Final Report

Chico Mendes Trail Technical Visit

Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, , 27-29 March and 10-12 May 2018

Report by:

Jim Barborak, Ryan Finchum, and Jim Upchurch

A collaboration of: USAID FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

Center for Protected Area Management StateUniversity *�;­ • Colorado ICMliaP·INSTITUTOCHICO MEN� y-­ D MMA ff • Table of Contents

3 Summary 3 Acknowledgements 4 Background 4 Long Distance Trails 5 Community-based Tourism 6 Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve 7 Proposed Trail Route 9 Technical Visit Descriptions 17 Observations and Lessons Learned 19 Recommendations for Follow-up Action 21 Appendix A: Participants and Support Team 24 Appendix B: Photos

2 Summary

Between March and May 2018, two technical field visits were made to the state of Acre, in the southwestern portion of the Brazilian Amazon basin, to the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve and surrounding area. The field visits were made by central office and field personnel from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), Colorado State University, the US Forest Service, and the State of Acre Tourism Agency. The goal of the technical visits was to bring together a small group of experts to assess success and challenges to date with the Chico Mendes Trail initiative, a 90 km long-distance trail through the reserve and to nearby communities and to provide recommended actions to further consolidate the trail initiative and promote associated community-based tourism.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank our hosts from ICMBio and the state government of Acre who accompanied us, provided vital information before and during our visits, related the history of the Chico Mendes Trail initiative, and were excellent traveling companions. We would also like to thank the local community members who accompanied us on field trips and provided valuable historical insights and recommendations on the development of the Chico Mendes Trail based on their deep knowledge and history of Acre, its people and its resources. We would like to thank the Brazil program of the US Agency for International Development and the US Forest Service International Programs, specifically U, for USFS Brazil program managers, for their financial support of efforts to promote expanded outdoor recreation and community-based tourism opportunities in protected areas and local communities of the Amazon basin of Brazil.

3 Background

The Partnership for the Conservation of Amazon Biodiversity is a multi-year technical collaboration program between the US and Brazilian governments that is financially supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The partnership’s main objective is to strengthen biodiversity conservation efforts in protected areas of the Brazilian Amazon. The technical implementers are the US Forest Service and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation. One of the areas of implementation is the strengthening of protected area public use programs throughout the Amazon basin.

This report summarizes a series of technical visits to the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve to provide technical assistance in the development of community-based tourism initiatives that uses long-distance trails as a means for providing visitors the opportunity to experience the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve while also supporting sustainable livelihood activities and diversification of income sources.

The specific objectives of the two technical visits included:

1. Review the history, design and development of the Chico Mendes Trail 2. Meet with individuals that have played a key role in the development of the Chico Mendes Trail concept 3. Visit the main access routes to the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve and that connect historic sites near the reserve and that tell the story of Chico Mendes and the struggle of the Acre rubber tappers 4. Visit community member homes located within or adjacent to protected areas and experience the way of life with community members 5. Visit existing tourism destinations and services near the RESEX and in the capital city of Rio Branco and other urban centers near the RESEX and the proposed trail route 6. Visit a segment of the trail as currently planned 7. Provide a summary assessment of potential ways and means to build on achievements to date and further consolidate the Chico Mendes Trail and the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve as tourism destinations with a focus on community-based tourism

Long-distance Trails

A long-distance trail is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural landscapes, often at least partially within protected areas, used for non-motorized recreational walking, backpacking, cycling, horseback riding, or, in colder climates, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Many aquatic trails for use by kayaks and canoes also use both natural bodies of fresh and salt water

4 or the routes of man-made canals. In some nations, motorized means of transportation are also allowed, such as off-highway vehicles, electric bikes, and motorized boat and jeep transportation. Such routes are usually marked and identified on maps. While there are also many shorter loop and spur trails within parks, trails are usually described as "long-distance" if it takes the average user more than one day to travel from end to end. Typically, a "long- distance" trail, way or path will be at least 50 km (30 mi) long. Some in Britain are several hundred miles long, and many in the US, continental Europe and New Zealand are much longer.

In some countries, such as in much of Europe, where trail users can traverse private land if they respect crops, livestock, fences and gates, trails often traverse large areas of private lands. In the Western Hemisphere, however, private landowners have the right to prevent public access in most cases and thus, long distance trails primarily are found in publicly owned protected areas and waterways or on rights-of-way and easements when on private lands.

While many long-distance trails, some of thousands of kilometers in length, cross Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, and the US official national trail system is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018, their development in Latin America in general is more recent. There have been bold efforts, currently on hold, to build a trail system the length of Chile (Sendero de Chile), more successful efforts to build shorter trails in the Argentinian portion of Patagonia, and successful efforts to develop multi-day trekking routes along the Inca Trail in Peru and at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. A proposal has also been made for a Mesoamerican Trail linking parks and reserves from Panama to southern Mexico, but only the Panamanian portion has been totally mapped out and even in that case development is in its infancy. However, there are currently efforts underway to build a national long-distance trail system in Brazil, consisting of several major long-distance routes such as the Carioca Trail in Rio de Janeiro, a longer Mata Atlantica Trail system that would incorporate the Carioca Trail, a coastal route along the entire Brazilian Atlantic coast, and several trails along major mountain ranges, such as the Mantiquera Range trail system. See https://www.facebook.com/notes/sistema-brasileiro-de-trilhas/sistema-brasileiro- de-trilhas for more information on current efforts to develop long-distance trails in Brazil.

Community-based Tourism

Community-based tourism is a type of tourism in which local residents, who are often rural, poor and economically marginalized, welcome national and international tourists to their communities and nearby protected areas and cultural heritage sites. The visiting national and international tourists and travelers can have safe, authentic and memorable experiences while they learn first-hand about communities’ ways of life and local heritage while mindful of their social, economic, and environmental impacts on the destination they are visiting. Usually, community members provide overnight accommodations, meals and guide services in the communities and to nearby attractions such as protected areas, archaeological and historical sites and to learn about the local culture. Community residents earn income working for

5 conservation and tourism agencies and enterprises, as owners and employees in restaurants, hotels and gift shops, through sales of agricultural, fisheries and artisanry products, and through provision of tourism services such as transportation for visitors and construction and maintenance tasks associated with tourism. Often, enterprises and services are undertaken not just by individuals or family-based enterprises but also by cooperatives and associations to promote broad community benefits. Some of the best examples involve public-private partnerships between communities and government conservation and tourism agencies, or with experienced and well-capitalized outside tourism entrepreneurs who bring capital as well as marketing and entrepreneurial skills to complement what the communities can offer.

Such tourism is meant to diversify and improve rural livelihoods, reduce poverty, and empower local communities and marginalized sectors, often in regions that have limited economic opportunities but are rich in natural and cultural attractions. These communities are often located within extractive reserves and other types of protected areas and indigenous territories or in buffer zones and corridors near important parks and reserves. Successful development of community-based tourism faces many challenges. Where it works best, community-based tourism complements but does not replace traditional activities. Particularly when attempted in communities with limited prior involvement in tourism, it requires patience, perseverance, capacity building, technical and financial assistance, attention to distribution of benefits, strengthening of local institutions and public services, marketing, and strong partnerships with conservation and development agencies, outside tourism entrepreneurs, and among diverse stakeholders in local communities.

Like other countries in Latin America, Brazil has embarked on efforts to promote more community-based tourism, both with investments from the federal and state governments and support from several national and international conservation and development agencies. Over the past five years, for example, ICMBio, with support from USAID and the US Forest Service International Programs, has organized five annual seminars on tourism in protected areas in the Amazon, culminating in May 2018 with the fifth seminar in Rio Branco, Acre. There was considerable enthusiasm among community tourism pioneers that were present, academics, state and federal conservation and tourism agency staff, and tour operators, and a groundswell of support for expanding community-based tourism, often done in and on the periphery of protected natural areas, as a tool for community development and livelihood diversification and enhancement in Acre and other states in the Brazilian portion of the Amazon basin.

The Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve

The Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve was created in 1990. It has an area of 970,570 hectares— larger than Yellowstone National Park in the USA. The extractive reserve management category in Brazil allows communities inside their limits to continue to maintain traditional lifestyles and productive activities and to have a say in reserve management. The reserve is located near the border with Bolivia and Peru in the southwestern portion of the Brazilian Amazon in the state of Acre, one of the least developed in Brazil. The reserve forms part of seven municipalities of Acre: Rio Branco, Capixaba, Assis, Brasileia, Epitaciolandia, Xapuri and .

6 Figure 1. Map of the location of the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve. Gray is South America; dark green indicates the Amazon basin; light green shows the state of Acre; and the darkest green within the map of Acre shows the area of the extractive reserve. Source: http://blogdescalada.com/trilha-chico-mendes-o-trekking-de-90-km-em-reserva-extrativista- do-acre

In 2010 an initiative was launched by ICMBio to create the Chico Mendes Trail which was initially planned for 90Km within the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve (RESEX Chico Mendes). The goal was to allow visitors to learn about protected reserves and the legacy of Chico Mendes and the story of the struggle of the Acre rubber tappers and their efforts to safeguard their extractive activity-based culture that relies on sustainable extraction of forest products such as rubber, Brazil nuts and other timber and non-timber forest products. The Chico Mendes Trail Initiative was also included within a larger nationwide initiative called “Ten Peaks, Ten Trails” launched by ICMBio in 2017 to celebrate its tenth anniversary and to promote more trekking and long-distance trails in the country. In general, there has been a major push towards creating several new long-distance trails in Brazil, though many are in drier and more montane landscapes, and in the more densely populated regions of eastern and southeastern Brazil.

Proposed Trail Route

There have been several different proposed routes and starting points for the Chico Mendes Trail. One proposed journey departs from the city of Xapuri, Acre, 183 km from the capital city of Acre, Rio Branco, crucial to the story of the life and struggles of Chico Mendes and the Acre rubber tappers, and central to the story of the state of Acre and the so-called Acre Revolution. Near Xapuri are several important zones for rubber extraction along the trail.

7 The main proposed trail route, though relatively flat, is in the Amazonian lowlands. Temperature and humidity are high, and heat exhaustion and the need for constant hydration make the trail a challenge despite the lack of high altitude or difficult descents and ascents. Since much of the trail route is in areas where residents have domestic livestock, particularly cattle, and there is a mix of mature and second growth forest, small cultivated and agroforestry plots, and pastures, biting insects and ticks are also dominant. In the wet season, since locals use oxen, horses and off-road, all-terrain vehicles to access their properties, the trail can become a muddy morass, limiting its viability and reducing the number of months when it can be easily traversed by a wider segment of potential visitors. Access to toilets, potable water, phone and Internet service is also limited, as well as hygienic places where travelers could spend the night at least under a tin or thatch roof to get out of tropical downpours and away from biting insects. The number of small stores where basic supplies can be obtained is also very limited which means travelers needs to carry most of their needs on their backs.

The trail has initially been envisioned as something that could be done over an approximately eight-day period. One such route is as follows:

1. Day 1 – Xapuri – Fonte de Água. At this place there is a water source and hikers can fill their canteens and have access to water 2. Day 2 – Fonte de água – Colocação “Os Quatro” – Here there is a shelter where hikers can pitch tents and camp in the house of Sebastião e Luziane 3. Day 3 – Colocação “Os Quatro” – Seringal Filipinas – Here there is another place where hikers can rest, find shelter and pass the night 4. Day 4 – Seringal Filipinas – Igarapé – This is one of the more natural portions of the trail where there is a stream with clear water and the chance to camp in a natural setting 5. Day 5 – Igarapé – Escola Chico Mendes e Barracão – Here there is also a roofed shelter 6. Day 6 – Escola Chico Mendes e Barracão – Comunidade 5 de agosto – Here there is a shelter for organized camping and the only one along the route with electricity 7. Day 7 – Comunidade 5 de agosto – Seu Jerônimo – Here there is also a site to camp at the house of local inhabitants Jeronimo and Rosa 8. Day 8 – Seu Jerônimo – Polo Wilson Pinheiro or to Janiral – This is the final day of the trek. There are two options; one is to go out to Brasileia from Polo Wilson Pinheiro and the other, which is more strenuous, is to go out on the Janiral side road.

The trail officially exists, a number of local residents along the route have agreed to serve as camp hosts and guides, and the trail route has even been marked using ICMBio’s standard trail signs. However, the truth is that to date, very few individuals have hiked the entire trail, even if it has been publicized on web sites and in a number of articles. Staff turnover, lack of dedicated funds, and very low staff levels of ICMBio in the reserve and in Acre, coupled with limited investment funds from state and local government entities and little investment in capacity development of local partners or a major marketing push, have all contributed to the lack of impetus of the Chico Mendes Trail initiative.

8 Technical Visit Descriptions

Unfortunately, during the two technical visits undertaken by our team in March and May 2018, because of time limitations, coupled by heavy rains and flooded access routes, we were not able to complete the entire trekking trail route. During the March visit we were restricted to hiking short segments in the case of the March visit. During the May visit, we focused primarily on other attractions and access points in the general vicinity of the proposed trail route along the main highway from Rio Branco to the Peru border. A description of the two technical visit follows.

March 27-29, 2018 Visit

Our trip began in the City of Rio Branco, State of Acre on March 27th early in the morning. Due to the wet conditions on the access roads to the reserve we had to borrow 2 ATVs from another extractive reserve in Acre to ensure access to the reserve and to community residents that serve as local food and housing providers along the trail. After rigging up our ATVs to our two 4x4 trucks, we headed out on the road towards Brasileia. Just beyond Brasileia we pulled over along a small side street and off loaded the ATVs. It took some time to securely pack all our equipment, water, food, bags, and other supplies on the ATVs and arrange for 5 people to ride the 2 ATVs.

Our first segment on the secondary roads brought us into the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve at its closest location to the main southern highway in Acre that connects the State Capital of Rio Branco with Bolivia and Peru. After passing through a short segment of the reserve we arrived the home of a private property owner, Senhor Dimas. Senhor Dimas has a demonstration farm that produces considerable quantities of freshwater fish in a series of controlled, stocked fish ponds. Being close to the main highway and a short drive to Brasileia, he can sell his products, access outside support, and is accessible from the outside throughout the year. Late we found out that the situation for others who live in the heart of the reserve is considerably different. Senhor Dimas’ daughter came out from the nearby city to help provide the lunch service. This property is not currently located along any specific segment of the Chico Mendes trail, but it did hold considerable promise as a potential site for future inclusion in regional tourism development efforts. We did find out that other more traditional RESEX local community members are not as keen to have Senhor Dimas included along the trail due to his access to external resources and support and the fact that he doesn’t truly live a traditional, extractive lifestyle. From a tourism perspective however, the food was high-quality, the facilities and installation were of good quality (while still being rustic and fitting in with the environment), and there were a considerable number of activities that could be undertaken on-site by visitors.

After lunch we departed for a long trip to our overnight accommodation at Senhor Andres’ house. This included driving an initial segment of 10 km along the main paved

9 highway on ATVs. There are consider risks to driving ATVs along this major highway that need to be taken into consideration in any future route plans. After 10km we turned north onto another secondary road that leads off of the major highlight into the RESEX. About halfway to Senhor Andres’ house, we stopped off at another community- members house that has provided meals to visitors in the past. It would be possible to consider linking this part of the trail with Senhor Dimas. One of the problems that we encountered is that often the segments between local community members homes is either on the short side (4-5 km) or on the long side (18-23 km) making it difficult to structure the relatively equal days of reasonable hiking distances, especially considering the extreme humidity and temperatures during parts of the year.

We continued on to Senhor Andres’s house, arriving right at sunset. This segment was a total of approximately 40 km. Once at the house we set up our sleeping arrangements which were in hammocks or on the floor, either on the deck of the house or in the living room. We had dinner, were offered the opportunity to bathe at a very basic bathing spot right next to a small pond that was full of crocodiles (caiman). It was a basic bucket bath system. The conditions of Senhor Andres’s house were not up to what would be considered a minimally acceptable level of hygiene and service for most travelers. It was an authentic community-based tourism experience, but some level of minimum standard should be defined. Sleep was hard to come by with the constant barking of dogs, buzzing insects, aggressive cats, and roosters calling throughout the night. The bathroom facilities were hard for visitors to access as you had to go through the house, kitchen, chicken coop, and pigpen to access the facilities. We were served water without knowing about the quality of the water or any filtration system that they might be using. We spent the night of March 27th at Senhor Andres’ house.

The following morning, we packed up our stuff, tied our larger packs back onto the ATVs, had breakfast, and started the 18km hike. We decided to hike one of the full day segments of the trail to get a feeling for the distance, trail condition, signage, etc. Senhor Anacleto has his older son hike over to Senhor Andres’ house the night before to accompany us on the hike to their house. This was a good idea since there are many spots along the trail where the signage is not clear. The RESEX director, , a volunteer for the RESEX, decided to drive the ATVs around to the site of the next night’s stay to haul our equipment and water while the rest of us (3 + Senhor Anacleto’s son) hiked for the day. This enabled us to just carry water, snacks, and what we needed in our day packs to lighten our load.

The trail conditions varied considerable throughout the day. Some segments were completely underwater. Other segments simply merged with the rural roads used by cattle and horseback. Finally, other segments were beautiful forest paths, separated from the rural roads and cattle, and clearly designed for hiking. These segments were the shortest part of the day but the most enjoyable by far. Much of the day was out in the open in very sunny pastures with lots of cattle (and subsequently we found out, full of ticks!).

10 In the early afternoon we stopped off at a local community member’s house for water and a rest on their wooden deck. We were around 12 km in and had approximately 6 km left to go. After the break, Senhor Anacleto’s son jumped on a motorcycle he stashed on his way to Senhor Andres’ house and took off. We were initially concerned that we might not find the right path or get lost. After about another hour of hiking on our own, our young guide showed back up with a makeshift truck to haul us for the remaining 4-5 km. It was a great relief as it was extremely hot, and we were getting quite tired and running out of water.

After a 20-minute drive we arrived at Senhor Anacleto’s house. We set up our hammocks and indoor tents/sleeping pads. The space provided for the visitor was a substantial step above what we found at Senhor Andres’ house. There was a separate, large space for visitors, accommodating comfortably up to 8 visitors. There was a separate, but close and easy to access bathroom with running water and a sit-down toilet. The water was cold, and the conditions were still quite basic, but they are adequate and comfortable. Senhor Anacleto provides a nice example of what the basic conditions for a visitor stay should/could look like. We spent the afternoon walking around the property and visiting his pasture and crops. In the evening Senhor Anacleto told stories about his early days fighting for the rights of the rubber tappers. He was a contemporary of Chico Mendes and wrote a poem about Chico that he shared with us. He also had a TV and computer connected to a large car battery that he was able to fire up to show us a documentary called “The Decade of Destruction”, which was essentially a story about the rubber tapper fight leading up to the murder of Chico Mendes.

The following morning, we had a basic breakfast (fried yucca and coffee), packed up our bags and the ATVs, and then headed out with Senhor Anacleto to visit a giant fig tree on his property. We also visited a basic thatched roof outdoor area in the forest where he processes his sugar cane into sugar. We continue with some informal discussions with Senhor Anacleto about possible activities to do with visitors and then headed back to the ATVs and began the long 60 km drive back out to the main highway. We arrived back at the vehicles after 3 hours of ATV off-roading through mud that was at times ¾ of the way up our tires. We were absolutely coated from head to toe in mud. The rural landscapes are beautiful; however, we were considerably beaten up along the route. Even with the ATV’s the route is not for the faint of heart for anyone with a bad back and inability to grip onto the side of an ATV with all their strength for hours on end. Once back to the main road, we loaded the ATVs back into the back of the 4x4 trucks that were there to pick us up. We headed back into Brasileia for lunch and then continued back into Rio Branco, arriving early evening ahead of our departure for the airport. Luckily there was enough time to take a shower and a quick nap before the overnight flight out from Rio Branco to Brasilia.

11 May 10-12, 2018 Visit

Our trip began in City of Rio Branco, State of Acre. After an obligatory visit to the local Brazilian version of Costco for food, water and cash from the ATM, we headed west on Federal Highway 317. A ribbon of asphalt paved all the way to the Peruvian border, it was punctuated with enough potholes to question whether the highway receives any maintenance. Along the way is the clear evidence of what the effects of access has on the rainforest that once existed adjacent to the highway. The land has been cleared except for large Brazil Nut trees, protected by law and scattered here and there. The ubiquitous Brahma/Cebu tropical cattle herds are found at every ranch along the way. The highway eventually reaches the town of Assis, Brazil, located on the Peruvian border approximately 350 km from Rio Branco. After a late start we arrived at an alternative lunch location well into the afternoon. Lunch was provided at the Pousada Ecologica Seringal Cachoeira. This hostel is owned and operated by the State Tourism organization for the State of Acre, as several attempts to turn management over to local communities have not met with success.

After a large lunch and some short discussions with staff (we were returning to this location on another day for more extensive discussions) we gathered everyone back into the vehicles to head to our next stop which was still several hours away. We arrived late in the evening to the town of Assis, Brazil in time for dinner with our large contingent before retiring for the night.

On May 10th, we arranged a meeting at our hotel in the morning to begin our discussions on the objectives of the field trip and what we would be experiencing. We provided a ride to the Peruvian border for Marco Jordan and his associate who are working with a Peruvian Tour guide agency. They joined us for our meeting. They provided valuable insight into successful adventure type tourism that is currently being provided in Peru. Their company leads groups on multi-day camping trips into the Amazon Forests of Peru. They pack all the gear for guests and provide interpretation and guide services. These trips are quite strenuous and require good physical fitness. Because of visitor capacity issues in Peru for developing additional trips, Marco is looking to bring his expertise to western Brazil to lead similar types of trips. He has worked with CMT trail organizers on the location of the trail and proposed stops along the way. He feels that he could organize multi-day trips originating from the town of Cusco and flying guests to Puerto Maldonado and then driving to CMT trail access points. Carlos has good ideas and expertise but may not be the only qualified company that could provide these types of services.

ICMBio staff made a presentation on the work that has been accomplished since the inception of the project in 2010. They described the planning and design work that has gone into the project. Much good work has been accomplished in trail design, signing and branding of the project. Work still needs to be done on developing a comprehensive plan that encompasses the many aspects of what the CMT could become, how to work with local communities,

12 organizations and governments and overcoming obstacles related to certifications and liabilities imposed by government regulations.

ICMBio and the Acre state government had developed ambitious plans to develop the CMT route and provide stops along the route at various community members’ homes. Facilities for guests at each of these stops were designed to provide shelter for camping while still experiencing how community members lived and interacted with the Extractive Reserve. It was related to us that during the initial stages of the project, community members were supportive of the initiative and expectations were high. ICMBio staff members ran into concerns at the federal level on the adequacy of training for community members, particularly in food preparation and storage and further progress in project implementation was halted. This led to a lack of continuity in working with the communities to further the project along and it has been in limbo until now. In restarting the project additional work now needs to be done to reestablish trust with community members who may have lost their original support and enthusiasm and look at additional training that would be needed.

We discussed the distances between community members’ homes along the route, and distances from the highway to the trailheads. The most western trailhead access to begin the route is located several kilometers down an unimproved route which could take several hours from the nearest town just to get started on the trail. The logistical challenges mean that aside for the most adventurous travelers this could be a disincentive to utilize the route.

To examine other options for use of the trail, the next stop had access which was much closer to the highway. This stop was located on the property of Senhor Dimas, who had also been visited during the March trip. On his own, he has been developing facilities and services to attract tourism to his property. He has done a remarkable job of creating an attraction that includes boating, fishing, relaxing, hiking and viewing scenery along with food services. He has constructed pavilions, boat docks, trails, and landscaping that are very attractive and well built. Being closer to the highway would attract the more casual user of the CMT and allow the longer distance trail user to access the trail from his property. There is an option to construct or open an access to the main CMT from his house. It would require the consent of other community property owners who have not yet approved of a route going thru their property. We discussed incentives and hindrances to them giving approval. Using Senor Dimas’s property as a jumping off point for further exploration of the CMT would add another node to the CMT experience. It would be good to improve the access road from the main highway to his residence, as it obviously poses challenges in wet weather.

As indicated earlier, standards for food safety and sanitary food preparation were key concerns. Mr. Dimas provided a meal for us while we were visiting. Some members of the team expressed concerns about the presentation of meals and how the way that Senor Dimas and his family did this could be improved. During our stay we experienced heavy rains, and this could have contributed to the way the food was delivered. Senor Dimas appeared to have sons and a daughter helping him on his property. His daughter was very engaged and apparently is studying in an academic program with a forestry emphasis which may indicate her willingness

13 to support her father’s work in conservation and preservation. There is a concern as to whether the younger generations will continue the traditional uses such as rubber tapping, or will they look for opportunities outside of the forest environment. There are many aspects of the traditional way of life that are difficult and demanding and whether they will be embraced by the newer generations is yet to be seen.

We had the opportunity to sample the Cupuacu fruit on Senor Dimas’s property which as they say is “an acquired taste” and it is one of the “superfruits” of the Amazon Forest and has apparent health benefits for lowering blood pressure and helping the body’s immune system. The natives used it for pain relief and works as a natural anti-inflammatory.

After lunch Senor Dimas led us on a trail through the forest on his property. He has a system of trails that although wet and somewhat muddy from the recent rain were still passable, though not built by someone with trail design and maintenance training. He did veer off the main trail to “bushwhack” through the forest to show us a jaguar den. This required some scrambling through the jungle vegetation and holding on to whatever you could grab to keep from sliding down some relatively steep and muddy hillsides. It was a stereotypical jungle expedition with Senor Dimas utilizing his machete to great effect, which added to the entire experience! This was an experience that any visitor wanting a little extra challenge would have enjoyed. Later he demonstrated rubber tapping on a rubber tree next to his house.

Next stop on the tour was to head back to the Pousada Ecologica Seringal Cachoeira. At this point several members of the group broke off to attend other functions which left a core group of folks to continue with the trip. At the hostel we had a long conversation with Nielson Mendes who is a cousin to Chico Mendes. He lives close to the hostel location and has been serving as a guide to visitors to the area. Mr. Mendes recounted his experiences with Chico and the events surrounding his death. He also really wanted to talk about his guiding experiences and how important it is to have a knowledgeable and experienced guide for tourism. Some of his stories sounded a bit embellished concerning how he fended off anacondas and other dangers of the jungle, but he was quite entertaining.

After a night of torrential rain and loss of electricity we awoke for breakfast and to talk to the hostel manager. Because of the rain, that person was not available, so we met with the assistant manager, a young community member who has worked at the hostel since it opened 14 years ago. We also had with our group who works for the State’s tourism division and has been helping with activity development at the hostel including zip lines and trail development. We discussed the use of the hostel which has primarily been as a retreat for business groups from all over Brazil. While there is some local family use, it is evidently small compared to the retreat business. They said that have about 7000 visits per year. They have an array of sleeping facilities including a few private rooms, a family lodge and a bunkhouse, dorm style sleeping facility. The occupancy rate appears to be low. The facilities are well constructed but look underutilized. Access is a major issue with the facility being 16 km from the highway on a dirt road that, like others in the region, appears to have little maintenance. The drive from the hostel to the highway to Rio Branco is long and slow in wet weather.

14 Because of the government support to keep the facility running it still survives today. It has great potential to be a part of the CMT experience, but much work needs to be done to improve marketing. A web-search for the facility is difficult, there is very little information on the State Tourism website. Coordinating a web presence for the protected areas in Western Brazil that insures accurate and pertinent information would be valuable. Surprisingly, after we returned to Rio Branco the following few days, we visited the Chico Mendes Zoological Park and, on the ride over, our Uber driver that we had engaged to drive us to the park, when asked what is there to do in the Acre area besides the zoological park, mentioned the hostel and the reserve. That is a positive sign.

Other issues that were raised at our visit to the hostel included the engagement and support of the community in the operations of the hostel. While it was indicated the there was some support there was also questioning about the value of it to the community. Part of the issue of having community participation and buy-in was exemplified by the role of the assistant manager. She has been there since the beginning and has worked in all aspects of the operations. The State has brought in outside staff to fill the role of manager and there appears to be some high turnover in that position. We asked the assistant manager why she doesn’t take the manager position and she felt she wasn’t qualified nor had the desire. Other staff members felt she had all the qualifications needed and has trained managers on how to do their job. Some form of mentoring and capacity building to build up confidence in local management would be a good step forward.

Prior to leaving the area we visited the canopy tour and zipline facility. To the surprise of the staff they found that several of the platform trees had been damaged by storms or rot and had fallen into disrepair. This would be an obvious safety concern and the need for more consistent management of the facility to maintain such high-risk facilities. The canopy tour was designed to be the largest in Acre state and again has potential to add to the visitor experience but the resources that are needed to maintain and operate it are high for the current level of visitation.

After surveying the canopy tour damage, we proceeded back to the main highway and headed to the town of Xapuri. Xapuri is the town where Chico Mendes lived and was murdered. It is a small town not too far off the main highway on the “rubber trail”. Our first objective was to get to the home of , another cousin to Chico who lives 26 km outside of the town of Xapuri on very rough roads. We first had to navigate by ferry over the Xapuri river. The ferry has no charge, but the equipment looks to be ancient and reliability seems questionable. Nonetheless we crossed and headed to Senhor ’ home. Because of a mix up in scheduling, our original plans to have a meal at his house did not work out. He was expecting us on another day, thus we just arranged to meet with him and discuss his role with his cousin Chico and visit his property.

is a very remarkable man and has played a major leadership role along with his cousin in organizing the local population in protecting the rainforest and their way of life. We spent a couple of hours interviewing him and learned of the struggles that the rubber

15 tapper community members faced in the 1970s and 80’s as cattle ranchers and timber operators moved in to claim lands and start deforestation efforts. He explained that even though they had lived in these traditional communities for decades, they had no claim to ownership of the lands and were treated as squatters, peasant workers and lower class by the landowners who came in. He claimed that the landowners did not want them to become educated for fear that they would rise up against them, so they did not support any kind of educational system for them. He went on to describe the establishment of the union of rubber tappers and their struggles and efforts to protect the forests and their communities. He said it was by the grace of God that he is still alive today and he misses his cousin Chico and wished that he could see the progress that has been made since his death. He described today a very good relationship with the ICMBio staff in the co-management of the extractive reserve and which was established due to their efforts. A school was built just down the road which now provides education for local families.

After a tour of Senhor property and a rubber tapping demonstration, we headed back out on the rough and muddy road to the river ferry crossing and to the town of Xapuri. Our first stop in town was to the home of Chico Mendes. His home has been turned into a museum, still with much of the original furnishing, to show what it was like when he lived there. It has a staff person to give some minimal interpretation. The staff on call was an intern from the local university. She indicated that she had two visits that day, our group and a group of students from Rio Branco. The site of the murder is detailed in card stock hung from the ceiling which documents the moment by moment events leading up to his murder. A bullet hole and a blood stain can still be found in the door leading out of his home.

Very little interpretation or information on Chico Mendes and his efforts to preserve the forests are presented in his house. Next door is a small museum converted from a neighbor’s house which interprets the rubber tapping culture of the area. While there are some good interactive exhibits the interpretive panels are made from rubber and were very difficult to read especially with the poor lighting. Two other homes all purchased and maintained by the State of Acre were not open but had been used in the past for local handicraft display and sales and a small restaurant. The State has done a good job in preserving the historic nature of the homes, but interpretation, lighting and exhibits could be improved to describe the life and efforts of Chico Mendes and his fellow rubber tappers along with the tie into the creation of the Extractive Reserve named in his honor.

Next stop was to visit a local entrepreneur, , who has built a small hotel and restaurant in Xapuri. We had lunch with him and discussed opportunities that he could provide to visitors to the CMT. He expressed a desire to establish a river tour operation beginning in Xapuri on the Xapuri River and boating up to the trailhead of the CMT approximately 6-8 hours up river. He indicated that soon after you leave Xapuri the riverbanks have a wilderness character about them which adds to the ambience of such a river tour. If put into place he would conduct trips in motorized boats and perhaps provide for a multi-day experience by camping at or near the trailhead. Visitors could either head up the trail or return by boat. His

16 restaurant and lodging facilities could certainly add to the support needed for tourism to expand in Xapuri.

Our last stop was to visit the graveyard of Chico Mendes and pay our respects. The entire trip had his legacy has a central theme, so it was a fitting ending to the trip and then we headed back to Rio Branco. It is a relatively unassuming tomb in a local graveyard, without any interpretation other than the inscriptions on the raised tombstone.

Observations and Lessons Learned

Based on the two technical visits to the Chico Mendes trail, we have summarized our collective observations and lessons learned below:

1. ICMBio has invested in some excellent planning and design with the first iterations of the CMT proposal. Considerable efforts have also been made regarding community outreach and publicity and marketing, as witnessed by existing web links to press releases, short videos and TV segments about the trail. 2. Continued efforts to maintain and expand community buy-in, training and governmental support at federal, state and municipal level are still needed. Pilot and demonstration sites showing good practice in trail design and management and particularly in community-based tourism enterprises are particularly needed 3. Coordination and enhancement of the various experiences and opportunities that we visited are critical to make the total CMT experience one that can compete at the national scale with other opportunities in Brazil and nearby Latin American countries. 4. The focus should not just be on the actual trail itself but utilizing the trail as a thread that binds and provides a variety of recreation experiences and tourism opportunities to the visitor for the entire Acre region. Tourism agencies and chambers of commerce and tourism often use the term “route” rather than “trail” to plan and market such experiences. For example, “the route of the rubber tappers” or the “route of the extractivists” could be used and this way there would be no confusion with the name of the trail and extractive reserve. 5. The market for community-based tourism is segmented. The one size fits all philosophy does not match the needs of the varied target populations and publics that would potentially visit the trail, route and RESEX. Planning for a variety of experiences in duration, length, challenge level, transportation modalities and comfort, combined with an emphasis on the cultural history, lifestyle and ecological diversity of the area can be a model for success. 6. We were briefed on the many challenges that ICMBio has had to overcome and the efforts that have been put forth to engage communities. It appears that there is some level of community support, but also some hesitation now based on the lack of follow-through following initial engagement and outreach that will require

17 additional trust-building to move forward. The best way to maintain trust and strengthen buy-in will be to demonstrate investments with communities in training, improving basic services, and technical and financial assistance. 7. Training at all levels will need to be incorporated into the overall management plan and implementation. 8. There are several infrastructure pieces in place and tremendous natural and cultural resources available to provide an outstanding community-based experience within the Acre region. Leadership and coordination at the federal, state and community level will be needed to bring all the pieces together into a comprehensive tourism design. 9. Providing additional opportunities for private developers and tour companies to tap into the potential market will add to the capacity. Building on existing ecotourism destinations, audiences and business capacity in nearby Peru could be a market and source of Peru-Brazil business partnerships and visitors that could contribute to this effort. 10. Access and road maintenance can be limiting factors to increasing tourism. Finding ways to improve access will greatly increase the desirability and functionality of many of the places we visited. The start and end points for the trail need to be readily accessible. 11. There are already several religious pilgrimages that occur within and near the RESEX which attract thousands of pilgrims and which, like in the case of the Way of Santiago in Spain and similar spiritual pilgrimages in many nations and faith traditions, could serve to broaden interest in the trail. These include the pilgrimage associated with Santa Raimunda de Bonsuccesso each August near Assis at the Peru border, and the Sao Joao de Guarani pilgrimage in Colocacao Guarani each June. This would extend the potential trail route to around 300 km for a through journey, though shorter segments including the pilgrimage routes could be packaged and marketed separately. 12. Organization of sports events and festivals, such as an annual ultramarathon, mountain bike race, adventure race, or events on appropriate secondary roads for OHVs, ATVs and dirt bikes, would also be could ways to broaden the appeal of the initiative beyond just individuals interested in multi-day hiking treks. 13. One idea may be to put together a RFP (request for proposals), once a framework has been developed, to identify and move forward on business opportunities and new tourism attractions and activities. The more open ended such a RFP is, the greater the potential for creative input from interested organizations. Very specific requirements and specifications limits the types and potential quality of proposals. 14. Because of the seasonal nature of demand and difficulties of doing long treks during the rainy season, one alternative to keep costs in investment in permanent infrastructure low might be to use removable expedition tents and gear that can be made available seasonally along the main trail route

18 and a “glamping” approach that reduces the need for hikers to carry all their provisions on their backs. 15. Instead of having visitors walk the entire stretch of the trail, another alternative that could make it more interesting to a wider public would be to use multi-modal transport, in which visitors are transported to a starting point and from an ending point using 4 x 4s or boats, and also possibly to have some segments done on foot through the most pristine areas, and others done by ATV, mountain bikes or other means of transportation. Designing more pristine segments that can and should be done on foot is also desirable as right now much of the trail is on tracks also used at least seasonally for 4x4s, trucks, moving cows, and for horse and oxen travel. Having options for visitors to walk, but have local entrepreneurs transport their heavy gear between overnight locations, is used extensively in trekking routes in Europe and would be appropriate on the CMT. 16. In December 2015, ICMBio started a volunteer program at the CMER (see https://www.wikiparques.org/reserva-extrativista-chico-mendes-abre- inscricoes-para-voluntarios/). In most protected areas volunteers play crucial roles in trail construction and maintenance and in other aspects of public use programs, so this is a good step.

Recommendations for Follow-up Actions

Recommended follow-up actions that could help encourage the continued development and successful implementation of the Chico Mendes Trail and community-based tourism in and around the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve include the following:

1. Plan and conduct technical exchanges between the Chico Mendes Trail and the Inca (Machu Picchu, Peru) and Torres del Paine (Patagonia, Chile) trail systems 2. Organize guide training for the community members provided by the ICMBio Interpretation Core Team 3. Use the new official trail marking manual of ICMBio, just published this year, http://www.icmbio.gov.br/portal/images/stories/comunicacao/publicacoes/ publicacoes-diversas/manual de sinalizacao de trilhas ICMBio 2018.pdf to continuously improve, expand and maintain signage both along the trail and at key access points along the paved route to the south of the park and second road accesses. 4. Improve information available online about the trail route and facilities and regulations on the ICMBio web site for the CMER to improve visibility of the Chico Mendes Trail, along with road signs along main access points from the principal paved road. 5. Carry out familiarization trips in the dry season for Brazilian and international journalists and nature-based travel operators to obtain their input. This can

19 generate more press and international recognition of the tourism potential of the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve and both the main Chico Mendes Trail and a number of associated ecotourism and cultural history destinations in and near the extractive reserve that build on the legacy of Chico Mendes, the extractivist culture, and the varied attractions of the surrounding region 6. Begin marketing for mountain and e-bikes and organize pilot expeditions using both means of transport along the trail and get input from tour operators and mountain bike and e-bike user groups in Brazil 7. Coordinate, with the management authority of the Chico Mendes Environmental Park in Rio Branco, a permanent exhibit about the CMER and the Chico Mendes trail and associated tourism attractions related to the natural and cultural history of the CMER and surrounding region. 8. Take advantage of existing festivals and fairs, like the Carnival in late June and early July in Brasileia that attracts 50,000 visitors a year, the Brazil nut festival in October in Brasileia, the trinational festival in Assis in September and the Carnival in August in Xapuri to promote visits to the CMER and organize associated special events along the CMT and in the CMER. 9. Strengthen and expand the CMER volunteer program to provide training to local communities in things such as hygiene, food handling, artisanry development and diversification, production of value-added food products, English and Spanish language skills, interpretation, and basic tourism skills would be a good way to continue to build community trust and capacity. Volunteers could also help on trail and sign construction and maintenance and monitoring particularly in more pristine segments.

20 Appendix B Photos

Southern highway in the State of Acre where much of the forest has been cut down.

In between Brasileia and Assis Brazil along the southern highway.

24 rubber tapper living in the RESEX

Preparing the ATVs for secondary road travel into the RESEX

25 Practicing safety with the ATVs.

Arrival at Senhor Dimas’ house for lunch

26 Senhor Dimas’ house

27 Example of good road conditions along the secondary roads

Section of the secondary road through the forest

28 Brief visit with a local community member along the Chico Mendes trail.

Arriving at Senhor Andres' house at sunset

29 Hiking a portion of the Chico Mendes trail

Hiking a portion of the Chico Mendes trail

30 Senhor Anacleto’s son picking us up in a makeshift truck

Sleeping area at Senhor Anacletos’ house.

31 Senhor Anacleto’s wife preparing Brazil nuts

32 Listening to stories by Senhor Anacleto about the rubber tapper struggles

Watching “the decade of destruction” at Senhor Anacleto’s house

33 Senhor Anacleto’s youngest son trying out Ryan’s backpack

34 View across Senhor Anacleto’s property

35 Giant fig tree on Senhor Anacleto’s property

36 ATV after the 60km segment between Anacleto’s house and the main highway

Happy to be finished with the back-breaking segment of secondary road

37 View from the second floor of Senhor Anacleto’s house towards the forest

38 Ecologica Seringal Cachoeira Hostel

39 Discussing the original design of the Chico Mendes trail at the Peru-Brazil border town of Assis Brazil

40 Meal at Senhor Dimas’ house

41 Discussion at Senhor Dimas’ house

42 Hike to a jaguar den on Senhor Dimas’ property

43 Rubber tapping demonstration with Senhor Dimas

44 House where Chico Mendes was killed in the town of Xapuri

45 Chico Mendes grave site in the town of Xapuri

46