Education is always the key to foster change in certain practices or methods that have irreversible effects on the environment. In order to promote a better understanding of how things can be done better, discussion and instruction begins in the classroom. Whether it is mining, lumbering, farming, or even tourism, our program helps the people of the region understand that there is a more responsible way of doing things that help preserve the rainforest without impacting their way of life.  Students in this program will have the opportunity to conduct small work sessions that help educate communities in new techniques and practices that promote sustainability and have mitigated effects on the environment.

Sustainable Economy Practices

Animal Habitat Preservation

River & Lake Shore Regeneration

We are helping local farmers and lumberers begin new techniques in how they harvest and replenish resources without disturbing surrounding migration paths and gathering areas for animals that may be affected. Our hope is to build a tree and plant nursery as a repository for regenerating vegetation affected by weather and previous clear-cutting on their lands. Students in the program will help care for tree saplings and plant sprouts as they grow into healthy transplants for these areas.  

Habitats in the region have been encroached upon by unauthorized development projects that have had a severe effect on them, from interrupting migration zones and water sources, to complete disregard for the habitats themselves. Our Center aims to help develop better planning and providing impact studies that will assist with how local areas implement sound and respectful building practices. Students and volunteers help conduct these studies and work closely with local communities to achieve these projects without displacing or affecting animal habitats.

Water resources have come under severe degradation due to illegal mining operations along rivers and tributaries as well as lakes and smaller creeks and ponds. In truth, the whole water system in the area can be affected by a single mining operation upstream from the others. Issues range from elevated sediment minerals and soil disruption that affects fish and reptiles that live nearby or downstream, to harsher pollutants from machinery and equipment used in mining processes. Our Center is actively reclaiming shoreline areas both on the river and around the lakes to repair the damage that has been done and restore the natural boundaries between water resources and the forest. Students and volunteers work in these areas helping with vegetation restoration, soil chemistry, and water analysis. 

Reforestation Project

Community Education 

Our Center is currently involved in the identification and inventory of existing and extracted trees from several protected lands and working to restore a variety of trees vital to the regeneration of animal habitats and ecosystems. We are conducting studies on the impact of the losses created by illegal lumbering in these areas to develop an action plan for the regeneration of the forest. This project requires the identification and inventory of tree species and the planting of complimentary plants and trees to regenerate the ecosystem. Students and volunteers work to plant saplings, monitor growth, and care for the botanical life as the forest regenerates.

Southeastern Amazon International Center