Environmental education

The Hyacinth Macaw Institute has involved several citizens in its scientific activities, generating knowledge and understanding about the importance of biodiversity conservation. Since the beginning of the research projects, citizens, both in the countryside and in the city, began to contribute to the actions of Hyacinth Macaw Institute, assuming the role of “defensive” agents in environmental protection. Through different actions with different audiences, there are opportunities for learning, personal pleasure, social benefits and satisfaction in contributing to research projects. The opportunities offered by Hyacinth Macaw Institute provide greater public involvement and democratization of science. The sharing of knowledge that the Institute offers is organized in various activities for different audiences and age groups, providing an adequate language for the understanding of the public involved.

With environmental education activities in line with Citizen Science, the involvement of the local community, which started to pay more attention to nature, species and their ecological relationships has increased. Many landowners started to conserve manduvi seedling areas, plant and replant manduvi seedlings and take care of macaws, fauna and nests.

Educational activities with children and young people are carried out in schools, at the Hyacinth Macaw Institute’s Sustainability Center, in organized society and in local communities, in the form of workshops, lectures, theaters, children’s expeditions, among others. Both in rural and urban communities.

With the adult public, citizen science works in communities, Universities, with groups of artisans, with city dwellers, with landowners and rural communities, with observation tourists, businessmen, among many others who may be involved in conservation work.

The dissemination of the results obtained through the media, in addition to educational activities, information is produced for the different media: lectures, radio, newspapers, magazines, Internet, videos, television, participation in fairs and events, among others. There are large productions of publications and disclosures made on hyacinth macaws, blue-and-yellow macaws and other species since the beginning of the projects. The media is also a great partner with constant disclosures in different communication vehicles. As an example, the centimeter of this voluntary media is carried out annually and the values ​​reach more than twenty million reais a year.

Since the beginning of the Project, more than a hundred lectures have been given in different places and regions in Brazil and abroad. Lectures are given in schools, universities and participation in congresses, symposia and events in Brazil and abroad, both for the scientific community and for the community in general. As a tool to raise children’s awareness and for them to learn in a playful way, costumes and games are used.

At the Project’s base, at Caiman, as well as at the Hyacinth Macaw Institute’s Sustainability Center, lectures are given to visiting Brazilian and foreign tourists. In the lectures, technicians provide information and disseminate the results of studies on hyacinth macaws. Every month, an average of 50 to 70 people are attended in 14 to 18 monthly lectures. In disclosures you can see the list of lectures that were given.

Hyacinth Macaw Institute offers students from schools in Campo Grande the possibility of participating in Environmental Education Workshops at the Sustainability Center.

In order to reach a larger audience, participation in fairs and events has proved to be a good strategy, due to the diversity of the public that attend these places. At the fairs, banners are displayed and educational leaflets are distributed, the technicians provide further clarification on the work carried out and the results obtained in the surveys.

From 2004 to 2006, the Hyacinth Macaw Project participated in the FECIR – Ecological, Cultural, Indigenous and Rural Fair of the City of Miranda-MS, an annual fair in celebration of the city’s anniversary. Special activities such as games (puzzle, drawing, assembling and coloring) and games were developed in these spaces for children. In 2006, the Project set up a stand together with other conservation projects, such as Blue-Fronted Parrot, Jaguar and Giant Otter. A drawing contest was launched and more than 300 children participated and at the end of the fair, some outstanding drawings were awarded.

In 2006, at the invitation of Toyota do Brasil, he participated in the Japan Fair held in June in São Paulo and in Espaço Ecologia, held in July in Campos do Jordão. It was the first time that the Project was exhibited outside the Pantanal. The reception was good, it was an unprecedented experience and gave the opportunity to show the Project to people who have not yet had the opportunity to get to know it.

At the end of May 2007, the Hyacinth Macaw Project participated in the II Brazilian Meeting of Bird Watching – AVISTAR 2007, at Parque Vila Lobos, in São Paulo-SP. With its stand, Hyacinth Macaw Institute carried out communication activities and the exhibition of exclusive products of the Project. In an open environment, in a tree in the park, an artificial nest was installed for children to visit, with monitoring and mini-lecture.

In 2015, for the 1st time in Brazil, the 9th International Parrot Symposium was held in Campo Grande-MS, with the theme Brazil: Land of Parrots, which was attended by 100 participants from 14 different countries and 12 Brazilian states. The objective of this event, considering all editions, is to create a forum for the discussion of parrot conservation with the discussion of conservation actions, genetics, health, reintroduction of species from nature and trafficking of these animals. The Symposium is held with the presence of renowned researchers, future researchers dedicated to the subject, students, supporters, donors and conservation organizations around the world.

The intern or volunteer selected to spend a period, at least 03 months, in the Pantanal, with the Hyacinth Macaw Project team must keep in mind that they will be carrying out a job and not a tour or tourism. However, you will have the opportunity to photograph, film and enjoy the landscape, whenever you have free time.

The training consists of learning the techniques of mountaineering and abseiling, which lasts, on average, 5 days. After this training, the intern/volunteer will undergo training that will allow access to natural and/or artificial nests for monitoring nests and chicks. It is important to say that, at all times, the person will need to be attentive to the information given by the responsible biologist and the field assistant, as much information is passed on informally.

In the field, the day usually starts very early (around 5:30 am), as it is necessary to follow and monitor the behavior of the macaws that wake up with the first rays of the sun. The team returns to base for lunch. Field work ends around 5 pm. Which causes great physical fatigue. However, the work does not necessarily end, as there is a lot to be done at the base, as the samples, photos, videos and data collected in the field need to be processed for the proper reports.

The Hyacinth Macaw Institute has involved several citizens in its scientific activities, generating knowledge and understanding about the importance of biodiversity conservation. Since the beginning of the research projects, citizens, both in the countryside and in the city, started to contribute to the actions of the Hyacinth Macaw Institute, assuming a role of “defender” agents in environmental protection. Through the different actions with different audiences, there are opportunities for learning, personal pleasure, social benefits, and satisfaction in contributing to the research projects. The opportunities offered by the Hyacinth Macaw Institute, provide greater public involvement and a democratization of science. The sharing of knowledge that the Institute offers is organized in several activities for different audiences and age groups, providing an adequate language for the understanding of the public involved.

With the environmental education activities going hand in hand with Citizen Science, the involvement of the local community, which started to pay more attention to nature, the species and their ecological relationships, has increased. Many landowners started to conserve manduvi seedling areas, planting and replanting manduvi seedlings, and taking care of the macaws, the fauna, and the nests.

Educational activities for children and teenagers are developed in schools, in the Sustainability Center of the Hyacinth Macaw Institute, in the organized society and local communities, in the form of workshops, lectures, theaters, kid’s expeditions, among others. Both in rural and urban communities.

With the adult public, citizen science works in communities, in universities, with groups of artisans, with city dwellers, with rural landowners and communities, with observation tourists, business people, and many others that can be involved in conservation work.