Cosmetic Innovation

Time Natura Campus

Project stimulates the conservation of endangered species and generates income for communities in the Amazon Rainforest

Natura encourages conservation of Ucuuba

On April of this year, Natura launched a moisturizing range containing seeds of Ucuuba, a tree in the Amazon rainforest that is currently in danger of extinction due to extensive logging in the 1980s. Each time Natura works with a raw material originating from an endangered species, the adoption of the new formula relies on a conservation project, to ensure good management practices and sustainable use of this resource throughout the process. And the new Ucuuba range was no different; Natura looked to experts in the academic area to develop, in partnership with the company, a study on the conservation of the species among the rural communities that supply the seeds.
 
Fátima Pinha Rodrigues, a researcher with the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCAR), embraced the challenge and suggested a model in which communities are involved not only in collecting the seeds, but also in conserving the species. "We saw that it is not possible to preserve Ucuuba in natural areas without engaging the communities that use this forest resource," explains Fatima, who has more than two decades of experience in programs studying the ecology of the species, covering all aspects, from the field to logging. She also helped draft legislation to ban logging of the species due to its devastating impacts.
 
"We seek to involve local communities. They take part in various activities, such as data surveys in the field, seedling production, and taking decisions. We can say that this is a joint partnership between the university, the company and the community", the researcher concludes.
 
Based on this exchange of knowledge, Natura will draw up, in partnership with UFSCAR, a manual of best practices that will enable sustainable production of the seed and the conservation of the species in the areas where it is produced. "I think the exchange between scientific knowledge and traditional knowledge is a valuable benefit that this project is providing", says Carolina Domenico, researcher in Sustainable Technologies at Natura.
 
Where families would once make money by selling the wood, nowadays, it is more profitable to harvest the seeds, as this provides them with a three times higher income. The trees, which take up to ten years to reach their ideal size for cutting, are now more valuable when left to grow. Nature is very grateful.