Environmental education as a strategy for conservation of the remnants of Atlantic forest surrounding Una Biological Reserve, Brazil

The Una Biological Reserve (REBIO-Una), located in the southeastern area of the state of Bahia, Brazil, comprises 7022 ha. It is the only area in the region that legally assures protection for fauna and flora, to conserve the species of that area and maintain the genetic viability of the populations . As there is not enough area for this to happen within REBIO-Una, several species, including the golden-headed lion tamarin Leontopithecus chrysomela s, need to be able to interact with the forest fragments on the neighbourin g farms in order to enlarge their territories effectively. Therefore, in 19 95 the development of an environmental education programme in the community surrounding REBIO-Una was proposed, with the aim of diminishing impacts on the reserve, and on the bordering forests. In the last three years we have worked intensively in 70 rural properties, where the programme's activitie s aimed to include the rural schools, rural workers, land owners, hunters a nd forest guards. As a result of this work we have documented decreased hun ting in REBIO-Una, increased control of fire in the neighbouring farms, and in particular, increased organisation within the community to discuss and incorporate sustainable economic alternatives, leading to the conservation and better management of these important forest fragments.