Abrolhos: Server wins award for 35-year commitment – 08/26/2023 – Environment

When Maria Bernadete Silva Barbosa, 60, moved to the Abrolhos archipelago, she didn’t even know how to swim. She believed in the legend of the button’s enchantment. Today, 35 years later, she is a diver and her work as an environmental monitor is highlighted in the park, which has the greatest marine biodiversity in the South Atlantic.

Berna, as it is known, was taken there by her husband, Adolfo, on a vacation trip. He fell in love with the place and decided to stay, becoming a park ranger. After her companion’s death, she wanted to follow her dream of keeping the place alive and preserved.

This year, the ICMBio employee won US$ 10,000 (R$ 48,500) in the International Ranger Award. The award, given by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, for its acronym in English), will go towards maintaining the site.

In a statement, she navigates through her own history, talking about her love for her husband, her work with the preservation of biodiversity and female representation.

“I’m from Oriximiná (PA), a land of rivers, which has nothing to do with the sea. My parents used to say that we couldn’t go in the water because of the boto, which would enchant us — that interior thing. That’s what I was always afraid of.

My father hunted to bring us food. My mother worked in the kitchen of a family home. Since I was young, I took care of my younger siblings, as I am the eldest of seven children. But I saw that things were very difficult.

I went to live in Belém at the age of eight to work and help my parents. There, even young, she cooked in a family home while studying.

After years of working and studying, I graduated from teaching. I wanted to be a physical education teacher because I liked sports. Until I met Adolfo, and my life changed.

For the family I lived with, I would marry anyone they chose. When they found out about Adolfo, they got a little upset. But the moment you have true love, you have to make a choice. So I decided to leave home and married him at 24.

Months later, Adolfo took me to discover Bahia. I had never left Pará, and the idea was to spend a month in Abrolhos. But when we arrived, he said he wanted to stay a few more days. Until the days turned into weeks.

I was desperate, because I preferred to leave. I thought the place had nothing but the sea. It was a year crying, wanting to go back to my Pará.

One of the things that made me see the real Abrolhos was observing the behavior of the birds. They left in the morning, returned in the late afternoon. At sunset I would sit on the rocks and watch the birds. I thought: ‘If they can stay, I can stay too’.

I didn’t know how to go into the water or swim. I had to learn everything here, with the children on the island, who were children of the Navy.

We started out as volunteers for the IBDF (Brazilian Institute for Forestry Development, which merged with other bodies to create Ibama), until they officially called us to work there. After a while, I was already up to date on the activities.

I discovered nature, out of curiosity and willpower. Today I see that I stopped at a place that I was destined for. I think that in another life I was a bird researcher and I came here to complete that mission.

In 1992, when I was 29 years old, my husband died in a diving accident. It was very complicated. I was pregnant and ended up losing the baby.

Adolfo and I were talking about one day flying over Abrolhos. This happened when a helicopter came to pick up the body. There, I told him: ‘You have no idea how beautiful this place is from above. I’m doing what we always dreamed of, but unfortunately not in the way we thought’.

After Adolfo’s death, I went to Belém. When I arrived, everyone told me to stay there. But I closed my eyes and all I could see was Abrolhos. I realized that my heart was in that place. After a month in Belém, I called my boss at the IBDF and told him I would be back.

The more I worked, the better, because I didn’t think about too much. Routine and nature helped me to move forward.

I returned to work with preservation, taking on demands from the park. I began to understand about the research, mainly of birds and turtles, which are my favorites. I learned to operate an engine, to drive boats, I took a scuba diving course. On my days off, I volunteered at other parks. All this to do the best of my work.

Gradually, we organized environmental education, which greatly improved the view of the fishermen who work here and the public who come to the park, in relation to our work.

I also met another person here in Abrolhos, Russo. He helped me a lot. We are no longer married, but we are still friends.

We had a daughter, who is now 28 years old. We were between the island and the land, which was good for both of us. I didn’t quit my job, and all the people here helped me take care of her.

Today I want to represent women, show that we have the ability to do everything. I’ve heard a lot of boring comments from men. When I took a ranger course, we were just three girls in a full class.

One day, we went out to do a boat activity. I said I could drive, but the men declined. After a while, the boat failed. I said I knew how to fix the engine, and they doubted it. When I managed to fix it, they even apologized to me.

After years of work, winning the award was a great satisfaction. I was happy that the IUCN chose me as a female representative. This award is not just mine, but belongs to everyone who helped me, from when I arrived until today.

I want the ranger profession to be more recognized in Brazil. For that, I’m going to keep working as long as I can and maybe go around giving lectures in schools.

Life wanted to show me that I could collaborate with an amazing place like Abrolhos. I’d rather be here than on land. And I never thought I would stay for so long.”