Forest Zone concludes discussions on education, communication, and valuing nature
Researchers, managers, communicators, community leaders, and representatives of civil society reinforced Pará's prominence in the global climate agenda
The third and final day of the Forest Zone, a parallel event to COP30, promoted by the Institute of Forest Development and Biodiversity (Ideflor-Bio), marked the conclusion of a three-day journey dedicated to thinking about the Amazon from the perspective of science, public management, culture, and social participation.
Between November 11 and 13, researchers, managers, communicators, community leaders, and representatives of civil society filled the auditorium of the agency in Belém, in a program that reinforced Pará's prominence in the global climate agenda.
Structured around three major thematic axes — Climate Governance and Territorial Management; Bioeconomy and Sustainable Development; and Education, Communication, and Valuing Nature — the Forest Zone has established itself as a strategic space for articulation. The debates on the first two days provoked reflections on territorial planning, forest management, transition to a sustainable economy, and innovative ways to integrate traditional communities, science, and public policies in building climate solutions.
On this third day, the axis "Education, Communication, and Valuing Nature" placed the importance of awareness, social engagement, and public use of conservation units at the center of the program. At the opening, the manager of the Araguaia Administrative Region of Ideflor-Bio, Laís Mercedes, presented environmental education as a fundamental pillar for the management of protected areas, emphasizing that educating conscious citizens is as strategic as conserving the forest standing.
Public communication - Ideflor-Bio was also responsible for the panel "Amazon in Evidence: Public Communication and the Fight Against Environmental Misinformation," highlighting that, in a scenario of increasing circulation of fake news, communicating science and conservation actions is an act of public responsibility.
The morning also brought together applied experiences in the Marajó Archipelago, with the panel on environmental education and fire prevention from the Verão Project, presented by the manager of the Marajó Administrative Region of Ideflor-Bio, Hugo Deleon, along with Nayana Silva and Matheus Cosme.
Fernanda Costa, Communication Manager of the Institute of Man and Environment of the Amazon (Imazon), participated in the panel "Communication that Conserves," discussing Amazonian strategies that unite science, transparency, and social mobilization to protect biodiversity on a large scale.
Environmental management and culture - Júlio Meyer, manager of the Belém Administrative Region of Ideflor-Bio, responsible for managing the Utinga Camillo Vianna State Park, in partnership with environmental analysts Andréia Dantas and Deiliany Oliveira, shared the challenges and advances of managing an urban conservation unit, highlighting the role of the Park as a space for environmental education, sustainable leisure, and direct contact of the population of Belém with nature. The axis concluded with a debate on governance and community forest management in Marajó, reinforcing the prominence of local populations in territorial management.
The closing of the Forest Zone also had space for culture. The advisor of the Araguaia Environmental Protection Area (APA), Emival Borges, moved the audience with a carimbó performance and highlighted the importance of participating in the event. "It is very happy to be part of this moment. It is increasingly a great learning experience, with the support of Ideflor-Bio and so many partners. Today we presented the cultural part and also the agroforestry system in our conservation unit, reinforcing environmental education, awareness, and consciousness," said Emival Borges.
For him, being in Belém representing his community was symbolic. "Every lecture is very important. Anyone who can come to the next editions, come. It is a unique moment," he added.
Among the participants, biologist Renata dos Santos, a volunteer at the Utinga State Park, said that "the event was wonderful. I spent some time away from the environmental area and, upon returning through volunteering, I found my purpose again. These days only reaffirmed my desire to work for the Amazon, to show its beauty and importance. I learned a lot, and I recommend that people take advantage of these COP spaces to seek knowledge."
In officially closing the event, the president of Ideflor-Bio, Nilson Pinto, emphasized that the Forest Zone leaves a legacy of integration and commitment. "We are showing the world that Pará is ready to lead climate solutions based on science, social participation, and respect for our forest. The Forest Zone connected knowledge, brought institutions closer, and strengthened networks that will continue to work beyond COP30. This is how the Amazon advances: with dialogue, knowledge, and collaboration," he reiterated.
