thor – ACRAA Brazil

ACRAA Updates

thor — Sat, 06 Apr 2024 16:33:21 +0000

ACRAA Overview and Operational Plan (2024)

The attached document presents and overview of ACRAA along with our operational plan (latest edits August 2024).

ACRAA-Overview-and-Operational-Plan-2024 Download

Rua Everaldo Martins, s/n., Bairro Carauari, Alter do Chão, Santarém-PA. CEP 68109-000

contact@acraabrazil.org

CNPJ: 50161.510/0001-19

Santarém Plateau

thor — Fri, 05 May 2023 16:08:00 +0000

Santarém Plateau Sustainability Project

In early 2023, ACRAA initiated a meaningful partnership with the Munduruku indigenous communities of the Planalto de Santarém region, located south of Santarém city. Our collaborative work began with environmental education initiatives and agroforestry support, responding directly to the communities’ expressed needs during our initial consultations.

2023-2025: Building Foundations Through Education and Action

Our first year of engagement (2023), conducted in coordination with FUNAI [1], focused on:

Donating agroforestry seedlings to multiple communities
Conducting environmental workshops at scattered rural schools
Establishing trust through culturally sensitive dialogue

We maintained this support in 2024 through continued seedling donations. By early 2025, we deepened our commitment by helping the Açaizal community [2] establish a permanent nursery infrastructure:

Constructed a seedling-production facility
Installed specialized sand seed-germination beds
Completed the project during intensive workdays on January 14 & 19, 2025

Future Vision: Integrated Landscape Restoration

Our long-term goals with the Munduruku include:

Developing sustainable agroforestry systems
Restoring critical igarapés (forest creeks) and surrounding lands
Gradually increasing forest and agroforestry coverage
Supporting traditional land management practices

The Urgent Challenges of Planalto de Santarém
The region faces complex environmental and social pressures:

Rapid deforestation: Once heavily forested, now dominated by industrial soy farms
Encroachment issues: Agricultural operations often reach community boundaries
Inadequate protections: Stream and river buffers frequently ignored
Unresolved land rights: Indigenous territorial claims remain in limbo

These factors combine to create severe challenges for Munduruku communities:

Limited land base for economic security
Threatened water quality and access
Erosion of traditional livelihoods

ACRAA’s Stance on Indigenous Rights
We firmly believe:

Indigenous peoples hold ancestral territorial rights
Clean air and water are fundamental human rights
The Brazilian government’s demarcation process must:
- Accelerate resolution of land claims
- Prioritize indigenous perspectives on justice
- Provide meaningful protections

Pathways to Solutions
The current context offers potential for progress:

Growing international scrutiny of Brazilian soy supply chains
Industry’s public commitments to sustainability [3]
Opportunities for dialogue between stakeholders

We remain hopeful that through persistent advocacy and partnership, solutions can be found that:

Respect indigenous rights
Support sustainable livelihoods
Balance economic and environmental needs

This work represents just the beginning of ACRAA’s long-term commitment to standing with the Munduruku people in defense of their lands, waters, and future.

[1] FUNAI: National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples. Santarém office, R. Vinte e Quatro de Outubro, 1915-1711 – Aldeia, Santarém – PA, 68040-010, Brasil.

[2] Commuity of Açaizal – the coordinates of the school here are: -2.638594, -54.511559.

[3] See Agrosoja Brasil website: https://aprosojabrasil.com.br/en/about-us/

GO TO OUR DONATE PAGE TO SEE HOW TO COLLABORATE

MORE GREEN, MORE LIFE

Rua Everaldo Martins, s/n., Bairro Carauari, Alter do Chão, Santarém-PA. CEP 68109-000

contact@acraabrazil.org

CNPJ: 50161.510/0001-19

Ilha do Amor

thor — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 23:58:54 +0000

Our Ecological Restoration work on Ilha do Amor (the Island of Love) is now in its fourth year, standing as a vital initiative for the environmental recovery of this special area. Since its beginning in 2022, we have worked in close partnership with the Borari people, especially Neca Borari, chief of the Borari Indigenous community in Alter do Chão, whose traditional knowledge and dedication have been key to the project’s success.

As of May 2025, we have planted over a thousand trees, a milestone that celebrates not only forest regeneration but also the union of traditional wisdom and environmental conservation. Our goal is to continue expanding this work in the coming years, carrying out annual plantings between November and January, when the river level is at its lowest.

Initially, we prioritized planting Cumandá, a resilient native species, using saplings up to 3 meters tall to ensure greater resistance to the area’s heavy tourist traffic. Over time, we diversified our efforts: today, our nursery grows more than ten native tree species, all sourced from Ilha do Amor itself, safeguarding local biodiversity.

Community Plantings and Collective Participation

Our planting actions are always collaborative events, involving the Borari community, volunteers, and partners.

One of the most memorable moments was during our first planting in 2022, a true celebration of life, featuring traditional Borari music, circular dances, and extensive local media coverage, marking the rebirth of the degraded area. Since then, each planting season has been a celebration:

– Local schools actively participate, like the 5th-grade class from the Borari Municipal School, who joined us in December 2022;

– New partners have joined the project, expanding our impact;

– In 2024, we reached 800 planted trees, and in 2025, we surpassed a thousand saplings, reinforcing our commitment to the forest.

We believe ecological restoration goes beyond planting: it is an act of resistance, education, and reconnection with nature. We remain steadfast in this mission, deeply grateful to everyone who makes this project possible.

To read about our very first planting event on the Ilha do Amor (Feb.2022) – click here.

If you are interested to learn more about the Ilha do Amor and the ecological problems this place is facing – click here.

Remember, to carry out these and other restoration processes we need help from people like you that care. Please see how you can at our Donate page.

[1] ACRAA recognises the Ilha do Amor as part of the traditional territory of the indigenous Borari people of Alter do Chão.

GO TO OUR DONATE PAGE TO SEE HOW TO COLLABORATE

MORE GREEN, MORE LIFE

Rua Everaldo Martins, s/n., Bairro Carauari, Alter do Chão, Santarém-PA. CEP 68109-000

contact@acraabrazil.org

CNPJ: 50161.510/0001-19

Biographies

thor — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 17:27:06 +0000

Professional Biographies ACRAA Management Team

Katiane Araújo Lourido

Degree in Full Licentiate in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Western Pará/UFOPA (2016). Master’s in Environmental Sciences, in the area of concentration of bioprospecting of natural products – UFOPA. Experience in extraction and bioactivity of essential oils. Teaching Science and Biology and environmental education.

Katiane is also the lead instructor and manager of ACRAA’s “ACRAA in the Schools” environmental education program. She is also a founding member and the current President.

Diêgo Figueiredo de Siqueira Simplício

Email: diego@acraabrazil.org

Diêgo Figueiredo is a Brazilian lawyer, holding a Law degree from the University of Triângulo Mineiro (UNITRI, 2012) and registered with the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB/MG) under number 148.062 (2013).

His professional training includes four years of internships across three different institutions: the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Cláudio-MG (civil law), the UNIFENAS Legal Assistance Center in Poços de Caldas-MG (also civil law), and the Public Defender’s Office of Minas Gerais in Uberlândia-MG (criminal executions). During this period, he also completed a complementary course in Introduction to Business Management.

Since then, Diêgo has focused on furthering his expertise in Environmental Law, a key area of his practice. Additionally, he is a founding member of ACRAA and has served on its board of directors since 2020, playing an active role in advancing the association’s initiatives.

B. Thor Smestad (Canadian) B.S.F.[1], M.Sc.[2], P. Ag.[3]

Email: thor@acraabrazil.org

Thor Smestad is a Canadian reforestation and ecosystem-restoration specialist. He began this career in 1981 as a tree planter in the mountains of British Columbia (BC), Canada, and then later, after completing a degree in forest resources management (1994), continued to work in BC as a silvicultural forester. This work involved managing projects related to all aspects of reforestation and forest management on the vast expanses of public lands in British Columbia.

In 1997 he returned to university to complete a Master of Science degree, specializing in soils. His master’s study was located in western Kenya, where he examined the soil fertility changes associated with short-duration agroforestry fallows (Smestad et al., 2002).[4]

Since completing his masters in 2002, Thor has worked throughout western Canada in the field of ecosystem restoration and soil erosion control. For a short period (2012 to 2016) he also operated his own native plant nursery and ecosystem restoration company.[5] Many of the projects completed during this period were in shoreline and riverbank restoration, and he is now known as a specialist in this area in BC. One of the most exciting projects during this period was the ecological restoration of a small peninsula near Nelson, BC. Here, for a three-day period in each of five consecutive years (2011 to 2015), Thor co-led an annual ecological restoration field-school for the local College’s Integrated Environmental Planning Program.[6]

At present he works seasonally (April-Nov.) as a senior ecosystem restoration specialist for an environmental consulting company in western Canada.[7] He spends his winters in the Amazon region of Brazil where he is a founding member of ACRAA.

[1] Bachelor of Science in Forestry. University of British Columbia (Canada). 1994
[2] Master of Science. University of Saskatchewan (Canada), 2002.
[3] Professional Agrologist. BC Institute of Agrologists (British Columbia, Canada).
[4] For published study results see: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1020501627174
[5] Treebear Native Plants. See https://Treebearplants.ca
[6] Selkirk College, Castlegar, BC. https://selkirk.ca/program/iep
[7] Lotic Environmental Services, Cranbrook, BC, Canada. See https://lotic.co/

Katherin Daniela León Pinto

Katherin Daniela León Pinto, born in Lara-Barquisimeto, Venezuela, is 27 years old and has devoted much of her life to working with plants and animals. Her passion for cultivation and land management began at the age of 5, when she learned from her grandfather in Valencia-Carabobo, where her family grew citrus fruits, dairy crops, and bananas. This early exposure laid the foundation for her deep connection to agriculture and nature.

Due to her family’s nomadic lifestyle, Katherin lived in various states across Venezuela, gaining valuable local knowledge about plants and natural medicine from different communities. During this time, she also focused on rescuing and treating animals, often using plant-based home remedies, which further strengthened her bond with the natural world and her expertise in holistic practices. Currently, at ACRAA, Katherin serves as a nursery technician, where she applies her extensive knowledge and skills to cultivate and manage native plants, contributing to ecological restoration and sustainable practices.

Sula Gabrieli Pereire de Oliveira

Sula (Gaby) is a highly skilled nursery worker and medicinal plant specialist, as well as a proud member of the indigenous Maytapu people. Her ancestral roots are tied to the village of Pinhel, located approximately 50 km southwest of Alter do Chão, further up the Tapajós River. Gaby is a nursery technician at ACRAA, where she combines her deep traditional knowledge of plants with modern practices to enhance the diversity and quality of what the organization offers. As a founding member of ACRAA, Gaby has been instrumental in shaping the organization’s mission and initiatives, contributing her expertise and passion for ecological restoration and community empowerment.

Thais Thayane da Silva Beltrão de Farias

Brazilian, born in Recife-PE, on 29.09.1993.

Thais is a technician in Business Administration, graduated from the Special Professional Center (2011). Also a makeup Artist – Embeleze Institute (2014), and eyebrow Designer – Center Take Free courses (2018).

Worked as an administrative and commercial assistant at the Objective Engenharia de Eventos in 2012. Commercial Consultant at the Academia Hi from 2013 to 2014. Receptionist and salesperson at the Academia Santé Club (2014 to 2015).

From 2015 to 2017, she worked in the Amazon region as a cook on tourist boats, leading the fusion of regional food with northeastern food.

Also in 2015, she worked as a bartender and cook at the Mãe Natureza Bar and Restaurant (Alter do Chão) and from 2016 to 2017 at the Alter do Chão Gastronomic Space Restaurant.

In 2019, she returned to work in the Administrative and Product Shipping sector at Ekilibre Amazônia.

Thais currently works as an artisan, cook, and secretary and project coordinator for ACRAA. She is also a founding member of ACRAA.

MORE GREEN, MORE LIFE

Rua Everaldo Martins, s/n., Bairro Carauari, Alter do Chão, Santarém-PA. CEP 68109-000

contact@acraabrazil.org

CNPJ: 50161.510/0001-19

Nursery Beginnings

thor — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 22:33:24 +0000

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 by Diego and Daki – who through the remainder of this year (2020) cared for the first 100 or so Comandá seedlings that resulted – these for use in the future restoration of Alter’s beaches.

The initial nursery area [1] was small, only 20 square meters, and the water used to sustain these plants was obtained through hours arduous manual pumping from an existing artesian well on the property. During this period Daki and Diego also propagated seeds from a number of the regional fruit producing trees, these for use in our future agroforestry and urban afforestation projects. As such the seedlings produced by ACRAA were divided early on into two main categories – 1) trees/plants for ecological restoration/reforestation, and 2) trees/plants for use in agroforestry development.

Thor returned to Alter do Chão in January of 2021 for a three month stay, and with Diego’s and Daki’s help the collection and germination of seeds from from the local beaches continued. This included more Comandá, but also other species. Our inventory of agroforestry trees also continued to grow, with medicinal plants and trees important for timber also included. As a result, during this period the nursery was expaneded again – now to a total area of 70 square meters. A water tower/system with a solar powered pump was also installed during this period. See here.

From April until December 2021 Thor was again in Canada. However our inventory of ecological restoration and agroforestry plants kept growing – both in terms of the numbers of plants & species, and in terms of the size of the stock. By the end of 2021 many of our first Comandá were now up to a meter and a half in height (or more)[2], as were some of the agroforestry trees.

[1] The “nursery area” is defined as that area under shade cloth (50% shade). This protection for fragil young seedlings is essential under the intense tropical sun here.

[2] It is the intent to grow very large stock, up to 2 m+ in height, for planting on Alter’s heavily used beaches.

The initial germination bed was located in this corner. The jungle just behind the broken is where we built the first shade structure (see photos below).

The first makeshift germination bed. But it worked well. One should lay out a geotextile fabric before filling with sand, top prevent bugs from coming in from below to eat your seeds.

First Comandá seeds laid in germination bed, before covering. February 2020.

First comandá seeds sprouting. April 2020.

Comandá seedling lifted for potting. April 2020.

Some of the first Comandá seedlings. April 2020.

The first Comandá in the initail small nursery, already transfered to 20L pots. June 2020.

The ACRAA nursery after the 2021 expansion. The water tower is also seen. June 2021.

2022 Nursery Expansion

Thor returned to Alter do Chão at the end of 2021, and work commenced almost immediately with a second expansion of our nursery – this time bringing the total nursery area to it’s present size of 250 square meters. The area for this expansion had to first be cleared and leveled, this also meaning moving about ten fruit trees planted there two years earlier. This work was completed in early March 2022.

2021 nursery filled to capacity. Feb.26/22.

Diego (left) and Paulo moving a fruit tree. Feb.1/22.

Structure completed. Feb.24/22.

Installing additional water taps. Feb.28/22.

2022 nursery expansion completed. Mar.5/22.

MORE GREEN, MORE LIFE

Rua Everaldo Martins, s/n., Bairro Carauari, Alter do Chão, Santarém-PA. CEP 68109-000

contact@acraabrazil.org

CNPJ: 50161.510/0001-19

ACRAA Volunteers

thor — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 04:44:11 +0000

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 17/22.

Leon working hard again. July 17/22.

Neto (left), Leon and Katiane. July 17/22.

Neto (left), Daki and Leon. July 17/22.

ACRAA nursery today. July 17/22.

Katiane making extra aeration holes in potting bag. Jul 17/22.

Neto, a regular volunteer at ACRAA. July 14/22.

Daki and Neto transplanting seedlings. July 14/22.

This is Leon, a tireless volunteer at ACRAA. Thank you Leon! July 14/22.

Daki lifting germinants from germination bed. June 27/22.

Germinants ready for potting. June 27/22.

Marzio and Katiane placing germinants into pots. June 27/22.

Letícia (UFOPA student) and Katiane (ACRAA's biologist) transplanting seedlings into larger bags. June 19/22.

Daki arranging seedling that have just been transplanted. June 19/22.

Letícia (left), Katiane, and Daki (right). June 19/22.

Daki with Paulo, who has contributed many hours of his time to ACRAA at no charge. May 2022

Diego (right) with Waldier, ACRAA's forester. Waldier volunteers both his time and expertice to ACRAA. May 2022

Marzio (taking photo), our volunteer from Italy, with Daki (center) and Gabi, a local volunteer. May 2022

Letícia (holding camera) with Iolanda (center) and Daki. Letícia and Iolanda are students in biology/environmental sciences at UFOPA and regular volunteers at ACRAA. May 2022

Iolanda transplanting seedling. May 2022

Danisa from Argentina transplanting seedlings. May 2022

Danisa (front left) next to Iolanda. Mica, one of ACRAA's associates and a dedicated volunteer, is piloting the boat. On a seed collection mission to the Ilha do Amor. May 2022

Daki, with Iolanda, Danisa and Mica behind. May 2022

June 2, 2022 Planting

thor — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 17:45:12 +0000

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.

School Ceremony April 20/22

thor — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 17:26:07 +0000

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.

School Nursery Revision – May 2022

thor — Sun, 29 May 2022 19:45:16 +0000

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.

Escola CEMEI Borari

thor — Tue, 10 May 2022 19:15:44 +0000

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.