After almost two decades of work, the new Museu de Ciência da Amazônia, also known as MuCA, or the Amazon Science Museum, is finally a reality.
MuCA is the first Advanced Jungle Laboratory in the country; a shelter for life, where traditional and scientific knowledge are united. On the banks of the Tapajós Flona, in the heart of the Amazon, it is located in the region with the greatest diversity of national ecosystems and the highest biological activity on the planet.
From the reconstruction of a historic city (Belterra), built in 1934 by the American automaker Ford, the museum has the purpose of taking training and scientific dissemination to the interior of the Amazon for young people to undertake and lead, a bioeconomy project. MuCA is in the largest living gene bank on the planet, and, through this asset, it opens a new horizon for nature, science and humanity.
MuCA’s pillars
Collection
MuCA gathers several native species of a 15-years collection carried out in partnership with Instituto Butantan, supported by Ama Brasil organization in the Amazon; a biological heritage that was under the custody of the University of the Amazon (Unama), which provided subsidies for the qualification of MuCA as a Museum by IBRAM – Brazilian Institute of Museums.
Research, Innovation and Industry
MuCA host the first Advanced Jungle Laboratory in the Amazon, which will lead studies with animals, plants and microorganisms of high biological relevance for the development of wild foods, biocosmetics and phytopharmaceuticals. The research is the result of a partnership with the Federal University of Oeste do Pará – UFOPA and Biotec Amazônia.
Social development
MuCA’s main focus is Entrepreneurial Education in Bioeconomy. The project aims to train 635 young people in the region to work in the development of high value-added forest services and products, strengthening the bioeconomy in the Amazon, fostering local scientific research and reinforcing, through science, the importance of the forest for the survival of humanity and the planet.
Forest Production
In partnership with UFOPA, a community will also be formed to work in an extractive reserve (Tapajós-Arapiuns) with 3,600 hectares of forest for production chains of raw materials with high added value for the industry. UFOPA technicians and researchers will work to standardize these assets in accordance with regulatory and industrial standards.
ESG
MuCA’s presence in the Amazon also represents the beginning of a practical approach to ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) in the world’s most biodiverse territory. The Museum seek to implement sustainable forest management based on actions focused on valuing its natural attributes and preserving existing resources.
Location
MuCA is located in Belterra, Pará, and occupies the area ofthe former Vila Americana. The city’s architectural complex is being revitalized by Studio Arthur Casas; the firm will also design a hotel with 12 suites, a guesthouse with 6 suites and a convention center, which will house a business ecosystem focused on ESG – named “Silicon Valley of Bioeconomy ”.
The hospitality structure includes decks, bar, restaurant and living area on the banks of the Tapajós River. Arthur Casas also designed the interiors of MuCA – the architectural structure is by Gino Caldatto Barbosa –, all the furniture and support spaces, such as the school with a focus on sustainability, the administrative village and the auditorium, with chairs specially designed for the place.
MuCA’s exhibition space was designed by architect Marko Brajovic, from Atelier Marko Brajovic, responsible for the museum’s first exhibition, “Vida”.
For more info, visit: https://mucamazonia.org/en/home-2/