Parcerias em pesquisa no Parque Nacional do Viruá: estratégias para a gestão eficiente e geração de benefícios a partir da biodiversidade

Abstract

Scientific knowledge of the natural heritage in protected areas are essential for reaching conservation goals and may have their benefits optimized if based on a strategic approach. In order to produce knowledge on biodiversity and landscapes of the Virua National Park (PNV), considering its potential as a pole for research and visitation in the Amazon region, we implemented an innovative initiative focused on incorporating partnerships together with a number of research groups and institutions. From two main courses of action, which included both the production of knowledge focused on management by research teams funded by the ARPA Program as also supporting research programs on biodiversity andprofessional training (PPBio, PNADB), Viruá became since 2008 the most researched national park in the Brazilian Amazon, including 154 permits issued from 2007 to 2014. That resulted in the actual Brazilian records on biodiversity in the national protected areas system, including the highest richness of vertebrates (1257) and freshwater fish (500) species, and the third largest richness of bird species (531) in the country. Now, the park has three long-term research programs (PPBio, PNADB and Environmental Studies) and 20 partner institutions, which have resulted in a progressive increase in the information available about
taxonomic groups and environmental processes. The social and economic benefits of these initiatives include
direct income generation for local people (totalizing more than R$ 240.000,00 between 2006 and 2012)
and the use of the park’s support facilities by more than 1300 graduate students in technical and scientific
courses and field practices. These results allowed the classification of the Virua National Park as one of the
ten protected areas with the highest degrees of implementation and management in the Brazilian Amazon, among the 247 evaluated by the Coordinated Audit of TCU in 2013. Thereby, supporting research and
coordinating it with reference teams throughout the country proved to be extremely effective to achieve the
Virua NP consolidation goals