Biodiversity Conservation Efforts Need Volunteers

Biodiversity Conservation Efforts Need Volunteers
Photo: IPÊ
Book shares best practices from programs developed in the Amazon and other biomes

September, 2022 — Engaging citizens in socioenvironmental conservation efforts is important to expand initiatives to protect the Amazon. The IPÊ Volunteer Program launched a new book under its “Technical Series — Conservation Dialogues” to expand citizen engagement and strengthen good practices.

“Volunteering Good Practices in Protected Areas” is available online (in Portuguese). 

The 135-page publication highlights 29 voluntary initiatives aimed at global sustainability challenges from the perspective of Brazilian biodiversity conservation.

The publication results from two volunteering in conservation units (UCs) events carried out by IPÊ in 2021, with the support of USAID/Brazil and the German Cooperation for Sustainable Development, through GIZ, in addition to 15 other institutional partners. More information is available here. 

The organizer Angela Pellin,  explains that volunteering in UCs is an activity that promotes community engagement and supports the work and goals of managers in these protected areas. The activities include support for visitation, environmental education, research, monitoring, and communication.

“In Brazil, volunteering in conservation units has grown in recent years. At the federal level, IPÊ has worked in partnership with the ICMBio Volunteer Program since 2015 (ICMBio is the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation). Managers' and volunteers' interest in the program has intensified over the years. This occurred after 2016, when IPÊ started to consider volunteering as a management strategy aimed at social engagement in favor of biodiversity conservation,” says Pellin.

According to the book, between 2017 and 2020, there was a 90% increase in the number of areas eligible to receive volunteers, with about 260 registered units. At the end of 2021, the number of people interested in volunteering exceeded 40,000. 

Conservation Dialogues — The “Technical Series — Conservation Dialogues” aims to share experiences and lessons learned related to research and conservation projects developed by IPÊ to expand its dialogue with society.