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| June 26, 2007
Alcoa and Conservation International Form Partnership to Conserve the Amazon's Biodiversity
Program Will Support Conservation Units in One of the Richest Areas
for Species in the Region Situated Between the Tapajós
and Madeira Rivers
BELEM & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alcoa (NYSE:AA) announced today that its Latin American affiliate Alcoa
Aluminio S.A., Alcoa Foundation and Conservation International
(CI-Brasil) are launching a program to support conservation of the
biodiversity in one of the richest areas for species -- between the Tapajós
and Madeira Rivers, in the West of Pará State
and the East of Amazonas State, Brazil.
This initiative is recognized by the Ministry of Environment, through
the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources
(IBAMA), and by the Secretariat of Environment of the Pará
State Government (SEMA).
The program will be implemented over five years and will receive R$ 2
million (US$1.03 million) from the partner institutions. The aim of the
program is to collaborate on the implementation of conservation units in
the region, a strategy which, according to many studies, is considered
the most efficient in protecting the biodiversity and restricting
deforestation in areas that are socially and economically dynamic.
The initiative is an expansion of a three-year partnership. Since 2004
with the financial support of Alcoa, CI-Brasil has been working in the
Amazon National Park in Itaituba, in Pará. “With
the work we’ve already done in the Park, we’ve
seen that by supporting managers of the conservation units and providing
the community with information, training, and technical and financial
resources, it is possible to change behaviors and, in no time at all,
create a positive movement to conserve the biodiversity in the region.
The success of this experiment led to Conservation International, Alcoa
and the Alcoa Foundation working together to draw up a program that
would also benefit other conservation units in the region,”
explains José Maria Cardoso da Silva,
vice-president of Science for CI-Brasil.
“Alcoa has a commitment to the sustainable use
of natural resources. Through dialogue with the community, promoted
everywhere the company operates, but especially when introducing the
Juruti Mine in Pará, we are sharing in
building a sustainable enterprise that also seeks to conserve
biodiversity. The actual implementation of the conservation units that
will benefit from the Conservation Program is one of the greatest
legacies we can leave for the society of the Amazon,”
states Franklin L. Feder, president of Alcoa Latin America.
In the first phase of the program, five conservation units have been
selected as priorities for investment: the Tapajós-Arapiuns
Hunting and Gathering Reserve, Amazon National Park, Pau Rosa National
Forest, Maués State Forest and the Amaná
National Forest. These units are practically inter-connected and form
the nucleus of a new Biodiversity Corridor in the Amazon that covers
almost 10 million hectares (nearly 25 million acres) and is spread over
the municipalities of Juruti (PA), Maués
(AM), Santarém (PA), Aveiro (PA) and Itaituba
(PA).
Conservation Program– The Program will
be divided into four components. The aim of the first component is to
carry out a diagnosis of the situation of the five conservation units to
identify the priority actions for each of them. A detailed institutional
map will be created to understand the perceptions of local society with
regard to these units and the technical capacity that already exists in
the region for the development of conservation projects.
The second component is to support the implementation of the five
priority conservation units by allocating technical and financial
resources to the unit managers. The managers must submit projects for
evaluation and, if approved, they will receive support from the Program.
The third aspect of the Conservation Program is aimed at training local
individuals and institutions to develop conservation and sustainable
development programs through courses and seminars.
Finally, the fourth component aims to provide technical and financial
support for the individuals and institutions that have been trained in
accordance with the previous component, so that they may develop their
own environmental projects.
“The first and second components of the
Biodiversity Conservation Support Program for the Tapajós-Madeira
region will be developed during 2007, while the others will start in
2008. CI-Brasil and Alcoa will create a support mechanism for
implementation of the conservation units that already exist in this
area. The activities will be carried out by environmental bodies with
the collaboration of local society,” says Maurício
Born, Alcoa’s Health, Safety, Environment and
Sustainability Manager.
Sustainable development– According to
Maurício Mercadante, director of Protected
Areas of the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), the initiative launched
by the two organizations is in line with the directives of the
Government, which is seeking to promote local and regional development
based on the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
“We want to generate wealth, employment and
income by improving the lives of people without destroying the forest,
leaving it standing and as untouched as possible from the ecological
point of view,” says Mercadante.
Mercadante refers to the experiment that brought together Ibama,
CI-Brasil and Alcoa in a project to support the Amazon National Park,
which resulted in the construction of a lookout platform and nature
trails for use by the general public. “With
the passing of the Public Forests Management Law, the National and State
Forests started to offer a real opportunity for the full development of
the region’s forest economy,”
he says. Mercadante underscores that the transformation of this
potential into reality will demand investments in planning, training,
infrastructure, monitoring and other activities, and he believes that
this challenge will only be met if there is a joint and integrated
action between government and society. “The
initiative of Conservation International and the Alcoa Foundation is an
important step in this direction and has the support of the MMA,”
he states.
For his part, Valmir Ortega, Para State Secretary for the Environment,
says, “The Government of the State of Pará
considers this initiative by Conservation International and Alcoa to be
a good example of how the corporate sector and the third sector can join
together with the aim of contributing to the conservation of the
biodiversity of one of the richest places on the planet for various
species. This initiative complements the efforts we are making under the
leadership of State Governor Ana Júlia to
promote the social and economic development of Pará
without this leading to the loss of our extraordinary natural capital.”
Local biodiversity– Among the
biodiversity of species present in the Tapajós-Madeira
region, there are endemic species – found
only in this region – such as the Mãe-de-taoca-arlequim
(Rhegmathorina berlepschi) [harlequin antbird],
an attractive bird found in the undergrowth of the forest that follows
the trails of the formigas-de-correição
[army ants], and
two small primates known as the Sagüi-de-Santarém
(Mico humeralifer) [black and white
tassel-eared marmoset] and the Sagüi-de-Maués
(Mico mauesi) [Maues marmoset].
In addition, there are proven records of populations of species
threatened with extinction, such as the ararajuba (Guaruba guarouba) [golden
conure], the green and yellow parakeet that
depends on extensive stretches of forest for it survival, and the
arara-azul (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) [hyacinth
macaw].
About Conservation International
Conservation International (CI) was founded in 1987 with the aim of
conserving the natural wealth of the planet –
our global biodiversity and showing that human society is capable of
living in harmony with nature. As a global non-governmental
organization, CI operates in more than 40 countries on four continents.
The organization uses a variety of scientific, economic and
environmental tools, in addition to strategies that help in the
identification of alternatives that do not harm the environment.
Conservation International has its headquarters in Belo Horizonte-MG.
Other offices are strategically located in Brasília-DF,
Belém-PA, Campo Grande-MS, Salvador and
Caravelas-BA. For further information about CI’s
programs in Brazil, visit www.conservacao.org
About Alcoa Aluminio
Alcoa Alumínio S.A. is a subsidiary of Alcoa
Inc., the world’s leading company in the
production and transformation of aluminum, which operates in the
aerospace, automotive, packaging, construction, transport and industrial
markets, and has been in Brazil for 42 years. The Company has 123,000
employees in 44 countries and is a member of the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index for the fifth time. Alcoa is one of the
founder-members of the United States Climate Action Partnership (USCAP),
an association of 10 major North American companies and environmental
NGOs, dedicated to working to significantly reduce the emission of
greenhouse gases.
About Alcoa Foundation
Alcoa Foundation is a separately constituted nonprofit U.S. corporate
foundation with assets of approximately $534 million. Its mission is to
actively invest in the quality of life in Alcoa communities worldwide.
Throughout its history, the Foundation has been a source of positive
community change and enhancement, with nearly $437 million invested
since 1952. In 2006, Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation invested a combined
total of $42.3 million in community programs in 32 countries, focusing
on four areas of excellence: conservation and sustainability, global
education and workplace skills, business and community partnerships, and
safe and healthy children and families. Alcoa Foundation manages the
Alcoa employee volunteer programs ACTION and Bravo! For more
information, visit www.alcoa.com,
under Community.
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