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MAMIRAUA
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT RESERVE
Ecotourims
Program - Village Visits
-
 The
Objectives
The Mamirauá ecotourism
program was developed as a strategy to help
financing the Mamirauá Project, so
it can continue to promote environmental
protection. It also seeks to provide the
local population with a direct source of
alternative income.
- How
does the local population benefit?
All workforce used by the ecotourism
program in the Reserve is locally resident.
The locals participate in ecotourism activities
rendering services as guides and kitchen
staff, selling agricultural produce, fish
and artcraft.
- Where
are the villages located?
When you visit the Mamirauá Sustainable
Development Reserve, you will have the opportunity
to visit a village located nearby the floating
house where you will be staying. There are
four villages inside the area destined to
the development of the ecotourism program;
together they constitute the Mamirauá
Sector.
- Why
visit the villages?
The idea to offer an opportunity to interact
with the local population was born in two
ways. On one hand the visitors showed a
growing interest in having some contact
with the local population, as well as seeing
the impacts of the Mamirauá Project
on the communities.
On the other side, the residents also wished
to have contact with the tourists, understanding
they would benefit from cultural exchange
and selling of products.
- Locally-made
handicrafts
The main marketable product offered
to the tourists is handicraft. The production
of handicrafts represents more than an economic
activity, it is the result of a cultural
activity produced mainly by women. The sale
of handicrafts provides households with
an additional source of income.
- Different
cultures
The population of the villages
is not aborigine. They are called ribeirinhos,
or ‘river people’, a mix of
Amerindian and European peoples. Their culture
is very different from the urban one, and
it is necessary to pay attention to those
differences.
- Observations
 There
are many advantages that can come from the
interaction between the ecotourist and the
locals, however, there is a series of observations
that have to be borne in mind in order to
avoid possible negative social impact from
these visits.
We ask the visitor to respect the privacy
of local inhabitants in their residencies.
Always remember to ask permission before
taking photos or filming something or someone
that you find interesting.
Avoid taking pictures of children. It is
not enough to have their permission; you
need to ask their parents’ permission
as well.
There are no pre-determined rules, we believe
that common sense can guide the tourist
during the visit. In this way we will be
avoiding possible negative social impacts
as a result of the interaction of such different
cultures.
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