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| OUR PROJECTS |
| Environmental Education and Preservation |
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RPPN - Reserva Particular de Patrimônio Natural
(Private protected area of natural patrimony) |
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The Pirata Marinheiros Foundation administers a RPPN - Private protected area of natural patrimony, located in the municipal districts of Itapipoca and Amontada, in the coast of Ceará. There are 514,33 acres of sand dunes and typical vegetation from the coastal areas in its natural state, integrating the Ecological Refuge of the Piratas.
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In this area, according to the environmental legislation, only activities of environmental education, scientific research and ecotourism, can be developed. At the moment, a management plan that will define the terms to perform activities in the area, is being elaborated.
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| RPPN Environment (article) |
Citizenship and environmental awareness
In 1993, the state of Ceará gained its first RPPN on the coast, in an area of 50 acres, in the city of Amontada, property of Júlio Trindade's family, from the Pirata Brasil Group. In 1994, the family was able to expand there environmental territory to 464,33 acres, in a continuous area, in the city of Itapipoca, with a grand total of 514,33 acres, after a long process that lasted almost 4 years. The RPPN - Ecological refuge of Pirata was created. The history of those RPPN began more than 20 years ago, when in the middle of the 80's decade, the entrepreneur Júlio Trindade came to Ceará, invited by friends, to visit the coast and evaluate the possibilities of setting up a business in the state. After going through several beaches, he was enchanted by the landscape of the area of Amontada and Itapipoca and decided to acquire a land there, to live and install an establishment.
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For business reasons, the family decided not to open a company, and stayed in the area just as residents. The proximity of the Trindade's family with the local population of the area motivated them to be actively involved in the organization and development of the community.
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In the beginning of the nineties, the consequences of the disordered occupation of the coast of Ceará was already being noticed, with the degeneration of the coastal communities, including that area. The 514,33 acres of the Trindade's family continued to be preserved and that made a difference. However, that still wasn't enough for the proprietors, that decided to expand their actions in partnership with the communities.
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The first collective action was the elaboration and implementation of the "Projeto Marinheiros", in 1990, that involved a campaign against the predatory fishing of turtles and lobsters, the creation of a colony of fishermen (Z-18), and the construction of a school group in a fishermen's town, among others. As a result of that experience, in 1991, the Trindade's family decided to create a foundation that was called the Pirata Marinheiros Foundation, taking on the work with the communities in a systematic way.
The main characteristic of this work is building up citizenship, getting the communities that live nearby the RPPN involved. There are six communities, from a total of eleven in the area, that are directly involved with the activities of the Pirata Marinheiros Foundation. The work involves the fishermen, the lacemaker women, the children and adolescents. With those groups, we work with activities that value their cultural identity, build up their citizenship, and develop their social interaction, besides teaching the importance of preserving the environment.
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In 2004, we highlight the work done with the fishermen, to demonstrate the culture of Ceará in the Nautical Festival of Brest, in France. Seventeen "jangadeiros" and craft fishermen were in the festival, showing the tradition of the naval carpentry from Ceará and participating in a tournament of "jangadas" (rafts), among other activities.
The trip of the jangadeiros to Europe was an important moment for the group, to acquire knowledge of the French language, culture, and behavior, and to do a geographical study of navigation with instruments and learn about fishing techniques in the continent, as a way to expand their potential. Once the actions of valuing their culture and local potential started, the understanding of the environment in those communities came up as a natural process.
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