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THE Forever Green Extractive Reserve, in Porto de Moz, Pará, once again received the team from Interelos Institute, who spent 15 days in the field to analyze the baseline data from the açaí Business and Community Development Protocol (PNDC) in the transition area, in addition to carrying out training and starting the field to collect the Protocol's baseline of fish, in the floodplain area.
While the Protocol serves to build agreements and a development plan based on sustainable and promising production chains, the construction of a baseline with social, economic and environmental data from the communities involved reveals crucial information to better understand the local reality, ensuring development strategies based on data and aligned with the reality and needs of families.
The work of cataloging and measuring this data is not just a routine task, it is an instrument that allows us to measure real change in the territory. When our team travels to Resex with the purpose of carrying out this work, it is not just to fill out spreadsheets, but to promote the long-term success of the project. After all, it is this data that identifies the real needs of the community, as well as its potential and bottlenecks, generating more accurate and representative decision-making.
"This initiative is essential to assess real efficiency in terms of achieving reconciliation between the ideals of conservation and development. Despite the continuous contribution of resources and efforts in this direction over decades, systematic and data-based evaluations indicate that the expectation of mutual gain is not always supported by evidence, and it is common for better environmental results to imply lower socioeconomic advances and vice versa ." it says Mayte Benicio Rizek, coordinator of the Territorial Studies and Assessment component of Interelos.
Mayte Rizek on the field during one of the workshops.
Carried out through home visits and the use of mobile applications, the construction of a baseline addresses information on family composition, education and social organization, environmental aspects, productive activities, sources of income, land use and social aspects, services public and housing infrastructure. In addition to supporting decision-making, identifying bottlenecks and opportunities and supporting the measurement of impacts actually achieved, the hiring and training of local interviewers contributes to the retention of knowledge generated and favors the training of local leaders.
In addition to generating income and empowerment opportunities for Resex community members, the use of local interviewers is essential to consider local knowledge in logistical planning and in adapting questions, facilitating understanding and encouraging participation in the initiative.
Mayte Benicio Rizek
"It is a very important initiative for us who deal with major environmental challenges and have few opportunities for income and learning applied to our daily reality.”, says interviewee from the Fish Protocol baseline.
Data collection for the Açaí Protocol took place in October 2023 and covered 62 families from six communities along the Jaurucu River, providing important support for the agreements signed and the organization of a cooperative.
The Fishery Protocol baseline information is being collected in June 2024 and targets 79 families distributed across eight communities in the Resex floodplain area. In addition to supporting the preparation of agreements for the 3rd workshop of the Fish Protocol, the results of the baseline will provide relevant information for actions to capture and license a school tank for tambaqui farming.
According to one of the extractivists interviewed at the New Jerusalem Community, “It is a very important initiative for us who deal with major environmental challenges and have few opportunities for income and learning applied to our daily reality”.
In the end, the preparation of the baseline generates a report with data systematized by community, supporting not only an action plan with value chain development strategies, but also generating valuable information for initiatives linked to education and meeting demands linked to human rights and access to public policies. This report is a fundamental tool to guide future actions and ensure that our initiatives are aligned with the needs and potential of the Resex Verde Para Semper communities.
Photos: Mayte Benicio Rizek
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