The general long-term objective of the Rio Negro Program (PRN) is to create the conditions for, and collaborate on, a program for sustainable development in the Rio Negro River Basin, a trinational region spanning Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.

The socio-environmental diversity of the Rio Negro region – the largest blackwater river basin in the world – is one of the most significant in the Amazon. In the Brazilian portion of the Rio Negro, located in Northwest Amazonia, there are 23 indigenous peoples and a mosaic of unique forest formations, partially protected by indigenous territories and environmental conservation units.

The mid-range objective of the Rio Negro Program is to formulate and implant a regional program of sustainable indigenous development in the Middle and Upper Rio Negro. ISA is pursuing this program in partnership with local indigenous organizations, other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and governmental agencies.

The total population of this portion of the Rio Negro River Basin is around 40,000 people, distributed in 750 communities and homesteads located along the main rivers, and in two urban centers, São Gabriel da Cachoeira (pop. 11,000), the administrative and economic center of the region, and Santa Isabel do Rio Negro (pop. 4,000). Approximately 90% of the population in the region is indigenous. The non-indigenous population is concentrated in the cities, although there, too, the majority are indigenous.

In developing and implementing these objectives, ISA’s Rio Negro Program takes into consideration some of the sociohistorical and ecological characteristics specific to the Upper and Middle Rio Negro region:

  • For over ten years, the indigenous peoples in this region have been organizing themselves into local associations affiliated into the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of the Rio Negro (FOIRN). The indigenous participation in public institutions and local businesses is significant, reflecting a long historical experience with different contact agents, starting with rubber bosses in the nineteenth century, who forcibly recruited native labor for tapping rubber trees on the Middle and Lower Rio Negro. Since the early twentieth century, the Rio Negro peoples have had to deal with Salesian missionaries, who introduced catechism and boarding schools in the region. More recently, they have been coping with the presence of Brazilian Army barracks and the arrival of a new predatory economic frontier, mining, which is being avidly pursued by private companies. Fortunately, the demarcation of indigenous territories in the region preceded the mining activity.
  • The Rio Negro region is characterized by an enormous variety of micro-ecosystems. In general, the rivers are poor in nutrients (oligotrophia), a typical feature of blackwater river basins. The region has forests of terra firme formation, seasonally flood forests, scrubby woodlands composed of what is known as Rio Negro scrub, a type of vegetation specific to the region. The Rio Negro scrub covers most of the demarcated indigenous territories in the region, and their soils are extremely acidic, sandy, and gritty (spodosoils). Despite the relatively low diversity of species, the Rio Negro scrub displays a high degree of endemism. Its species are considered a genetic resource of great value because they constitute examples of biological adaptation in extreme conditions.

The indigenous peoples of the Rio Negro utilize various species of scrub, but usually their communities are located in regions where terra firme forests are found, which have soils that allow agriculture. For this reason, large areas of land in the interior of the indigenous territories are uninhabited, representing valuable reserves of plant and aquatic resources. The tendency for the population to be concentrated in terra firme areas and in urban centers has been reinforced by decades of missionary and commercial influences, creating critical situations from the point of view of socio-environmental sustainability. There is a high demand in the communities for basic, differentiated services for meeting their needs for health care, education, food security, and income-generating opportunities.

Since 1994, ISA has maintained a priority partnership with FOIRN. Among the various successes of this partnership, it is worth highlighting the demarcation of five contiguous indigenous territories, totaling million hectares. These constitute a fundamental basis from which to plan the future. Consolidation of the demarcation victory will depend on a program of regional proportions that can provide adequate, integrated answers to the demands of the indigenous communities. To do so, ISA has started a series of pilot projects with the aim of solving problems such as how to protect and sustainably manage the demarcated lands, how to assure food security and generate income, how to meet education and health needs, and how to strengthen the indigenous organizations and sense of cultural affirmation.

ISA maintains a branch office and permanent staff in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, as well as a network of associated consultants. The Rio Negro Program encompasses the following lines of action:

  • Coordination and development

  • Research, documentation, and mapping

  • Sustainable management of natural resources

  • Education and culture

  • Support for the institutional strengthening of FOIRN and affiliated local associations and for the development of community projects

Priority partnership

  • Federation of Indigenous Organizations of the Rio Negro (FOIRN) and 49 affiliated local associations

Specialist partners and funding sources

  • Center for Aquaculture Research and Training (CEPTA), Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA)

  • National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)

  • Amazon Coalition (COAMA), Bogotá, Colombia

  • Amazonian Victory Foundation (FVA), Manaus

  • Austrian Organization for Development Cooperation, Alliance for the Climate Campaign (Horizont3000)

  • Interecclesiastic Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO), Netherlands

  • National Institute of Amazon Research (INPA), Manaus

  • Development Research Institute (IRD), France

  • Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC ), Indigenous Education Coordinating Office

  • Emílio Göeldi Museum of Pará (MPEG), Belém

  • Norwegian Church Aid (NCA): institutional support

  • Waimiri-Atroari Program (PWA), Manaus

  • Rainforest Foundation of Norway (RFN)

  • Municipal Office of Education of São Gabriel da Cachoeira (SEMEC), São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas

  • European Union

Team

Coordinator: Carlos Alberto (Beto) Ricardo (anthropologist)
Adjunct Coordinator: Geraldo Andrello (anthropologist)
Program Advisor: Aloisio Cabalzar (anthropologist)
Project Coordinator: Cristiane Lasmar (anthropologist)
Administrator, São Gabriel da Cachoeira: Fernando Luiz de Freitas Vicente
Coordinating Advisor, Education Project: Flavia Marques Azevedo (anthropologist)
Permanent Advisor, Tuyuka Component: Flora Dias Cabalzar (anthropologist)
Administrative Aide, São Gabriel da Cachoeira: Francimar dos Santos
Coordinating Assistant: Francis Miti Nishiyama (journalist)
Permanent Advisor, Baniwa/Coripaco component: Laise Lopes Diniz (teacher)
Program Advisor: Mauro Lopes (fish engineer)
Education Project Coordinator: Marta Azevedo (anthropologist and demographer)
Intern: Natalie Unterstell (administration student)
Remote Sensing Analyst: Renata Alves (ecologist)
Superintendent, São Gabriel da Cachoeira: Rosilene da Silva Gonçalves
Volunteer: Silvia Renata Beolchi Bussamra (architect)
Program Advisor: Pieter van der Veld (agronomist)


Indigenous collaborators

André Fernando (Baniwa)
Bonifácio José (Baniwa)
Braz França (Baré)
Feliciano Lanna (Desana)
Higino Tenório (Tuyuka)
Pedro Garcia (Tariana)


Associated researchers

Adeilson Lopes da Silva: ecologist, National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA)
Bruce Nelson: ecologist, National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA)
Carlos Alfredo Argüelo: physicist, Campinas State University (UNICAMP)
Dominique Buchillet: anthropologist, Development Research Institute (IRD)
Fabiana dos Santos Souza: ecologist, National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA)
Geraldo Andrello: anthropologist, Campinas State University (UNICAMP)
Gilvan Muller de Oliveira: linguist, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSC)
Glenn Shepard Jr.: anthropologist
Henri Ramirez: linguist, University of Amazonas (UA)
Judite Gonçalves Albuquerque: educator, University of Mato Grosso State (UNEMAT)
Kristine Stenzel: linguist, University of Colorado
Laure Emperaire: botanist, Development Research Institute (IRD)
Lúcia Hussak van Velthem: anthropologist, Emilio Goeldi Museum of Pará (MPEG)
Ludivine Eloy: agronomist, National Agronomy Institute of Paris-Grignon (INA P-G)
Luiza Garnelo: physician, University of Amazonas (UA)
Maria Nazareth F. da Silva: biologist, National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA)
Marlui Miranda: ethnomusicologist
Maurice Bazin: ethnomathematician, Institute of Research and Development of Linguistic Policy (IPOL)
Rita Mesquita: ecologist, National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA)
Robin Wright: anthropologist, Campinas State University (UNICAMP)
Rogério Gribel: biologist, National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA)]
Sidnei Peres: anthropologist, Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro