By Indiara Bessa

A new study conducted in the Médio Juruá region shows that environmental monitoring carried out by riverside communities massively expands the protection of Amazonian ecosystems, far beyond the lakes where pirarucu management takes place. The research — supported by Instituto Juruá — reveals that, for each hectare directly monitored, up to 86 hectares of floodplain and upland forest end up being effectively protected through a ‘spillover’ effect of territorial monitoring.

Key findings

• Multiplied protection footprint: the effectively protected area is, on average, 8× larger than the area of lakes under direct monitoring; considering pirarucu movements during the flood season (functional area), this effect increases to 36×; adding the incidental protection of adjacent upland forests, the total reaches ~86× per community.
  
• Scale of community effort: the study covers 14 communities that protect 96 lakes along the Juruá River, with ~109 thousand adult pirarucus counted.
  
• Low cost, high burden: effective protection costs on average US$ 0.95 per hectare/year, a value borne almost entirely by low-income families — which imposes significant losses on community net income.
  
• Proposed solution: the creation of Payments for Environmental Services (Pagamentos por Serviços Ambientais – PSA) to fairly remunerate the territorial protection already carried out, with the potential to scale up and benefit hundreds of communities and millions of hectares in the Amazon.

Why this matters?

Community-based conservation has been restoring pirarucu populations and improving aquatic biodiversity. The study shows that the impact goes beyond water: by restricting outsider access to floodplains, communities curb predatory fishing, hunting, and illegal logging in nearby forests. This ‘umbrella effect’ expands habitat protection and contributes to food security and local livelihoods.

Role of Instituto Juruá

Instituto Juruá provides technical and institutional support for community-based pirarucu management in the Médio Juruá, strengthening fishing agreements, participatory monitoring, the training of guards, and local governance. The results reinforce the importance of long-term partnerships between communities, civil society organizations, universities, and public agencies.

Next steps

The team suggests the implementation of a PSA co-designed with communities, transparent and financially sustainable, to recognize and remunerate those who protect the forest on a daily basis. The mechanism could be calibrated per kilogram of legally managed fish, ensuring equity, predictability, and the continuity of territorial protection.