SYMPOSIUM ON SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN AMAZONAS STRENGHTHENS UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE LINKAGES WITH UNIVERSITIES AND GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS IN MANAUS, BRAZIL
Submitted by: Gary Linn, Tennessee Partners Alexandre Rivas, UFAM and Piatam Institute Teresa Moody, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
An historic symposium in Manaus, Brazil, March 27 - 29, brought together over 250 academicians, government officials, and business and community leaders who presented research and projects addressing the themes of sustainable economic development and adaptation to climate change in Amazonas. This path breaking event was sponsored by Partners of the Americas, Federal University of Amazonas, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UT-K), Amazonas Court of Auditors, Piatam Institute, State University of Amazonas (UEA), Federal Research Institute in the Amazon (INPA), Governor of Amazonas, and Mayor of Manaus. In Manaus, Professor Alex Rivas, from the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM) and Dr. Julio Pinheiro of the Amazonas Court of Auditors were the key organizers of the event while Professor Donald Hodges of the University of Tennessee (UT) and Dr. Gary Linn of the Tennessee Partners worked closely with them in obtaining additional resources for the conference and bringing participants from the United States to the three-day event. The Symposium showed that the research and teaching linkages between UT-Knoxville and UFAM, INPA, and other institutions in Manaus, which were initially established with the assistance of Partners of the Americas in the 1970s and 1980s, have been revitalized. The process of interinstitutional revitalization was begun by Tennessee Partners leaders Drs. Hugo Sandoval and Gary Linn in the summer of 2010 in meetings with UT Administrators and Professors. There were 48 presentations on March 27 and 28, and many presenters joined Prof. Alex Rivas on March 29 for a boat tour on the Rio Negro where they visited several communities with economic development programs and spent the night at the Pousada do Garrido located on a bluff overlooking the river. A sample of the informative presentations includes Maria Forsberg (UEA), "Biological Invasions and Their Risks for Amazonian Biodiversity;" Chris Clark (UT) "Consumer and Producer Preferences For Conservation-Oriented Production Practices;" Marcelo Dinz (Univ. of Para) "Biodiversity, Ecosystem Goods and Services: A Strategy to Fight Poverty in the Amazon Region;" Alexandre Rivas, (UFAM and Piatam Institute) "Care and Save, Environmental Protection and Research;" and Katia Schweickardt (Municipality of Manaus) "Opportunities for Research in Protected Areas in the Region of Manaus." The following pictures recorded some of the activities of the Symposium.
UT Professor Robert Trigano discusses biotechnology and plant breeding
UT Professor Dr. Don Hodges presents a slide on forest, wildlife, and fisheries programs at UT-Knoxville
INPA International Director Dr. Niwton Filho and INPA Researcher Dr. Carlos Bueno conduct a meeting on research collaboration with UT faculty
UFAM Professor Alexandre Rivas, Amazonas Court of Auditors Director, Dr. Julio Pinheiro, Tennessee Partners President, Dr. Gary Linn, and UT Professor Don Hodges joined Brazilian and Tennessee Conference Participants in a Symposium closing picture.
The Symposium concluded with a comprehensive action plan involving UT-Knoxville, Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), Federal Research Institute in the Amazon (INPA), Amazonas Court of Auditors (TCE), State University of Amazonas (UEA), and Tennessee Chapter of the Partners of the Americas. Key topics in the Action Plan are research and education projects on woods, tropical plants and disease, fisheries and soils, and smart cities. Also, the plan emphasized the importance of Portuguese and English language training; faculty, student and staff exchanges; and education and research support to the city (Manaus) and state (Amazonas) administrations. The link below opens to a news article about the Symposium published by the Amazonas Research Foundation. Embedded in the story is a second link (Aqui), which opens to information (in English) on key sponsors of the symposium and the symposium agenda. http://www.fapeam.am.gov.br/pesquisadores-dos-eua-e-do-amazonas-debatem-sobre-meioambiente-em-simposio-no-tce/ Following the Symposium, Professor Alex Rivas traveled up the Rio Negro with many of the presenters from UT-Knoxville making site visits to communities that had sustainable economic
development projects. They spent the night at the Pousada do Garrido, which is located on a bluff overlooking the river. The following pictures were taken during the river site visits:
Professors Heather Young-Kelly, Siqun Wang, Chris Clark and other UT Faculty enjoy a boat ride up the Rio Negro for community site visits.
Professor Alex Rivas (UFAM) guides the boat through a tributary of the Rio Negro. UT Faculty and Pousada do Garrido host, Roberto Brito, are aboard.
Professor Juan-Jurat-Fuents (UT) and Roberto Brito, pose for a picture at the Pousada do Garrido