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Amazon: Indigenous peoples catalog species to protect biodiversity

An initiative that combines ancestral indigenous knowledge with academic science is compiling an inventory of species found in the Panará indigenous territory in the Amazon. Nearly 15,000 specimens of regional flora and fauna have already been recorded across 500,000 hectares along the border between the states of Pará and Mato Grosso. The project is led by Conservation International (CI-Brazil) in partnership with the Xingu+ Network, the Iakiô Indigenous Association, public universities, and other civil society organizations. It is part of a biodiversity conservation strategy in a region under pressure from illegal mining and other illicit activities. Notícias relacionadas:Petrobras reports oil discovery at mouth of Amazon river.Brazil ratifies High Seas Treaty on ocean biodiversity.Alarming levels of mercury found in indigenous people of North Brazil.Indigenous researchers and university scholars work together on trails throughout the territory to collect images and samples of species and water from the Rriri River - a tributary of the Xingu that flows through the indigenous territory - and to add data to the inventory. “It was great to work alongside non-indigenous researchers. We taught each other,” says researcher Kiarysy Kaiabi Panará, known as Cutia. According to Renata Pinheiro, director of CI-Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities program, academics contribute technical expertise in cataloging tools, while indigenous researchers possess in-depth knowledge of the territory. “The Panará know how to read the forest in a way that no scientific instrument can replace. They know what each animal eats and how it moves, and this knowledge directly informs the science we build together,” she notes. Technology To collect data, the indigenous researchers received training in using tools such as GPS, a species cataloging app, and camera traps, which are triggered by movement or the heat emitted by approaching animals. According to researcher Pentê Panará, the work went beyond technological knowledge. It also made it possible to identify species that are difficult to spot without sensor-equipped cameras. “When the cameras recorded images of the furry animals, we were able to identify more species than we were aware of. After that, I was also very happy to experience this aspect of the research involving technology,” says Panará. Selected by members of the Panará Sõnkârãsãn village where she lives, the researcher considers women’s participation in the team that conducted the study important. “Every time I came back from my research work, the other women would ask me what we were doing and what it was like to work with this aspect of technology. I think other Panará women would also like to participate,” she says. Discovery Of the 602 species of plants, animals, and insects, 27 are critically endangered. One tree is also being analyzed as a potential scientific discovery, even though it has long been known to the Panará people. Called “Já” by the Panará, the tree is one of the marked specimens from which the research team collected images and samples during one of its expeditions. According to Renata Pinheiro, the discovery has not yet been confirmed or reviewed by botanists because it is recent, and sample collection is not yet complete. “We still need to collect samples from this specimen again during the flowering season to conduct this analysis,” she explains. Data According to the director, the work was interrupted due to a lack of resources for another round of expeditions, but the program is expected to resume so that the inventory can be completed. For indigenous researcher Pentê Panará, there is still much to be revealed. “During this research, every time we walked through the forest, we found traces of other animals. You can even tell the paths they take. To me, there are still many more out there.”