Gabriel Carvalho de Ávila
- Project name: Tracking the reintroduction of Crax blumenbachii after 50 years: Building conservation knowledge and social enrichment to the Rio Doce State Park
- Project site: Rio Doce State Park, Brazil
- EDGE species: Red-billed curassow, Crax blumenbachii
- Active: 2024 - ongoing
Biography
Gabriel is a conservation biologist managing protected areas in southeastern Brazil, currently employed at Rio Doce State Park, the largest Atlantic Tropical Forest fragment in Minas Gerais state, home to many endangered species.
Gabriel expects that the EDGE fellowship will assist him and his team better design and manage evidence-based conservation projects and establish international collaborations to carry out conservation actions related to fragile species and ecosystems in Brazil.
EDGE Project
Gabriel’s project aims to engage the local community in monitoring the reintroduction of red-billed curassow in Rio Doce State Park.
His objectives are to:
- Conduct a 30-day fieldwork campaign following the Brazilian protected areas protocol of long-term biodiversity monitoring “Monitora” in the Rio Doce State Park.
- Generate periodic data reports of the species’ behaviour to evaluate and support the reintroduction process.
- Improve the relationship between park authorities and Revés do Belém communities by building a participatory action plan for environmental education and conservation activities through partnerships between locals, the park team, and other stakeholders.
- Engage tourism guides, birdwatchers and researchers to generate collaborative data on the reintroduction of red-billed curassow.
- Implement ludic activities with students of “Revés do Belém” approaching the value of biodiversity.
- Implementation of communication and outreach programme.
