Who we are
We are SOS Amazônia, an NGO with the mission of promoting biodiversity conservation and raising environmental awareness in the Amazon.
- The harmonization between sustainable development, economic growth and environmental preservation;
- Respect for the knowledge, cultures and interests of indigenous people and traditional communities.;
- The recognition that a standing forest has more value.;
- The protection and conscious use of natural resources as a way to guarantee their sustainability and existence for future generations.
Principles:
Vision:
To be a benchmark for the conservation of the Amazon.
Values:
- Valuing standing forests;
- Respect for the knowledge of traditional people;
- Conscious consumption;
- Honesty and transparency;
- Solidarity and mutual aid for conservation.
Area of Expertise
Our essence
In a context of conflicts over land occupation, the organization dedicated itself to displaying data and photos about deforestation in the region in public squares, denouncing the threats suffered by rubber tappers, distributing informational materials, and engaging in dialogue with people on the subject, aiming to mobilize society and facilitate understanding of the causes and consequences of the destruction that was taking place.
Given the delicate situation faced by extractive communities, in addition to awareness campaigns, the institution quickly felt the need to develop projects, propose and implement public policies focused on disseminating models and practices for biodiversity preservation and sustainable development—initiatives that guide the daily fulfillment of SOS Amazônia's mission, which is "To promote biodiversity conservation and raise environmental awareness in the Amazon."
Given the delicate situation faced by extractive communities, in addition to awareness campaigns, the institution quickly felt the need to develop projects, propose and implement public policies focused on disseminating models and practices for biodiversity preservation and sustainable development—initiatives that guide the daily fulfillment of SOS Amazônia's mission, which is "To promote biodiversity conservation and raise environmental awareness in the Amazon."
In the 1980s, large areas of forest were replaced by pastures in the Amazon. At that time, the rubber tappers' movement in Acre joined forces to halt the devastation and guarantee their right to land ownership. Driven by the resistance of the forest guardians, on September 30, 1988, in the city of Rio Branco, Acre state, professors, university students, and representatives of the social movement, including the activist and rubber tapper Chico Mendes, created the SOS Amazônia Association, with the main objective of defending the extractive industry and protecting the Amazon Rainforest, supporting traditional populations.
Click on the icons to see the legacy of our work
We promote the conservation of Amazonian turtles along the Juruá River.
Respect for traditional peoples and communities and improvement of the quality of life of these populations.
We follow the ideals of Chico Mendes - Social transformations while preserving the forest.
We support sociobio products. Standing forests are more valuable.
Recognition
Throughout nearly four decades of operation, SOS Amazônia has earned recognition for its work in protecting and conserving the Amazon Rainforest.
Meet our partners
Abrahim Farhat
Anna Rosa Fioreta
Anselmo Alfredo Forneck
Carlos Edegard de Deus
Cândido Arieira de Carvalho
Cleto Batista Barbosa
Denise Regine Garrafiel
Elga Buttignol
Francisco Alves Mendes Filho (Chico Mendes)
Genéseio F. de Natividade
Jandira Keppi
João Azevedo do Nascimento
José Antônio Scarcello
José Jocilem Crisostomo Gomes
Josélia da Silva Alves
Júlia Feitoza da Silva
Maria do Carmo Ferreira da Cunha
Mauro Luiz Aldrigue
Miguel Scarcello
Nazaré de Lima Soares
Nelson Deicke
Ruscelino Araújo Barboza
Founders
We promote the conservation of Amazonian turtles along the Juruá River.
Respect for traditional peoples and communities and improvement of the quality of life of these populations.
We follow the ideals of Chico Mendes - Social transformations while preserving the forest.
We support sociobio products. Standing forests are more valuable.
- 1988
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑Composed of teachers, university students, agronomists, forestry engineers, lawyers, geographers, and representatives of the social movement, including Chico Mendes, SOS Amazônia initially dedicated itself to displaying data and photos about deforestation in the region in public squares, aiming to mobilize society. - 1989Ecumenical gathering/tribute to Chico, denouncing the threats suffered by rubber tappers.
- 1989Environmental education work/Adoption of recyclable material separation. (São Pelegrino Parish and IMAC).
Implementation of selective waste collection in the homes of 500 students residing in Tucumã (UNICEF and Criança Esperança Program).
Served on an Advisory Council to monitor and evaluate applied research by the Acre government for the development of a forest management model in the Antimari State Forest area (support from WWF). -
1993Acquisition of the SOS Amazônia headquarters in Rio Branco (MISERIOR). - 1994Invited by The Nature Conservancy – TNC to carry out a project, in partnership with IBAMA, to strengthen the Serra do Divisor National Park.
- 1996 to 2007From 1996 to 2007, with support from USAID and the Moore Foundation at different times, this partnership enabled the investment of over US$3 million in the Juruá Valley region, prioritizing projects to structure participatory management involving local communities.
- 1996Tapiri Project – environmental education – inclusion of environmental themes in the RECA project - 1996.
- 1998 to 2006Environmental education projects were carried out aimed at environmental management in public schools and continuing education for teachers to incorporate environmental issues into elementary education (in partnership with WWF and municipal governments).
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2002Creation and establishment of the advisory council for the Serra do Divisor National Park.
Creation of the Management Plan. - 2003Coordinated management of initiatives in the Acre (Brazil) / Ucayali (Peru) border area for the protection of biodiversity and indigenous peoples (CPI Acre partnership).
- 2003Implementation of monitoring programs for target species for conservation, such as turtles.
- 2003Development of a financial accounting management model.
Annual external audit.
Preparation and adoption of the Procedures Manual.
Code of Ethics for the institution.
Establishment of professional institutional management. Adoption of strategic planning.
Acquisition of the SOS Amazônia headquarters in the city of Cruzeiro do Sul (O Boticário). - 2003Drafting defense documents for the creation of a protected area in the campinaranas region in Guajará – AM (WWF)
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2004Winning the Bem Eficiente Award for institutional management. - 2007/2008Support for the socio-environmental management of the area surrounding the Serra do Divisor National Park (Partnership between the Government of Acre / PDSA / IDB).
Emphasis on strengthening associations and agroforestry production. - 2008/2009Development of the Management Plan for the Rio Acre Ecological Station (WWF Partnership).
- 2008/2009Raising Awareness Among Traditional Communities in Promoting the Conservation of Natural Resources in a Mosaic of Protected Areas in Marechal Thaumaturgo, Acre - aiming to promote the exchange of information among riverside producers who protect and monitor turtle nesting (Partnership with the Ministry of Justice, with resources from the Fund for Diffuse Rights, through the Secretariat of Economic Rights - SDE).
- 2008/2010Sustainable Use of Non-Timber Forest Resources in Extractive Communities in the Juruá Valley (FUNBIO/FORD Foundation Partnership).
Strengthening the murumuru production chain. Implementation of a structure for processing/drying murumuru on an experimental basis. - 2008/2010Development of the Management Plan for the Chandless State Park (ARPA/FUNBIO/KFW Partnership)
- 2009/2010Serra do Divisor National Park: I protect it! Stimulating and promoting the sustainable exploitation of natural resources.
Study/survey of the potential of extractive products and handicrafts. - 2009/2010Exchange between communities in the region and visit of community members to AVIVE, in Silves-AM.
Courses to strengthen their associations.
Preparation of a project proposal to structure the production of rubber in the form of Liquid Smoked Sheet - LFS. (FUNBIO partnership). - 2009/2010Participatory management of turtles in the Mamoadate Indigenous Land - Sena Madureira - AC (partnership with MDA).
- 2009/2010Development of the Management Plan for the Amapá Lake Environmental Protection Area (Partnership: SEMA/AC)
Development of Community Development Plans (Partnership: SEMA/AC, PROACRE / IDB). - 2010/2012The study on the Vegetable Oil Production Chain enabled the development of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Murmuru production chain.
- 2010/2012Strengthening border integration between Acre and Ucayali – aiming to coordinate the integration process, the exchange of sustainable forest resource use practices, and joint actions for monitoring and protecting biodiversity.
(Partnership with OTCA and financial coordination by GIZ (German Technical Cooperation)). - 2011/2012ATER Services - served 204 families of riverside producers, with the objective of initiating the technological transition of producers towards agroecology (SEAPROF/Ac Partnership).
- 2011/2012Development of the Management Plan for the Raimundo Irineu Serra Environmental Protection Area – (environmental compensation from the company Via Verde Shopping).
Vulnerability analysis of communities in the Igarapé Judia sub-basin – in light of the impacts of climate change (Partnership between WWF, CONDIAC, Government of Acre, HSBC). - 2012/2013Development of PDC (Agricultural Development Plan) - in 28 agro-extractive communities (Partnership: SEMA/Ac, PROACRE / IDB).
ATER (Technical Assistance and Rural Extension) services to assist 800 families of riverside producers in communities located in the Juruá Valley (Partnership with MDA). - 2013Start of the SOS Recycling Campaign.
- 2013/2014Technical and logistical support for the development of monitoring processes for the implementation of the Management Plans for the Chico Mendes and Cazumba-Iracema Extractive Reserves and proposal of a process to revise these Management Plans - (WWF and ICMBio partnership).
- 2013/2014ATES Resex Alto Juruá - Technical and Environmental Advisory Services aimed at improving the quality of life for families living in the Alto Juruá Extractive Reserve [Partnership: Incra and ICMbio].
- 2014/2015Training and capacity building for producers, technicians, and governmental and non-governmental managers in: Global Climate Change, Forests, and the Acre State System of Incentives for Environmental Services (SISA) - (IMC/KfW Partnership).
- 2014/2015Implementation of biodigester septic tanks - in key communities of the Paraná dos Mouras river basin (WWF and Instituto Trata Brasil partnership, financial support from HSBC Solidariedade).
- 2014/2015Organizational and Economic Consulting and Technical Support to CATAR (Partnership with the Water Brazil Program, WWF).
- 2015/2017Coordination of the construction of the Molecular Biology Laboratory, funded by the Mérieux Foundation, France. (Partnership between the Mérieux Foundation, the Government of Acre, and the Federal University of Bahia).
- 2015/2018VALUES OF THE AMAZON – Structuring, Integrating and Strengthening three production chains - oilseeds, wild cocoa and native rubber, in the States of Acre and Amazonas (Amazon Fund/BNDES Partnership).
- 2015/2018Sanitizing the Amazon - Implementation of a household rainwater harvesting and storage system (Partnership with the Chico Mendes Memorial | MDS).
- 2015We joined the national #diadedoar campaign, created with the goal of promoting a culture of giving.
- 2015/2019ATER Agroecology - Technical assistance and rural extension services - to serve 800 families of riverside producers in communities located in the Juruá Valley. (SEAD partnership).
ATES Resex - ATES Resex – Technical, environmental and social assistance for 1,200 families in the Alto Juruá Extractive Reserve. - 2015-2023Amuralha
Strengthening the Association of United Rural Women Workers for Freedom, Humanity and Love and socio-productive and gender inclusion in the forestry business chain. Partners: Amazon Fund (2015-2019), Fondation Christophe & Rodolphe Mérieux. - 2018MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY - specialized technical services aimed at advising and training 16 community organizations participating in non-timber community forest management initiatives, focusing on the social organization and management of these projects, within the scope of PDSA II (Partnership IDB, Government of the State of Acre, Sema)
- 2019Forest Health - Increasing understanding of forest biodiversity and carbon stock. (Partnership between the University of Florida (UF), Ufac and USAID).
- 2019Nossabio
It strengthens governance and community management in Conservation Units and develops sustainable production chains based on socio-biodiversity products, such as açaí, wild cocoa, rubber, wooden artifacts, and ecotourism. (LIRA - IPÊ, with resources from the Amazon Fund and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.) - 2019Brigadas Amazônia (Amazon Brigades)
The project works in rural and extractive communities, engaging in dialogue with community members about the importance of reducing the use of fire in agriculture. - 2019Faça Florescer Floresta (Make the Forest Bloom)
Created to promote the recovery of degraded areas, including the surroundings of springs, through the implementation of Agroforestry Systems (SAFs) – the intercropping of forest, fruit, and palm species of ecological and economic interest. Partners: TCFF, CI, OTP, Nike, PMI, Amz. I protect! - 2019Acre Socio-environmental Observatory
Work has begun on creating the Acre Socio-environmental Observatory to monitor and disseminate information on the public policy agenda related to environmental conservation and management (with support from the Climate and Society Institute - ICS). - 2022Fitoterápicos da Amazônia (Herbal remedies from the Amazon)
Seeks to strengthen the medicinal plant sector in organizations representing indigenous peoples, traditional communities, or family farmers in the Amazon biome (United Nations Development Programme | Global Environment Facility (GEF)). - 2022-2023Mulheres da Borracha (Rubber Women)
To promote greater visibility of the role of women in the native rubber production chain in the state of Acre. Sustainable rubber production is family-based, meaning that women are also involved in various stages of the production chain, from harvesting to marketing. Partners: IDS and Vert. - Soul Amazônia (Amazon Soul)By supporting SOS Amazônia, your gesture translates into caring for nature and also includes planting a tree.
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