16
Oct 2008 - Mrs. Asunta Mengarí is
experienced in tanning leather. “I live
in the middle of the Bolivian Pantanal,
in Puerto Suárez, capital of the
Germán Busch Province, and have been
working for the past two years with artwork
in leather crafts”, stated Asunta.
She is also President
of the Women’s Center for Hand Made Crafts,
an association which is looking to establish
itself legally and was inaugurated last
September. This sustainable productive initiative,
supported by WWF through our partner FaunAgua,
is strengthening the capacities of the fishermen’s
wives who make up the Germán Busch
Fishermen’s Cooperative (Copegeb) in producing
leather handicrafts, which allows 25 women
to contribute to their family income. This
initiative is part of the fishing management
programme for the Bolivian Pantanal and
promotes the integral use of fish, favoring
the diversification of economic activities
that revolve around sustainable fishing
and with it, the valorization of aquatic
resources and the environment which sustains
them.
“We tan leather with
tanning of the grinded bark of the curupaú
tree (Anadenanthera colubrina) – a process
known as tanning with plants. We place the
leather in salted water first and then allow
it to soak in a small tank with the grinded
bark until it hardens, turning it over every
now and then to make sure the color is even
and ready to be made into handicrafts. The
entire process can take 12 to 14 days”,
asserts Asunta.
“With leather from the
pintao fish (Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum)
we are making diaries, for example. Other
materials are also being used to make hats,
belts, wallets and others, including key
chains and coasters.”
The project also included
training in leather tanning and production,
such as hand made wallets, in order to improve
their presentation, as well as strengthen
their organizational and accounting skills,
so that they can have a transparent financial
system for the income generated by the sale
of their handicrafts. Part of the earnings
are distributed among the participants of
the committee, and the rest goes to a seed
fund belonging to the association and destined
to cover the costs of purchasing materials,
tools and other related supplies.
The Women’s Center for
Hand Made Crafts includes a work area for
cutting and manually sewing the crafts,
an office and tanks where the skins are
treated and tanned. “Before we had to take
turns in the homes of each member”, says
Asunta, “but now we have our own center,
where we can all work together comfortably
as a group”.
Chichi the Cricket and
Rosa the Butterfly take us on a visit to
the Bolivian Pantanal
15 Oct 2008 - Aiming
to contribute promoting a further sense
of responsible citizenship, as well as awareness
towards the Pantanal natural environmental
and cultural heritage, the Center for Urban
and Regional Development Studies (Cedure),
in collaboration with WWF Bolivia, La Fábrica
Film School and Channel 4 Carolina TV from
Puerto Quijarro, are producing a TV programme
entitled “Pantanal” (click here to view
the trailer of the TV show). It is worth
mentioning that the Pantanal is the largest
tropical wetland worldwide, and recognized
as Ramsar Site.
The programme will be
aired exclusively in the region beginning
in 2009, and focuses on instilling a sense
of value and appreciation regarding the
region’s natural environment, yet in a manner
that is entertaining, reinforcing empathy
through local landscapes and characters.
This program, a result of WWF Bolivia’s
“Pantanal is life” campaign, is aimed at
children and young adults due to their openness
and because habits are not yet fully formed
in this target group, although the programme
is suitable for a general family audience
since it is also where behavior norms are
formed and approved.
Chichi the Cricket (interpreted
by the actor Roberto Kim) and Rose the Butterfly
(Basilia Aragonez, a local actress), guide
us through the wonderful world of the Bolivian
Pantanal, its natural and cultural attributes,
as well as economic activities carried out
in the area, which over the years have achieved
a balance between production and conservation,
such as cattle ranching. They also show
us the threats faced by the region and how
its inhabitants can make use of its natural
resources in a sustainable manner to preserve
this important wetland for future generations.
Johansen Hernández,
a 14 year old boy from Puerto Quijarro,
is the host for the programme and includes
a call to action for the viewers. Both Johansen
and Rose the Butterfly are the result of
a casting process in which 30 local candidates
participated.
This initiative is part
of Cedure’s Program for Citizen Formation,
an organization based in Santa Cruz with
experience regarding issues related to urban
development, the environment, participatory
planning and socio-cultural and psycho-social
local aspects.
Once this TV programme
is aired in the region, the idea is to negotiate
its transmission on other regional and national
channels.
