Sucupira Extractive Reserve
| Association of Machadinho Rubber Tappers | |
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| Associação dos Seringueiros de Machadinho | |
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IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
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Machadinho Rubber Tappers reserves
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| Nearest city | Machadinho d'Oeste, Rondônia. Brazil |
| Coordinates | 9°25′31″S 61°59′52″W / 9.425363°S 61.997672°WCoordinates: 9°25′31″S 61°59′52″W / 9.425363°S 61.997672°W |
| Designation | Extractive reserve |
The Association of Machadinho Rubber Tappers (Portuguese: Associação dos Seringueiros de Machadinho) operates fifteen small extractive reserves in the state of Rondônia, Brazil. They were formerly part of private rubber extraction concessions, and continue to be used by the descendants of the original rubber tappers to extract rubber and other forest products. Recently the reserves have been threatened by violence and illegal logging.
The Association of Machadinho Rubber Tappers administers 15 small extractive reserves in the municipalities of Machadinho d'Oeste, Cujubim and Vale do Anari in the state of Rondônia. They are remnants of the former Seringal Santo Antônio, Seringal São Paulo and Seringal São Gonçalo rubber extraction concessions. The main resource extracted from the forest is rubber, as well as nuts and copaiba oil. The reserves are Angelim, Aquariquara, Castanheira, Freijó, Garrote, Ipê, Itaúba, Jatobá, Maracatiara, Massaranduba, Mogno, Piquiá, Roxinho, Seringueira and Sucupira.
Many of the residents were born in the region, descendants of the "rubber soldiers" who came to extract rubber for the foreign market in the 1940s. They have adapted their way of life to the environment. Only a few of the reserves have electricity. Latex extraction provides the main source of income. Other activities are growing cassava and making flour, production of bio-jewels, extraction and sale of copaiba and other oils. Some are trying to take advantage of license for sustainable timber harvesting. Production of eco-leather from plant fibre and oils is a promising source of income.
In April 2015 members of the association met with the Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development of the state legislature. The committee was told that the members lived in a climate of terrorism in Machadinho, and had been receiving death threats. 16 homicides had been recorded in the past ten years. The protected areas were being laid waste with no effort being made by the state government to protect them.
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Wikipedia