Instituto Fronteiras

Flowing through the heart of the Amazon rainforest, the Juruá River’s floodplains and oxbow lakes form one of the most biodiverse freshwater ecosystems on Earth, sustaining a huge array of life. It is here that Instituto Fronteiras supports Indigenous and local communities living with this river basin in the Western Amazon to manage their territories and protect piracuru populations within them. 

The piracuru population in the area, and therefore the Indigenous and local people’s food supply, are largely threatened by non-community members fishing their lakes and the subsequent population drop. To combat this, Instituto Fronteiras has conducted population counts across multiple communities’ lakes, taken photographs, and created georeferenced maps. 

People from Instituto Fronteiras and a local community. © Instituto Fronteiras.

The team also works to help the communities conserving the piracuru, installing satellite internet stations, providing support during extreme weather such as droughts and floods, and researching the socio-economic status of the villages. They are currently running environmental education programmes with children and young people from these communities, teaching them about the importance of these lakes and the species that live within them. 

It is through the enlisting of community members as local conservation managers that local knowledge systems and community involvement are centred in the organisation’s approach to freshwater biodiversity conservation. Instituto Fronteiras works to promote greater community engagement in conversations affecting the way of life of people in the region, ensuring their voices contribute to decisions and solutions, while advocating for change at the policy level and for social and environmental justice. 

Guided by local participation, Instituto Fronteiras approaches freshwater biodiversity conservation through the lens of traditional knowledge and community leadership to strengthen Amazonian communities and ecosystems.