Biodiversity monitoring data collection begins at Cabo Orange

Cabo Orange National Park, in the state of Amapá, boasts a total area of about 657,000 hectares and a diversity of biomes, including mangroves and plains at the mouth of the Oiapoque River. In this Conservation Unit (UC, in the Portuguese acronym) a number of species are protected, including the giant anteater, the spotted jaguar and the manatee. The first data collection round of the year took place from July 1st to 15th. It focused on fruit-feeding butterflies, medium-sized mammals and game birds.  

This activity is part of a Participatory Biodiversity Monitoring (PBM) project supported by the PCAB, and aims to inform the UC management team about the state of biodiversity conservation at the site. It has been developed by ICMBio in partnership with the IPÊ (Ecological Research Institute) under the MONITORA program, which monitors biodiversity in Conservation Units. A total of eight people participated in the activities, including three monitors from the Vila Velha do Cassiporé community, three from the Vila de Cunani community, the UC focal point and the local IPÊ researcher, Laís Fernandes. 

“The data collection stage lasted two weeks because it covered three trails that are very far from each other, and the journey takes time, even with two teams. The trails were selected to provide a good sample of the National Park, which does not have so much forest cover," explained Fernandes. “We managed to see some local fauna, like a deer family, which was pretty cool.”

Continuous Training of Monitors

After the data collection exercise, Fernandes traveled to the Tumucumaque Mountains National Park, also in Amapá, to attend the 4th Integrated Biodiversity Training Course for the Tumucumaque Mountains and Cabo Orange National Parks, the Cajari Extractive Reserve, the Jari and Maracá-jipioca Ecological Stations. These Conservation Units are part of the group of Brazilian Amazon Border National Parks.

The objective of the course was to train 17 new local UC Monitors. They learned how to collect data according to the guidelines established for Medium and Large Mammals and Game Birds, Fruit-Feeding Butterflies and Woody Plants. The course also taught them the basic principles of Safety and Emergency Actions in the Field.