Uepa holds II Integrative Workshop on Amazonian Bioresources
Event connects science, technology, and traditional knowledge in Curuá, Marabá, and Altamira, with workshops, lectures, and exhibitions focused on bioeconomy and the conservation of the Amazon
With the theme "A look at the Amazon", the II Integrative Workshop on Amazonian Bioresources (WIIBA) proposes dialogues on bioeconomy, bioproducts, and sustainability, in connection with COP30. Promoted by the State University of Pará (Uepa), the event is coordinated by Professor Álisson Rangel Albuquerque, responsible for the Laboratory of Bioproducts and Biomass Energy (LABBIM-Uepa), and takes place in a hybrid format, with both in-person and remote activities.
Targeted at students, researchers, producers, artists, and local communities around experiences that unite science and culture, the initiative is the result of projects approved in calls from Fapespa and ICMBio, via Funtec-DF and Vale. According to Professor Álisson Rangel, it has been essential to count on Uepa's infrastructure, such as the campuses in Altamira and Marabá, as well as the City Hall of Curuá and the Agriculture Department of Marabá, in addition to the partnership with the Letters to Scientists Project, the Public Ministry of the State of Pará, and several other partner institutions.
The program, which began on October 8 and 9 in the municipality of Curuá, is still accepting online registrations for the editions that will be held in Marabá (October 29 to 31) and Altamira (November 4 and 5).
In Curuá, the WIIBA took on a festival format, with lectures, cultural parades, exhibitions of regional cuisine, handicrafts, medicinal products, and non-timber forest products, in addition to artistic performances. The activity particularly involved the Forestry Engineering class of the Forma Pará Program, which "embraced the cause", in the words of Professor Alisson Albuquerque.
“The workshop arose from the need to broaden the debate on bioeconomy and to value Amazonian bioproducts, integrating science, technology, and local knowledge. We want to create a Research Network in Bioproducts and Bioeconomy in Carajás, strengthening sustainable base productive chains,” highlighted the coordinator.
Technology and sustainability in Marabá and Altamira
In the upcoming stages of WIIBA in Marabá, from October 29 to 31, and in Altamira, on November 4 and 5, the focus on technologies applied to Amazonian productive chains will include demonstrations of drone use in agriculture and lectures on the cocoa production chain, including the activity “From the tree to chocolate: the journey of cocoa from cultivation to manufacturing,” in partnership with the company Cacauway.
The discussions will also address the management and quality of cocoa beans, promoting integration among producers, researchers, and public managers in the search for innovative and sustainable solutions for regional development.
Science in favor of sociobiodiversity
Among the highlighted research is the study conducted by LABBIM on Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa), a non-timber forest product of great economic and ecological relevance to the Amazon. The work investigates morphometric aspects, viability, and storage of seeds, aiming to improve collection techniques and reduce contaminations that compromise the commercialization of the product.
According to Professor Alisson, there is a lack of standardization and dissemination of knowledge about the economic, environmental, and scientific value of Amazonian biorresources — a gap that WIIBA seeks to fill. “Our purpose is to contribute to the conservation of sociobiodiversity and to the valorization of sustainable productive chains of the forest,” he reinforces.
Service
📍 II Integrative Workshop on Amazonian Bioresources (WIIBA)
📅 Marabá: October 29 to 31 | Altamira: November 4 and 5
📲 Instagram: @wiiba.uepa
🔗 Registrations and complete program: here
