Cardoso, Levy

Fernandes Hellich, Raquel Filippo

Ferraz, Virgilio Dias

Kozlowski Pitombeira, Mario

Lameiras da Paz, Albano

Ribeiro, Selma Cristina

Souza Motta, Marcelo

English

Portal de Revistas do ICMBio (Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade)

Voluntary Firefighter Crews 18 
Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade Biodiversidade Brasileira, 10(1): 18, 2020 
 
 
Voluntary Firefighter Crews at the  
Mantiqueira Conservation Units Mosaic 
 
Virgilio Dias Ferraz¹, Mario Kozlowski Pitombeira², Selma Cristina Ribeiro1, Albano Lameiras 
da Paz3, Levy Cardoso4, Raquel Filippo Fernandes Hellich5, Marcelo Souza Motta2 
  
1 Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade – ICMBio / Área de Proteção Ambiental da 
Serra da Mantiqueira, Itamonte, MG, Brasil. E-mails: virgilio.ferraz@icmbio.gov.br; 
selma.cristina@icmbio.gov.br 
2 Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade – ICMBio / Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, 
Itatiaia, RJ, Brasil. E-mails: mario.pitombeira@icmbio.gov.br; marcelo.motta@icmbio.gov.br 
3 Brigada Voluntária do Alto Rio Preto, Resende, RJ, Itatiaia, RJ, Brasil. E-mail: 
albanopaz2014@gmail.com  
4 Grupo Voluntário de Busca e Salvamento Anjos da Montanha, Itatiaia, RJ, Brasil. E-mail: 
levy.ecologico@hotmail.com  
5 Brigada Voluntária da Serra dos Garcias, Aiuruoca, MG, Brasil. E-mail: raquel.hellich@gmail.com 
 
 
 
 
ABSTRACT – The Mantiqueira´s mountain range, known as Serra da Mantiqueira,  is considered 
by the scientific community as one of the irreplaceable areas for the biodiversity conservation 
(LE SAOUT et al, 2013). This mountain range is partially protected by two categories of protected 
area: “integral protection” and “sustainable use”, created and managed by different governmental 
spheres, which compose the Mantiqueira Mosaic (Brazilian Ministry of the Environment - MMA 
Ordinance No. 351/2006) that currently has 17 Public Conservation Units (CUs) and 56 Private 
Natural Heritage Reserves (PNHRs). Complementary to the government agencies, civil society 
has always played an important role in the regional conservation, both by  its historical 
engagement in movements to create new CUs, as well as by participating in those management 
councils.  To train, equip and then, form voluntary firefighter crews is another example of the 
local society's engagement in the protection of Serra da Mantiqueira. It is an important tool to 
promote participatory management and increase social mobilization. In addition, the whole 
process mainly aimed to empower the owners and employees of the PNHRs, mountain guides, 
rural labor unions, city halls, farmers and organized civil society. At the end of the training course, 
voluntary firefighter crews are equipped with tools and personal protection equipment. In result, 
this proposal provides the society with trained and equipped firefighters squad in order to carry 
out the first attack, in case of wildfire. This paper presents data about the number of volunteers 
trained, in recent years, by the Chico Mendes Biodiversity Institute (ICMBio), through the 
volunteer program ruled by the Serra da Mantiqueira Environment Protected Area and Itatiaia 
National Park. The contingent of volunteers that have been trained or updated and equipped by 
ICMBio in the last 3 years, add up 89 new members, who are distributed in the municipalities of 
Aiuruoca, Cruzeiro, Delfim Moreira, Itamonte, Itatiaia, Marmelópolis and Resende, among the 
states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, covering the Grande and Paraíba do Sul 
upper watershed. Despite the institutional effort, there are two main limiting factors to increase 
the number of volunteer firefighters: First is the difficulty to provide personal protective and 
combat equipment to volunteers. Second is the obligation to update personal and institutional 
documentation. It is noteworthy that the volunteers firefighters work in various CUs within the 
territory of Mantiqueira Mosaic. 
 
Keywords: Serra da Mantiqueira; Conservation Units Mosaic; Volunteer Program; Forest Fires. 


Voluntary Firefighter Crews at the  Mantiqueira Conservation Units Mosaic

https://www.icmbio.gov.br/revistaeletronica/index.php/BioBR/article/download/1515/1036

Voluntary Firefighter Crews at the Mantiqueira Conservation Units Mosaic

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