Meeting with FLONA residents and dissemination of project results

On January 20, 2017, the residents of the National Forest of Amapa (FLONA) and surroundings and several research institutions and inspection agencies were gathered at the ICMBio base in FLONA.

The 'Where is my turtle?' Project funded by USAID with the ICMBio analysts at FLONA provided all the logistics for the meeting.

Local residents received support to move their homes to the ICMBio base (Figure 1).

Figure 1 - Riba, a pilot hired by ICMBio helping to take the riverine residents from their homes to the meeting place at the ICMBio base.

The number of participants in the meeting broke the record. There were 79 adults (the children who accompanied the adults were not counted) (Figure 2).

Figure 2 - A public record of resident residents was present at the meeting on January 20, 2017.

Representatives from 10 institutions (UNIFAP, Bom Sucesso Association, Environmental Policing Battalion, ICMBio, Porto Grande City Hall (Deputy Mayor and Aldermen), Municipal Secretary of Endemics Diseases of Porto Grande, Municipal Secretary of Education of Porto Grande, and Municipal Health Secretary of Porto Grande, SEMA-AP, and UNB) were present.

Residents, together with representatives of institutions, discussed situations related to health, education, and biodiversity conservation (Figure 3).

Figure 3 - Riparian residents were present at the meeting discussing issues related to health, education and biodiversity conservation.

Researchers Darren Norris and Fernanda Michalski presented the partial results of the “Where is my turtle?" Project. They emphasized that the contribution and partnership of the residents is essential for the tracajás and the environment conservation (Figure 4).

Figure 4 - Darren Norris and Fernanda Michalski presenting results from the project "Where is my turtle?" to the riverside community.

Cremilson Marques, who is a field assistant for the project and a riparian resident, participated in the presentation along with the researchers, highlighting the problem related to the waste presence that was found on the beaches with nests of tracajás (Figure 5).

 Figure 5 - Cremilson Marques, field assistant of the research project highlighting the problem of waste found on the beaches where the nesting of the tracajás occurs.

In the end, the researchers presented the next steps and activities of the project to the residents and answered the questions and doubts they had about the project (Figure 6).

Figure 6 - Presentation of the next steps and activities of the project and answers to the doubts of the riverside residents.

The researchers found it a fantastic experience to present the partial results of the project to a public as important as the residents of FLONA and surroundings. They were also surprised and pleased with the high number of people interested.