Deep in the Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, where nature fights the intensifying impacts of climate change, women are also battling to make a living on their own, exploring what they’ve learned from their sisters, mothers and neighbors. To this end, the Aguapé and Cumbaru projects have been operating in the Brazilian Pantanal since March 2023. Both work with the online platform VBIO, which stands for “Showcase of Brazilian Biodiversity” and raises and allocates funds for socioenvironmental projects. That was what attracted cosmetics giant Avon to use the benefit-sharing provision under Brazil’s Biodiversity Law to fund projects that help the daily lives of communities in this part of the country. “One of the causes advocated by Avon is the end of violence against women,” says VBIO project manager Mariana Giozza. “That’s why we presented proposals that cover both biodiversity and female leadership.” To make the right choices, VBIO relied on the assistance of Rede Pantaneira, a network representing local traditional communities since 2009. Where public policies are out of reach, due to either government neglect or ineffectiveness, local people have come forward to make a difference. This was the case with 34-year-old Edinalda Pereira do Nascimento, executive secretary of Rede Pantaneira and a single mother of a 2-year-old “little Pantanal boy.” She says she chose to raise her child alone because of her dissatisfaction with local men: “Husband? I haven’t found one yet.” Born in Barão de Melgaço municipality, Mato Gross state, in the northern Pantanal, Nascimento is well aware…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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