Bad news

 Dear donors,

 As you may know, our research project should have started last month. Unfortunately however, the recent developments (new policies) that came with the new president, have caused us to cancel the project.

The problem:

Instituto Araguaia has had a good relationship with Cantão State Park for years now. Licenses for ecological research have never been a problem, which has changed this year. The new president, has replaced the person in charge of nature reserves for a “Police Colonel”. With this change, policies for nature reserves have changed and licenses for ecological research are not issued anymore. This measurement hits all NGO’s throughout Brazil. This way, the government is trying to push through developments that are not in favor of nature. For instance, plans are made to build dams in Araguaia River, something that will destroy alot of valuable nature! Instituto Araguaia is even accused of illegal tourism inside the park, something that is not true and in fact, concerned (legal) scientific research. In short, the government is doing everything to make the work for NGO’s focussed on ecology hard or even impossible.

No alternatives:

We have tried to find alternatives, like researching the area surrounding the park. However, due to (again) new policies, this is not allowed anymore unless you are in posession of a new type of license. This license is only given to professors, specializing in fisheries ecology. However, all professors which the institution has had contact with, are afraid of losing their job when co-operating in this project.

Next year:

The institution finds this research so important, that it will try to make it happen next year. Therefore we will be invited again next year, if they have found a solution for the described problem. However, we are not certain yet whether it will be possible. Additionally, this situation has a major impact on our personal lives and we do not know whether we are able work on this project next year. We are trying to find another internship for this year, in order to obtain our master’s degree.

Your donation:
Ofcourse we are now in posession of your donations, without any real plans. We are very thankful for your donation and support and shows that people all around the world care about nature in this part of the world! Our new internship will most likely not be in need of the money that has been donated, in the way that the initial project was in need of money. Therefore, we do not find this a good alternative for your money. However, as the project might be carried out next year, we will propose you with two options:

• We will save your donation and will use it in case the project will be carried out next year. If the project will not be carried out, it will be refunded before december 2020.
• We will refund your donation if that is preferred (let us know). In that case your donation will be refunded within 8 weeks.

We hope you can understand our situation. We find these developments very unfortante, both for the fact that we cannot work on the project we have been preparing, as well as for the Brazilian nature and the NGO’s in Brazil that put alot of effort in protecting this nature.

 If there are any questions or inclarities, let us know.

Kind regards,

Maximiliaan Claus en Florian Kappen