects, Neiva Guedes, from the Blue Macaw Institute, took part in the event. She recounted her career and the challenges faced in preserving the blue macaw, which in 2014 was removed from the list of endangered species, a historic achievement for conservation. However, Neiva warned of the ongoing risks faced by macaws, such as climate change, fires and a lack of funding.
Vanessa Kanaan and Weber Girão, coordinator of the Soldadinho do Araripe Projectalso presented their experiences with species undergoing rehabilitation, such as purple-breasted parrots and howler monkeys, discussing the challenges of reintroducing animals and the importance of monitoring to ensure the success of the release process. They stressed that without community support, no release project can thrive.
Marcelo Rheingantz brought up the Empty Forest Syndrome and the biodiversity crisis, highlighting Refauna Brasil's efforts to restore ecological interactions by reintroducing vertebrates into remnants of the Atlantic Forest. Marcelo explained that the absence of fauna compromises the forest ecosystem.
"An empty forest is a doomed forest. It may look green, but without seed dispersers, many tree species are doomed to disappear," Marcelo emphasized.
Between November 6th and 8th, the participants went to the Serra das Almas Nature Reservein Crateús, where they were able to get a closer look at the stages of the Refauna Arvorar Project. The reserve, managed by the Caatinga AssociationAssociation, is home to an area of great importance to the project, as it will be the site of the reintroduction of native birds as part of the preservation efforts. The program included a bird-watching walk, the Serra das Almas Bird Walk, giving participants a real immersion in the region's biodiversity.
To celebrate the end of the Day, on Friday (8), students from public schools in Porto das Dunas, in Aquiraz, were invited to visit the Beach Park Compost Y ard and learn about the "Mãos à Horta" project. During the visit, the children and young people learned about organic cultivation, composting, recycling and the importance of healthy and sustainable eating. As well as serving as an educational resource, the garden also provides fresh food for Beach Park employees.
"The activities promote not only environmental education, but also the strengthening of cooperation and social responsibility among the students," says Raíssa Bissol.
The 4th Sustainable Day was held with the support of brands such as Solar Coca-Cola, Love Nuts and Renováre Planejados, which, together with Beach Park, reaffirmed their commitment to responsible social and environmental practices. Raíssa Bissol concluded by emphasizing the Jornada's mission: "Sustainability is possible and accessible to everyone. Together, we can build a greener and more prosperous future."
With this edition of Jornada Sustentável, Beach Park is strengthening its position as a defender of environmental education and the preservation of natural resources. The event is an important step towards inspiring and engaging the community, promoting concrete actions for sustainability and the protection of Brazilian biodiversity.
