Author Archives: thor

Planalto Santareno Sustainability Project In February of 2023 we commenced what we intend will be our first integrated Sustainability project, this in an area called Planalto Santareno located about 70 km to the east of Alter do Chão. Here, working closely with FUNAI [1], we have formed a partnership with a group of four indigenous communities [2] of the ethnic Munduruku people, each with it’s own small school .  It was in the Planalto Santareno community of Açaizal that we met with members of the various communities for the first time in early February 2023, and then returned later that month to stay two nights to learn and plan. Based these discussions, we all decided a small agroforestry orchard next to the school in Açaizal would be a good place to start, with the school children involved in the planting. This is important as the community identified environmental education as…

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The Ilha do Amor Our Ecological Restoration work on the Ilha do Amor – the Island of love – is into it’s second year now. Throughout this period we have been working very closely with Neca Borari, chief of the indigenous Borari comminity in Alter do Chão – she has been an incredible help and is passionate about this project. [1] Our intent is continue with this work for years to come, planting trees on an annual basis during the period November to January – this when the river level is low. Until now we have planted only one species, this a tree comonly known as Cumandá. All the seedlings we have planted were very large, some 3 meters in height or more. Planting very large stock is seen as important here, due to heavy tourist traffic in this area. We have also successfully propagated the seeds of more than…

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Professional Biographies ACRAA Management Team Diêgo Figueiredo de Siqueira Simplício (Brazilian) Email: contact@acraabrazil.org Diêgo Figueiredo is Brazilian, graduated in Law from the University of Triângulo Mineiro (UNITRI, 2012), and registered with the Brazilian Lawyers Order under number 148.062 MG (2013). Diêgo trained for four years at three different institutions: at the Public Ministry of Claudio-MG (where he worked in the civil area); at the UNIFENAS Legal Assistance Center, in the city of Poços de Caldas-MG (also working in the civil area); and at the Public Defender of the State of Minas Gerais, in the city of Uberlândia-MG (where he worked in the area of ​​criminal executions). During this same period he participated in a complementary course on Introduction to Business Management. As a lawyer, he has been working for nine years emphasizing further studies in the field of Environmental Law. Diego is also a founding member of ACRAA. Katiane Araújo…

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ACRAA Nursery: The Beginning ACRAA was just an idea until, in late 2019 and early 2020, two lots (side-by-side) were purchased by Thor in Alter do Chão. And the first thing we had to do is clear the jungle which has overgrown these properties. The photos below show Diego and Daki helping with this work in early 2020, this was the very beginning. Note also that the photo at the top-left shows where the nursery is now. With a small makeshift germination bed in one corner of the property, the ACRAA nursery began at the same time. This with the germination of the first seeds of a tree species know locally as Comandá. These seeds were collected from trees growing on the beaches of Alter do Chão, including the Ilha do Amor. Thor led this early endevour until he returned to Canada in June 2020, but the work was continued…

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ACRAA Volunteers This page is dedicated to acknowledging and thanking those people that have volunteered their time in ACRAA’s nursery and in assisting in our day-to-day activities. The photos show our volunteers at work, and are presented with the most recent first – click on each to see the full-sized image.  However, not included here are the many other volunteers that have stepped forward and helped at our planting and other events – to these people we say thank you very much as well. Many of these people can be seen in photos on our project pages. A special thanks to Waldeir, ACRAA’s Professional Forester, for organizing students from UFOPA (The Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Santarém), to help us at ACRAA. A big thank you to Daki as well for giving her Sundays to lead our weekly Volunteer Day at ACRAA. Comandá seedling ready to be potted. July…

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Tree Planting at the Escola CEMEI Borari – June 2, 2022 One June 2, 2022 ACRAA associates Diego, Thais and Jaci, along with volunteers Iolanda, ***, *** and *** planted six trees along the road in front of the Escola CEMEI Borari, each fitted with a protective wooden cage. The photos below illustrate this work.

Escola CEMEI Borari – Indigenous Peoples Week Ceremony 2022. April 20, 2022 On April 20, 2022 ACRAA was honoured with a role as part of the annual Indigenous Peoples Week celebration at the Escola CEMEI Borari. This included a wonderful display of indigenous art produced by the children, and small tree planting ceremony which was led by Diego. Music and dancing completed the ceremony. ACRAA associates Andrei and Thais were also in attendance. The photos below illustrate this day. These images show the importance given by the leaders of this school in keeping the Borari tradicions alive.

Nursery Revision at Escola Professor Antônio de Sousa Pedroso Over the period of several days during the month of May of 2022, ACRAA performed a complete revsion of the already existing (but in state of disrepair) plant nursery at the Escola Professor Antônio de Sousa Pedroso. This involved removing the old and badly torn shade cloth, constructing an inclining top (to better shed leaves), installing new shade cloth, and construction of three raised beds. The photos below illustrate this work.

Municipal Center for Indigenous Child Education – Professor Marilda Vasconcelos Soares Borari (Escola CEMEI Borari) The Municipal Center for Indigenous Child Education – Professor Marilda Vasconcelos Soares Borari (Escola CEMEI Borari) is a preschool/kindergarden located in Bairro Novo, a neighborhood of Alter do Chão.    ACRAA Collaboration with this School ACRAA’s first collaboration with the Escola CEMEI Boarari consisted of assiting with the preparations for, and then attending as honoured guests, celebrations at the school marking Indigenous Peoples Week. This event occured on April 20, 2022. See here for details of this ceremony. On June 2, 2022 ACRAA planted a number of trees along the road in front of this school, as a token commemorating World Environment Day (June 5). See here for photos.

Escola Professor Antônio de Sousa Pedroso The Borari school Professor Antônio de Sousa Pedroso (Escola Professor Pedroso) was opened on May 30, 1985, by decree nº 772/85 – DAD. This school is centrally located in the village of Alter do Chão, on Rua Pedro Teixeira, s/n, Tapajós Region, Municipality of Santarém, State of Pará, Brazil. In June 2006, the SEMD coordination communicated to the management of this school that the school would function as indigenous education – as the community has always sought to preserve and maintain it’s Borari cultural identity.  As of 2022 this school is under full Borari coordination. ACRAA Collaboration with this School After initial communications with the management of Escola Professor Pedroso in April 2022, ACRAA’s first collaboration with this school consisted of assiting with the preparations for, and then attending as honoured guests, celebrations at the school marking Indigenous Peoples Week. This event occured on…

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