Project in progress | Community Development
Projeto Pique
Location
The Reserva Extrativista Rio Unini (RESEX) is a Sustainable Use Conservation Unit created in 2006 upon request from communities surrounding the river, located on the right bank of the Rio Negro.
The Unini River has a consolidated territorial situation, as it is surrounded by the Unini RESEX on the north bank, the Jaú National Park on the south bank and the Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Amanã to the southwest. Furthermore, it makes up the Lower Rio Negro Mosaic of Protected Areas, the Central Amazon Corridor and the Central Amazon Biosphere Reserve.
Species: Copaíba
(Copaifera sp.)
Copaiba is a tree native to the Amazon, comprising more than 28 species within the genus, 16 of which are endemic to Brazil.
The management of Copaiba occurs within natural populations, utilizing pre-established community or family trails. The oleoresin is extracted from the trunk using an auger, typically at chest height, reaching toward the center of the stem. When the oil becomes visible, a pipe is inserted into the hole, and the oil is collected using hoses attached to gallon jugs or sanitized PET bottles.
Copaiba (Copaifera spp.) gained recognition worldwide due to the oil extracted from its trunk, renowned for its diverse applications stemming from its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antimicrobial properties, as well as its use as a fragrance fixative.
Community history
The project beneficiaries include 60 COOMARU members, comprising men, women, and young extractivists involved in collecting or processing Copaiba. These individuals reside in communities primarily situated along the channels of the Unini River, an area encompassed by three (03) Conservation Units, significantly impacting approximately 200 families (900 people).
Established in 2012, COOMARU aimed to foster the economic development of the Unini River. The Extractive Pacts formed between COOMARU, other organizations, and communities from various river channels enhance regional economies and enhance the quality of commercial relations within the value chain.
Currently, COOMARU plays a pivotal role in fortifying the Amazon Chestnut value chain in the Rio Negro, holding significant potential for generating income and fostering socioeconomic development in the region. However, diversifying extractive production is crucial to access new markets and ensure greater income security for communities.
Regarding Copaiba, there's a demand to establish a community-managed trail, uniting producers from three (03) major communities into a multi-use trail meticulously planned and equipped with cutting-edge methodologies for non-timber forest management.
Currently in there exists small, decentralized family trails along the river channel for Copaiba extraction. However, each family operates independently, making decentralized organization and planning challenging. Introducing and implementing a community trail could significantly bolster the collective activities of Unini River communities, akin to the impact witnessed in the chestnut processing process.
Historical impacts:
1990 – Creation of the Vitória Amazônica Foundation
2007 – Construction of the Castanha da Amazônia processing plant, in 2007 and organization of the Unini chestnut trees in the community of Patauá, RESEX of the Unini river
2012 – Creation of the Mixed Agroextractive Cooperative of Rio Unini – COOMARU
2022 - Formalization of Boticário’s support for the Pique Project.
The project
The Pique Project aims to support the implementation of a pilot trail along the Unini River Resex (Barcelos/AM) for the collective management of copaiba (Copaifera sp.), along with the processing and commercialization of the oil by the Rio Unini Mixed Agroextractive Cooperative - COOMARU.
Through the investment in activating the collective trail for copaiba extraction, it will be possible to centralize investments, constructing an efficient structure with cutting-edge methodologies accessible to all members for utilization.
Project activities
Carry out a planned pique (trail), structured with access infrastructure and production flow, operated collectively by COOMARU
Mapping with aerial images (UAV) will be carried out to identify copaíba trees and topographic survey to plan collective collection trails. If the opening of the collective trail proves to be impraticable, whether for reasons of access and operation or availability of copaíba trees, the project will start supporting the extraction of oil from existing family piques.
Train extractors for the managed collection of copaíba oil in the Unini River
Training will be offered to extractors and the exchange of knowledge in identification, management and good practices in the extraction of copaíba oil, ensuring the qualification of the workforce and the implementation of sustainable oil collection practices.
Produce 1000 liters of oil and sell them through COOMARU
Equipment and material kits will be procured for collecting, storing, and transporting the oil, along with materials for decantation and product quality control. COOMARU will handle the sales in collaboration with FVA, which will offer administrative, accounting, commercial, and legal guidance to the cooperative. Initially, oil production will be conducted experimentally in Novo Airão and Manaus. The potential for commercializing the product to more established customers and markets will be evaluated based on the final quality of the product extracted from the Unini River.
Realization
Grupo Boticário
One of the largest beauty groups in the world, Grupo Boticário is a Brazilian company present in 50 countries. It owns the brands O Boticário, Eudora, Quem Disse, Berenice?, BeautyBox, Vult, O.u.i, Dr. JONES, Truss and the Beleza na Web marketplace, in addition to working with licensed products such as Australian Gold and its division for the B2B market. This interaction between different brands, assets, platforms, network of franchisees, representatives, distributors, retailers, sellers and suppliers forms the beauty ecosystem of Grupo Boticário, which also offers digital business management solutions for Brazilian retail through its brands Mooz, Casa Magalhães and GAVB. There are more than 15 thousand direct employees, with more than 4 thousand points of sale in 1,780 Brazilian cities.
Guided by responsible action towards the planet, society and consumers, the company has ESG embedded in its business model. By 2030, the Group plans to expand the positive impact on society through waste management with the “A Beauty of the Future” platform, which brings together ambitious commitments focused on the human, environmental dimensions and our production processes.
The history of Grupo Boticário began in 1977 in a small compounding pharmacy in Paraná and today it combines laboratory, factory, innovation, technology, logistics, marketing and retail, in an ecosystem of 64 thousand retail points of sale, partners and suppliers. The company also operates on environmental, social and cultural fronts and has operations with Fundação Grupo Boticário and Instituto Grupo Boticário. Find out more at www.grupoboticario.com.br
Fundação Vitória Amazônica
Organização da sociedade civil sem fins lucrativos que atua há 30 anos com inovação socioambiental em diferentes escalas na Amazônia. Desenvolve projetos nas áreas de pesquisa, organização social, educação, desenvolvimento socioeconômico, de políticas públicas, com foco na solução de problemas locais e regionais a partir de iniciativas sustentáveis, voltadas para a construção de um modelo alternativo de desenvolvimento na região amazônica.
VBIO.eco
Bioeconomy platform that enables projects to value Brazilian biodiversity. It has a multidisciplinary team with more than 12 years of experience in project management and corporate communication. Its work has already enabled the operation of 23 projects to enhance biodiversity and created a network of more than 500 organizations and companies active in the socio-environmental cause.
