Sustainable development options for role play(see also PPt and role cards) - designed for bright Y10

1. Options for sustainable development in tropical
rainforest around Maués, Amazonas, Brazil
(1) Butterfly farming
Similar schemes successful in Papua New Guinea
(PNG) and Madagascar – not many in Amazon so
far.
Only butterflies bred on the farms are allowed to be
sold – it is illegal to sell wild butterflies. Getting
butterflies to breed in captivity is not easy, so expert
help would be needed to get the venture up and
running – though installation of computers
with satellite internet
would make this easier
(funding for this?)
Rare species such as the owl butterfly (pictured, right) can
fetch $500 or more from American and Japanese collectors.
PNG makes around $500 000 / year from butterfly exports.
(2) Harvesting guaraná (worra-na) and açaí (assay-eye) fruit
Maués is known as the ‘home of guaraná‘. Guarana grows
as bushes in natural clearings, and has been harvested by
the Maué Indians for 100s of years, to be used to make a
very caffeine-rich, energy-giving drink – like a low-sugar,
natural Red Bull. The Maué also use it as a pain-killer.
Since the 1970s guaraná has been used
to make a fizzy drink which in Brazil is
as popular as Coke. With the growth in
the energy drinks market, guaraná is increasingly being exported to
the USA and Europe (for example the energy drink ‘V’ has it as a
main ingredient).
Açaí has until recently been less well-known outside the Amazon,
but recent research has shown it to have similar properties to
guaraná, as well as potentially lowering the chances of cancer and
heart-disease. It grows naturally a few hundred miles further East
near Belem, but preliminary trials have shown that it grows equally
well around Maués.
Both plants fruit for about a month in the wild, but by cultivating it in small farms as well
as harvesting the wild plants, a year-round supply should be possible.
All photos creative commons from www.flickr.com or used with permission from www.mongabay.com

2. (3) Agroforestry
Agroforestry is a form of agriculture that seeks to
copy nature more carefully than large-scale
commercial monoculture (i.e. growing one crop) or
cattle ranching. Rather than clearing the rainforest
completely (clear felling), only the older larger trees
are felled, and shrubs, other food plants (such as
vanilla) and flowers are grown in the clearings.
Many western universities and aid organisations are
keen to support agroforestry projects and study their
successes and failures, in order to try and introduce it to more rainforest locations
around the world.
(4) Ecotourism
Many forms of tourism are called ecotourism, like
snorkelling holidays in the Red Sea, or visiting the
Galapagos Islands to see its unique animals.
But true ecotourism is defined as “Responsible travel to
natural areas that conserves the environment and
improves the well-being of local people”.
Other rainforest areas have benefitted enormously from
ecotourism, e.g. Costa Rica. Maués is about an hour’s
flight from Manaus, which has connecting flights,
including to USA – so it is relatively accessible, yet right in the heart of the Amazon.
The Maué Indians live in settlements an hour’s canoe journey
from Maués. They are famous for their ‘stinging ant glove’
ceremony, where boys prove they are ready to become a man
by wearing a glove full of highly poisonous bullet ants while the
villagers dance and party to celebrate the boy’s coming of age.
But there are lots of questions to think about before deciding to
push ahead with ecotourism, e.g.
• To tap into the international market, people will need to
learn English – only 2 or 3 people in Maués speak English
at present (or guides will need to be brought in from outside
the area).
• Do the Maué Indians want to be a ‘tourist attraction’?
• How do you ensure that the people visiting are sensitive to
the local culture and environment?
• To what extent do you provide proper ‘western’ facilities
like air-conditioning and flushing toilets to encourage
visitors?
All photos creative commons from www.flickr.com or used with permission from www.mongabay.com