In 2021, with the support of the LIRA/IPÊ project – Integrated Legacy of the Amazon Region, and a partnership with LinkedIn, the largest professional social network in the world, it was possible to renovate the Maíra I boat and to initiate the Navigating Entrepreneurial Education in the Amazon project.
In a survey carried out by IPÊ, it was found that the Puranga Conquista Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS) located in rural Manaus (Amazonas), which protects almost 100 thousand hectares of Amazon, has about 147 entrepreneurs who work in more than 330 businesses in the territory. This is the largest survey on entrepreneurship that has been conducted in the region. With the exception of fishing and agriculture, which are subsistence activities, most of the 17 communities studied have tourism as a source of income, along with activities that are part of value chains such as handicrafts, lodging, food, trail services, and cultural experiences. All these activities were greatly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and consequently, the economic stability of several families was threatened as well. The state of Amazonas, the epicenter of the pandemic in Brazil, recorded a 66% drop in revenue from the sector, specifically within tourism in protected areas. As a result of the pandemic, tourism, and other value chains associated with it, were severely hindered.
Based on this survey, IPÊ, and its partner LinkedIn, selected 47 projects with potential for growth and development to undergo a new screening. As a result, 21 businesses were guided by volunteer professionals who support entrepreneurs in challenges related to logistics, communication, marketing, infrastructure and accounting. Volunteers supported these actions.
The communities of the Amazon know how to use and manage the biodiversity in their lands through activities such as agriculture, harvesting, raising small animals, fishing and hunting. The families originate from indigenous groups from the upper Rio Negro, as well as migrants, mainly from the northeast region of Brazil. Their work history in different economic cycles of harvesting (cocoa, jute, and rubber) was decisive for the predominance of rural activities linked to agriculture and harvesting.
It is worth mentioning that riverside communities are not fully covered by socioeconomic and environmental policies. Considering the current Brazilian situation with regard to the dismantling of environmental policies, it is necessary to promote strategies aimed at both community-based conservation and preparation for extreme events that will result from the climate crisis. Thus, it is necessary to build innovative and more circular arrangements, adopting strategies that emphasize the importance of a healthy environment as a natural barrier to environmental and climate crises.
To develop the project, IPÊ utilized a boat, the Maíra I, as a fundamental means of transport to reach the riverside communities, since access in the region is exclusively by river. The boat traveled through the lower Rio Negro region to the localities, promoting training, and supporting community organization and educational activities. It can accommodate 16 people in cabins and 10 in hammocks.
The Maíra I was donated to IPÊ by Grupo Martins at the end of 2003. This business group, based in Uberlândia (MG), operates in the wholesale market. In addition to its business objectives, Grupo Martins supports socio-environmental conservation projects in several regions of Brazil.
*Translated by Erica Ursich and Karl Bellerjeau
General Coordination
Team
Nailza Porto - Tourismologist, Msc.Management of Protected Areas
Executive Coordination
Fernanda Freda - Zootechnician, Msc.Freshwater Biology
Technical Assistance
Rebeca Sena - Social Scientist
