The mission of the Chico Mendes Institute is to protect the Brazilian natural heritage and promote the environmental development. TheChico Mendes Institute of Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) is an autarchy under a special scheme. It was created in August 28, 2007, by the law 11.516, or ICMBio. It is linked to the Ministry of Environment and member of the National Environmental System (Sisnama).

The Institute is in charge of performing the action of the National System of Protected Area. It can propose, implement, manage, protect, enforce and monitor the conservation of established protected areas.

 

These conservation areas are of significant ecological value and are divided into:

1. Units of fully protected areas, where only the indirect use of natural resources is permitted, with the goal of preserving nature (such as national parks and biological reserves).
2. Units of sustainable use, in which the sustainable use of natural resources occurs in harmony with nature conservation (such as extractive reserves, protected areas and sustainable development reserves).

 

The institute has put in place policies for the sustainable use of renewable natural resources and supports the extraction and population of communities located in federal conservation areas. It also helps to recover degraded areas in protected areas, and may penalize those who do not meet the required measures for the prese

 

It also encourages and executes programs involving, research, protection, preservation and conservation of biodiversity and exercises the power of environmental police for the protection of Federal Conservation Areas.

 

In the Iguassu National Park, the Institute is also responsible for the overseeing of outsourced services, visits, lodging and tours. Thus, within this context, it develops actions that comprise the park and surrounding communities through partnerships with schools, businesses, universities and institutions, in order to educate and make citizens more aware of others and the importance of nature.

 

The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, under the Ministry of Environment (MMA), is headquartered in Brasília and is a structure that includes specialized centers, regional coordination and protected areas in all the states of Brazil. The name of the institute is a tribute to Francisco Alves Mendes Filho, who defended the rubber forest and the rights of their profession and who, because of their struggle, was assassinated in 1988.

 

Chico Mendes organized workers to prevent deforestation and protect those living and working in communities that depend on the forest. His name became known around the world in 1985 with the 1st National Meeting of Rubber Tappers, in which he proposed the creation of extractive reserves to protect indigenous lands and denounced the devastation of forests.