Participatory Monitoring of Biodiversity in Amazon Conservation Units

Protected Areas

The community as a key player in biodiversity conservation

The Participatory Biodiversity Monitoring Project in Amazon Conservation Units (MPB) supports the implementation of the National Biodiversity Monitoring Program (Monitora) of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) and is supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, USAID, the ARPA Program and more than 20 local institutions.

Since 2013, the project has been carrying out participatory biodiversity monitoring and promoting socio-environmental involvement to strengthen biodiversity management and conservation in Amazonian protected areas. This process is strategic for understanding and moderating the extent of changes that could lead to the loss of local biodiversity, subsidizing the proper management of natural resources and promoting the maintenance of local communities’ way of life and sustainable income generation. The MPB’s main motivation is to foster social participation as a foundation for understanding and conserving biodiversity.

In order to promote discussion of the results and the application of information to conservation, the Encontro dos Saberes (Meeting of Knowledge) was developed, a social technology which creates spaces for dialog between researchers, biodiversity monitors, managers and community members. In these environments, in which each one presents their experience, with different perspectives on biodiversity, a state of collaboration for nature conservation emerges with the broad involvement of society.

Learn more about the MPB’s knowledge-building strategy and the biodiversity targets monitored in Project Implementation, below.

“Biodiversity monitoring is a tool for bringing people closer to science. As part of our social involvement in biodiversity conservation, our goal is to democratize information and science,” said Cristina Tófoli, the project’s general coordinator.

Since its implementation, around 4,000 people have benefited from the project in 18 conservation units, totaling more than 12 million hectares.

Check out more of this work in the VIDEOS on the IPÊ CHANNEL. Watch!