We selected from a diversity of lives and experiences of the Amazonian floodplain forest in the Mamirauá Reserve some of the classic and different beings that inhabit the region and that you can get to know through the experiences of the Uakari Lodge!
Created in April 1999, the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institute is one of the centers of excellence of our Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, the only one operating in the interior of the state of Amazonas. Since 1998, the Mamirauá Institute helps local communities on the provision of tourist services at the Uakari Lodge, which has gained visibility in the national and international tourist scene, making its contribution to the segment and favoring the promotion of sustainability actions in the region.
In the Mamirauá Reserve, the largest forest reserve in Brazil dedicated exclusively to the protection of the Amazon floodplain, it has more than 300 cataloged species of fish, including ornamental ones, and also about 400 species of birds and at least 45 species of mammals, which it is 7 to 15 meters underwater for six months of the year - often called “cheia” (full).
In the immensity of this forest it is possible to see a diversity of lives and experiences! In this article we selected between the classics and different beings that inhabit the forest.
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Jaguar (Panthera onca)
Its popularity is super understandable! The largest cat in the Americas, an emblematic species of the Brazilian forests, is at the top of the food chain. It is a robust animal, with great muscular strength, and the power of its bite is considered the greatest among cats in the world.
This feline needs large preserved areas to survive, and its occurrence in a region is an indicator that it still offers good conditions that allow its survival. An indicator of environmental quality is being able to find it among forests such as the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest, even in open environments such as the Pantanal and the Cerrado.
The growing environmental changes caused by man, such as the destruction of habitats for agribusiness or even the lobby of the real estate market, which pushes this and other animals closer to cities, brings as a consequence to predatory hunting, mainly due to the alleged economic damage caused to the creation of domesticated animals cause populations to be severely reduced.
Reducing these threats is critical to ensuring the jaguar's survival and the integrity of ecosystems.
Mutum Piurí (Crax globulosa)
The Mutum-piuri is a bird already known by the residents of some rivers in the Amazon, as this species is strongly linked to the várzea forest (seasonally flooded) in the Amazon basin.
They measure between 82 and 89 cm in length and only the male has a large red caruncle at the base of the maxilla, two lobes at the base of the mandible and the male is black with a white belly. The female has a red cere and a brown belly.
His song is unrecognizable: a “pioooo”, which lasts from four to six seconds.
It is currently rare throughout its range and is very sensitive to hunting and deforestation.
Jaquiri Indigenous Land, area inhabited by the Kambeba
The Kambeba – also known as Omágua (meaning the people of the waters), mainly in Peru – due to violence and discrimination against non-indigenous fronts in the region since the mid-eighteenth century, configure one of the cases of groups that, in the Brazilian Amazon , ceased to identify themselves as indigenous.
A constant in the chronicles of the 16th and 17th centuries is the image of the Kambeba as a people that had a social organization and culture that was “more developed” than most indigenous groups in the region.
Today the Kambeba, in Brazilian territory, are located in five villages: four in the middle Solimões region and one in the lower Negro river.
The Jaquiri Indigenous Land had its area visited for the first time by Funai in 1974, is located in the municipality of Maraã, close to the cities of Alvarães and Tefé. Despite resisting, they went through a process of oblivion during the last centuries due to the colonization of the region.
Joining efforts in this regard, the Mamirauá Institute's Community Based Tourism Program held a meeting with residents of the Jaquiri community, to move forward with the preparation of a visitation plan, from which the community will be able to receive interested tourists. in knowing the way of life and traditions of the Kambeba ethnic group.
In the article “Elos com a terra” we tell a little about the cosmovision of this indigenous group with nature and health. For the Kambeba, health is not falling ill, but a daily practice of relating to all beings that permeate the earth.
Foto: Gui Gomes.
Handicrafts of the Ribeirinhos (riverside)
Among the activities developed by Uakari Lodge, the experience of getting to know the riverside communities - in particular, the four of the eight most involved with the inn: Vila de São José, Caburini, Boca do Mamirauá and Vila Alencar - is interesting to understand the multiplicity of experiences.
The riverside community Caburini is located on the banks of the Solimões River, the riverside community has existed for more than seventy years in the place, made up of indigenous people from the region and also of northeasterners who migrated during the rubber period.
People from the community develop handicrafts with seeds, fiber, clay and wood, the visit of tourists to the community promotes the appreciation of history and local culture and the profits obtained through the sale of products are reverted to community projects such as construction and improvement in the school and local homes.
Uakari Lodge
Also known as a floating inn, Uakari Lodge is managed by the riverside communities in the region and with the help of the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, financially returning the riverside people and the communities, acting as a laboratory for community-based tourism and ecotourism activities, as well as a source of income for the communities.
Those that are among the forests in Mamirauá that we mentioned earlier - and others - you can get to know through the experiences of Uakari!
With more details, here you can check out all the possibilities of experiencing the Amazon with Uakari Lodge!
We waiting for you :)