To promote scientific knowledge and the exchange of ideas, with the aim of stimulating the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable management of Brazilian ecosystems, the second day of the 4th Jornada Sustentável Beach Park brought together researchers, biologists, environmental educators and environmental specialists from various regions of the [...] [...]
To promote scientific knowledge and the exchange of ideas, with the aim of stimulating the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable management of Brazilian ecosystems, the second day of the 4th Jornada Sustentável Beach Park brought together researchers, biologists, environmental educators and environmental specialists from various regions of the country, in a series of lectures and panels that addressed the rehabilitation and re-faunation of species native to Ceará and Brazil, as well as highlighting the importance of environmental education and community participation for the protection and proper management of wildlife and biomes.
During the meeting, Beach Park, through Arvorar, the group's new theme park focused on environmental education, research and conservation of Brazilian biodiversity, launched the Call for Proposals to Support Wild Animal Rehoming and Rehabilitation Programs in Ceará, which will include projects aimed at expanding and improving rehabilitation and release techniques for animals in captivity or momentarily deprived of their freedom (due to seizure, injury or other associated reasons) and improving results in the process of releasing animals from Ceará's fauna. The registration period should be announced soon. The call for proposals is intended to provide funding of between R$20,000 and R$100,000 per project.
Beach Park's CEO, Murilo Pascoal, and sustainability manager Raíssa Bissol, opened the event by highlighting the opportunity offered by the Jornada Sustentável program and the projects presented by the participants to inspire real change in order to transform conservation in Ceará and Brazil, as well as emphasizing the commitment to sustainability throughout the group's history, with the different projects, initiatives and partnerships that have helped to pave the way and allowed experience and maturity for the conception of Arvorar.
Among the speakers were professionals of national prominence, who shared successful experiences and innovative practices for the protection of native species and the challenges faced by those working on the front line of combating animal trafficking and tackling the challenges caused by climate change, among others. During the event, important and innovative projects from different regions of the country were presented and shared.
Presented by Leanne Soares, manager of Parque Arvorar, and Fábio Nunes, from the NGO Aquasis, the Refauna Arvorar project, an initiative carried out in partnership with the NGOs Associação Caatinga and Aquasis, which aims to repopulate endangered birds native to Ceará, starting with the Jandaia-verdadeira (Aratinga jandaya) and the Cara-Suja Parakeet (Pyrrhura griseipectus), was one of the highlights. "This project is at the heart of Arvorar and was conceived with this in mind because it was a shared dream. It's in progress, taking its first steps, but it can and should include other species. We always think we can do more and work on conservation more broadly," said Leanne.
Next, speakers Camila Martins, biologist and Founder and consultant at Em.prática - Consultoria em Projetos Educacionais (SP), and Romana Aguiar, Environmental Education coordinator at Parque Arvorar, brought the theme of "Education for conservation" to the discussion. Both stressed the importance of making environmental education accessible to all types of public and promoting an emotional connection with nature in order to effectively raise awareness and engage people in environmental issues.
"It's not enough just to talk to ourselves, it's not enough to talk to the same biologists, veterinarians, zootechnicians. We have to speak to all audiences. We need to talk to the communities in the impacted areas, the reintroduction areas, the rewilding areas. We need to involve researchers, but we also need to involve children, adults, young people, the community as a whole. It's not enough just to know the technical side. That's not all we need to connect people who are going to visit, for example, the Arvorar park on vacation. We need to think about the kind of education needed for these spaces," emphasized Camila.
With this in mind, Romana spoke about Arvorar's pedagogical plan, which was conceived in an interdisciplinary way and includes various elements that allow the public to be connected in different ways. "Inspiring in order to conserve is Arvorar's mission, and when we talk about inspiring, we're talking about something subjective, something you can't touch. But when we talk about conserving, we're talking about something concrete, tangible. By conserving, I can make what is in the realm of ideas materialize for implementation," says the specialist.
Biologist Neiva Guedes, president of the Blue Macaw Institute and a member of UN Women's hall of fame, an arm of the United Nations that promotes women's empowerment and gender equality, spoke about conservation practices and management. She recalled the beginning of her research work in the early 1990s, when the species was disappearing from the wild due to a severe process of defaunation caused by animal trafficking. Amid the challenges of a lack of methods and references to carry out her work, she was a pioneer in organizing projects to preserve this species and, in 2003, founded the Blue Macaw Institute to maintain and encourage the scientific development of research in the area. In December 2014, she achieved the feat of removing the hyacinth macaw from the list of endangered species.
Even so, Neiva warned of the risks that hyacinth macaws are still exposed to, such as climate change, fires and the lack of funding for research. She highlighted the importance of projects like Arvorar. "Brazil is a mega-diverse country and we are losing our biodiversity. May this project motivate other businesspeople to also support conservation projects," said the biologist.
Focusing on the subject of wild animal rehabilitation, Vanessa Kanaan, president of the Fauna Brasil Institute (SC), and Weber Girão, coordinator of the Soldadinho do Araripe project (CE), shared their experiences with species such as purple-breasted parrots, howler monkeys and others. They highlighted the challenges of reintroducing animals into the wild and the importance of studying and improving release areas.
"Introducing a species into the wild means returning it to a place where it is already extinct, where it has already disappeared. In the case of a reintroduction, we need to know if the release area has the necessary resources to receive a new population. The second step is to find animals that meet the behavioral and health criteria for release. Once these animals have been released, we need to understand whether this process has been effective. And for that, we have monitoring, which is one of the most important parts of a release project. And as everyone has already said, without the engagement of the community, of the people, no release project is successful," said Vanessa.
Concluding the series of presentations, Marcelo Rheingantz, executive director of Refauna Brasil (RJ), addressed the Empty Forest Syndrome and the biodiversity crisis. Since 2010, Refauna has been fighting to reverse the empty forest syndrome in Atlantic Forest remnants. To do this, it works to restore the ecological interactions that have been lost through the reintroduction of vertebrates. "We evaluate not only the reintroductions, but also what these species are doing in the environment when they return," he explained.
He said that four out of five tree species depend on animals to disperse their cities. Forests suffering from defaunation therefore lose not only their fauna, but also their flora. "We mustn't fool ourselves. We think everything is fine in a forest full of trees, when we look at satellite images and see the green of the canopy. But inside many of these forests, seeds are rotting, they're not being dispersed and, in the end, the whole forest is doomed. An empty forest is a doomed forest," he emphasized.
The program for the fourth edition of Beach Park's Sustainable Journey continues until November 8, at the Serra das Almas Nature Reserve (RNSA), considered the largest Private Natural Heritage Reserve in Ceará, in Crateús, approximately 400 km from the capital of Ceará. At the site, managed by the Caatinga Association, participants will get to know another stage of the Refauna Arvorar Project, the place where some of the species covered by the project will be reintroduced into their natural habitat, as well as taking part in various other activities aimed at repopulating fauna and preserving endangered species.
They will also take part in a talk about the Cara-suja Parakeet conservation project and the Refauna project and a special edition of "Passarinhar Serra das Almas", a special bird-watching walk that provides a real immersion in the region's biodiversity.
Beach Park's relationship with the Serra das Almas Nature Reserve goes back a long way. For three years, Beach Park has been inventorying and offsetting its carbon emissions. And last year, the Group received the 'Protector of Serra das Almas - Onça Parda category' Seal, from the Caatinga Association, for offsetting its emissions by adopting 20 hectares in the Serra das Almas Nature Reserve.
The event will close on Friday (8) with an educational event aimed at students from the public schools in Porto das Dunas, Aquiraz. They will go to the Beach Park Composting Yard to learn about the Mãos à Horta project. Children and young people will have the opportunity to learn about organic cultivation, composting, recycling and the importance of healthy and sustainable eating. The activities not only promote environmental education, but also strengthen cooperation and social responsibility among the students. Beach Park is supporting the event with the following brands:
"The Sustainable Journey is an opportunity to inspire real change. Sustainability is possible and accessible to everyone, and together we can build a greener and more prosperous future," emphasizes Raíssa Bisol, Beach Park's Sustainability Manager.
