Doing my assigned summer reading for this trip, I often find myself short of breath from excitement. Those of you who know me are probably laughing to yourselves right now, because you know how nerdy I get about what I do. Life and cycles, flow and flux, push and pull- the miracle of it all. Especially since these places look like heaven on earth. If anyone is interested in being REALLY involved in my journey, you can join our Antioch Education Abroad book club and read our required reading too! A Neotropical Companion; an introduction to the animals, plants, & ecosystems of the new world tropics by John Kricher (sounds fun right?). Well, as fun as it may or may not sound, many of you would much rather get my version.
-Portions of the site descriptions in this text have been borrowed from Frommer's Comprehensive Travel Guide to Brazil, A Neotropical Companion, and various websites.
Primeiro,
Our journey begins at the Salto Morato Reserve, in Paraná. Just to give you a better idea about the geographical location, here is a lovely map:
Fig. 1. Map of the states and capitols of Brazil
Lovely, just like I promised! Paraná is the pink state in the south.
The Salto Morato Reserve protects 1700ha of Atlantic Coastal Forest and is founded and supported by O Boticário, a large Brazilian cosmetics company committed to conservation and sustainability (so cool right). We students will be working with plant ecologists onsite in their studies of managed secondary succession (previously grazed by water buffalo). Other topics included are vertebrate ecology and conservation and we get to learn from the Reserve Director about the implementation of a new local community governance for conservation units. This first site excites me a lot because it directly involves many topics I am interested in- land tenure, resources management and sustainability. I love that this site was founded by a cosmetics company- proving that corporations CAN be committed to sustainability, and make it work.
Salto Morato Reserve
After approximately a week on the reserve we will then stay in our "home-base" city, so to say, of Curitiba, Paraná (see Fig. 1). Here is where our partnered universities are located and where we will be doing our home stays! Curitiba is considered the ecological capitol of Brazil: waste is recycled, urban planning is implemented to solve problems in a rapidly growing city, and they have great public transportation. Through our program we will be taking portuguese classes here, doing a capoeira workshop, and several other cultural activities. This is also where I totally plan on celebrating my birthday- 19 is going out with a bang! Luckily I have a partner in crime, another student is celebrating her birthday on Sept. 1st, so watch out Curitiba- we certainly have high hopes for you.
Nighttime in Curitiba
Montanha Beija-Flor Reserve is another Atlantic Coastal forest in Paraná. This is a highly endangered tropical rainforest whose original coverage has been reduced by 95%. This site is especially important in exploring the topics of biodiversity loss and sustainable development. This and many other similar sites are examples of how political, economic and social issues considerations are all part of environmental protection. Here we will spend a week exploring the rainforest coastal mountains. I really don't know how coastal this will be- but here is a photo from a past Antioch trip:
Atlantic Forest
Hopefully eventually we will be on the beach!
Next, the place I am most excited for...
Foz do Iguaçu
Breathtaking. Powerful. Beautiful. Frightening. Wonderful. Inspiring.
The name comes from the Tupi words y (water) and ûasú (big). Basically, these falls make Niagra look like a dripping faucet. The river Iguaçu flows from a high coastal plateau and mergest with the Paraná and Plata rivers. The final stretch forms the boarder of Argentina and Brazil, and is part of one of the largest and best-protected national parks. The Iguaçu widens to a span of about 2 miles, then the water pours over a 200-ft cliff, crashing down on the rocks below. This is by far my most anticipated site. I am not going to even try to predict what this experience will be like, or how it will feel. I do know that this is probably going to be one of the most incredible sights of my LIFE, something few people will get to experience. AND I WILL BE THERE. Wow. It's all I can say. Just. Wow.
Salvador, Bahia
Civilization- at last! I have heard nothing but amazing things about Salvador. It is a rich and colorful city, and I am so sad that we will only be spending a few days there! Not only is it incredibly historical, but also thoroughly modern! The city is especially known for it's African influience in the culture and cuisine. The city itself is stretched along the coastline; finally some beaches. (See fig. 1, large green state in the northeast). I am so excited to try the food here, and from what I have read, the funk music is off the hook in Bahia. Looks like I am going to have to get out and do some dancing here!
Brasilia
The capital and almost dead center of Brazil. Here we are going to visit the national headquarters of The Nature Conservancy! We won't be seeing much of the city because we immediately go to O Cerrado, a neotropical savanna- where we will be doing student driven field observations and formulating hypotheses about the reserve and local effects. This begins our move out of civilization and into the heart of darkness as we travel to the remote city of Santarém, Pará (green state in the North) only accessable by plane or boat. The town was first a Jesuit mission located on the convergence of the Tapajos waters and the great Amazon River. This site will highlight the difficulty in balancing growth and conservation, as this area struggles with a growing population and a growing need for financial foundations. The surrounding rainforest is being slowly chipped away to make room for soybean fields.
But this city is only the midway stop on our way to Manaus, Amazonias (HUGE orange state. This is the real deal everyone- the AMAZON). Staying in a nearby forest we will be learning about selective logging and research on the local impact. Manaus is built on the bank of the Rio Negro, right as it joins the Amazon River. The name Rio Negro means black river, and the waters really are a transparent black, like tea. This is because the waters of the Rio Negro leach nutrients and vegetation from sandy clearings in the north. The incomplete breakdown of phenol-containing contains humic acid as well as other micronutrients that give the river a unique color, while at the same time completely clear! Joining the sediment filled Amazon, these two rivers go for miles without completely mixing- creating this look:
So cool!
Pantanal, Mato Grosso
In the (fig. 1) purple state of Mato Grosso is the Pantanal, a vast wildlife preserve- O Grande Pantanal ("The Great Wetlands"). This preserve stretches about 400 miles long and 200 miles wide. Like the Amazon, it is a great basin that drains many rimvers en route to the Atlantic Ocean. This huge plain contains swamps and grasslands and contains so many animals! Giant otters, jaguars, monkeys... you name it! Here we will learn about natural history, local birds, and plant communities.
After this each of us will be arranged with an internship where we will be helping out with research of some sort (all yet to be determined). At the end of this we will be returning to Curitiba for a few days and some goodbyes to our friends...
But my adventure will be far from over as I move into Petrópolis with my cousin and grandpa! So much is yet to be decided about my time with them, where all I will go and what there is to do. But what I do know is:
I have an awesome backpack, a taste for adventure, and friends all around Brazil. I guess I will just have to find out!!
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