Bringing together traditional quilombola ecological knowledge and modern science, the Amazonian BioTechQuilombo project – Amazonian Biodiversity, Technological Assessment and Knowledge Exchange with Quilombos was launched this week to monitor biodiversity in quilombola communities in the Amazon.
The integration of quilombola knowledge and cutting-edge scientific methods – including remote sensing, DNA sequencing and artificial intelligence – will allow the presence of fauna and flora species to be identified in order to develop a community-led biodiversity monitoring framework.
Recognizing the role of quilombola communities in biodiversity conservation and sustainable land management in the Amazon, the knowledge of these actors will be central to the research to be developed.
“This project marks a significant advance in the convergence between traditional ecological knowledge and contemporary scientific approaches. By combining innovative technologies with quilombola knowledge, we aim to develop sustainable biodiversity conservation strategies, with the community itself playing a leading role,” says Celso Silva-Junior, an Amazonian researcher at IPAM who will lead the project in Brazil.
The initiative will last three years and focus on key quilombola communities in Pará, Amazonas and Roraima. Field trips will be organized to collect biodiversity data, monitor forest structure and train community members in advanced ecological research techniques.
Training workshops and knowledge exchanges will promote intercultural dialog and capacity building. In addition, Quilombola researchers will take part in academic exchanges with international partners to improve their skills in remote sensing, GIS (Geographic Information System), DNA sequencing and biodiversity monitoring.
For Polyanna Bispo, a professor at the University of Manchester, as well as documenting and preserving biodiversity, the initiative strengthens the role of traditional communities as key players in conservation. “Our work will contribute policy-relevant insights to conservation agencies, research institutions and advocacy groups around the world,” she explains.
“By fostering collaboration between academic researchers and traditional communities, the project sets a precedent for future studies that integrate traditional knowledge with modern science, advancing both conservation efforts and community empowerment in the Amazon,” adds Silva-Junior.
BioTech Quilombo is led by Celso Silva-Junior, a researcher at IPAM, and counts on the partnership of Dr. Polyanna da C. Bispo, a professor at the University of Manchester in the UK, who acts as the project’s co-coordinator; Dr. Paulo M. L. A. Graça, a researcher at INPA (National Institute for Amazonian Research); Dr. Nivia P. Lopes, a professor at the National Institute for Amazonian Research. Nivia P. Lopes, professor at UFRR (Federal University of Roraima); Dr. Pitágoras C. Bispo, professor at UNESP (Paulista State University); and Dr. Loïc Pellissier, researcher at ETH Zurich, Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland.
The program will be supported by CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), FAPESPA (Amazon Foundation for Studies and Research), FAPEAM (Amazonas State Research Support Foundation), FAPRR (Roraima State Research Support Foundation) and FAPESP (São Paulo State Research Support Foundation), in Brazil; as well as UKRI (UK Research and Innovation), in the United Kingdom, and SNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation, in Switzerland). The project is funded through the Amazon+10 Initiative (https://www.amazoniamaisdez.org.br).