In the fourth edition of the PRODIGY course, Professor Fernando Schmidt from the Federal University of Acre (UFAC) coordinated the course together with colleagues from FU Berlin and RPTU, Germany. After more than twenty classes, students were able to participate in a week of field research in two different communities located in the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve in Acre. The videos shown below are the result of the conversations the students had with the inhabitants of the Chico Mendes RESEX and other experiences they had in the area. We thank the families in the Resex Chico Mendes, who welcomed us and supported us in this project.
The first group focused on the aspirations for the future of people living in the Seringal Floresta in Xapurí (AC) in the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve (RESEX Chico Mendes). In the conversations, the group explored the intergenerational dynamics that build the social fabric of these communities, uniting memory, current transformations and desires for the collective and family future.
The second group focused on the economic characteristics of the RESEX Chico Mendes giving special attention to the productive chains around Non-Timber Forest Products. These products that come from the forests, such as Brazil nut, rubber, açai, among others, sustain life and culture in the Amazon rainforest. The interviews were held in the Seringal Floresta, Xapurí (AC).
The third group focused on the “Trilha Chico Mendes”, a trail initiated by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) in cooperation with the residents of the RESEX Chico Mendes working with agro-extractivism. “Community-based tourism can pave the way for diversifying sources of income, which reduces pressure on natural resources and keeps our Amazon rainforest standing!” Larisse Cruz (Eco Conexão)
The fourth group worked on issues related to the conservation of biodiversity and land use transformations. The students had the opportunity to talk to some residents from the Resex Chico Mendes in the Seringal Porongaba, Epitaciolândia (AC).