Protect the Amazon Rainforest and its Guardians

In this update we wish to place the spotlight on an important podcast as well as lifesaving antivenom.

To begin, the Javari Project's co-founder Mr. Tadzio McGregor Schneider was featured in early March on a Fast Company's World Changing Ideas podcast where he discussed the urgent need to disrupt the current narratives around conservation.

Tadzio shared with listeners that the Javari Project is not an indigenous organisation but are instead allies to the cause of the Javari and that their role is to listen to the community and its' needs. He also discussed that when involved in a region as geographically large as the Vale do Javari, it requires a coalition of like-mined organisations and individuals as well as working with local authorities. Throughout the podcast, he shared the biggest challenges, lessons learned, and the importance of storytelling to connect all of us with what is happening in the Amazon.  Also featured on the podcast was Ms. Jamila Bargach, Executive Director of Foundation Dar Si Hmad, who highlighted their work to address access to water through a fog collection process.

A special thank you to Fast Company and Ms. Amelia Martyn-Hemphill for placing a spotlight on the Javari Valley. The podcast is available on Apple and Spotify and we're providing the links which are located at the very bottom of this report.

As mentioned in the podcast, a coalition of like-minded organisations and individuals is necessary and we’re pleased to place a spotlight on the Javari Project’s coalition partners including Tesselo, Amazon Conservation, The Cultural Sanctuaries Foundation, Sensing Clues, United for a Living Amazon, and Health in Harmony.

In our last report we touched on the antivenom and solar powered cold storage units for the region and since then we've had a few questions, which we wanted to touch on further in this update. Antivenoms are the only specific treatment for reversing the bites of Bothrops, Lachesis and Crotalus snakes, the most common types of snakebites in Brazil that require immediate antivenom administration. Liquid antivenom is an unstable  medication because it requires constant, and adequate, cold chain delivery and storage at 4 Celsius. Freeze-drying improves antivenom stability and many studies also indicate it doesn't degrade as quickly and can be stored for up to 5 years in proper cool conditions, making solar powered cold storage units a critical element in the antivenom program.

Unfortunately, antivenom is very expensive, and a single 10ml vial costs approximately USD $125 and most victims require 6-15 vials, depending on the species and severity of a bite. The cost of antivenom is highly prohibitive for the Indigenous Peoples and yet critical for their communities, which is why our project page includes antivenom as a donation give level and why we'll keep you updated on this important component in the Javari Project's health pillar.

We want to thank our community for not only their ongoing support but helping us to raise awareness to the Vale do Javari region of the Amazon and the incredible Indigenous Peoples that call it home.

We're very grateful and thank you again!

Links:

• Spotify Podcast
• Apple Podcast

It's not only the start of a new year but potentially a new era for the Amazon and the Indigenous Peoples of this region because of several shifts in policy and priorities under Brazil’s new president, Lula da Silva.

We did want to take a minute to highlight a few points from the package of seven executive orders that are aimed at Amazon region.  These orders, announced in early January, included the reinstatement of the Amazon Fund, a $1.2 billion fund to protect this region, after a three-year period of inactivity.  Donor countries Germany and Norway suspended transfers to the fund four years ago but with this announcement, Norway's environment minister, Mr. Espen Barth Eide, said it “allows for an immediate reactivation of the fund”. The UK’s environment minister, Ms. Therese Coffey, said the UK was “seriously looking at” joining the fund. How does this impact the Indigenous People? The fund supports 102 conservation projects in the Amazon, among them forests managed by Indigenous People and small-scale farms.  The orders also saw the creation of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, complying with da Silva’s promise to those who supported his candidacy “to combat 500 years of inequality.”

Ms. Celine Cousteau, The Javari Project co-founder, said following the announcement that “It may feel like a long road. It may be a bumpy road. But this is a big step in the way forward and I am hopeful that measures to protect the Amazon and the Indigenous Peoples that safeguard that ecosystem will be successful!”

As for the work with The Javari Project that our GlobalGiving page supports, we are progressing towards establishing the first tangible impact within Pillar 1 - Indigenous Health. In the coming months, we aim to deliver antivenom supplies and new solar fridges for the Marubo community in the village of Maronal, a central location to five other Marubo communities. We are also aiming to bring a couple of solar fridges to stock anti-venom and other cold chain vaccines.

The solar fridges will provide the ability to store antivenom, vaccines and other medicines needed for the community. It enables us to provide off-grid renewable solutions without needing to implement any form of large infrastructure within these remote areas. The solar fridges themselves:

• Two solar panels to generate energy to power the fridges
• Temperature 2-8°C with possible freezer.
• Freeze-Free® technology to ensure vaccines are never exposed to harmful sub-zero temperatures.
• Grade A User-Independent freezer protection (UIFP)
• Completely battery free, with plug-and-play connectors for easy installation
• Environmentally friendly: R600a refrigerant with low global-warming potential and innovative insulation technology, giving exceptional energy efficiency.

The antivenom and fridges are key items that donors have funded through this page, and we want to thank everyone for their support of this truly life-saving initiative.

Simultaneously, we are aiming to build the first 'Living Pharmacy' in the village of Maronal, which had been delayed to political tensions and insecurity in the region. This concept we’ve had several questions on and Mr. Tadzio Mac Gregor, the other co-founder of The Javari Project, shared the following to further explain this deliverable:

• A pharmacy aimed towards solemnly preserving the traditional plant-based practices of medicine created by the community.
• To conserve the value and authenticity of the skills and knowledge to create plant-based medicine.
• Creating awareness of the importance of the resources needed from the rainforest to maintain and protect these practices.

In other news, we are very pleased to announce the first advocate of The Javari Project and it is a name many will recognise… Ms. Bianca Jagger.

As always, we want to end with a special thank you to our community for their ongoing support.  We’re very excited to share soon photos of the delivery of the solar fridges and the antivenom supplies!