2021 IEEE International Conference on Automation/XXIV Congress of the Chilean Association of Automatic Control (ICA-ACCA) | 2021
Renewable Energy and Forest Conservation
Abstract
The Mbaracayu Nature Forest Reserve is one of the last remnants of primary forest in Paraguay with one of the greatest biodiversity of the country given its flora, fauna, and rich indigenous culture. Located in the eastern region of the country, in the department of Canindeyu, it covers a territory of 64,406 hectares - seven times the size of Asunción. The Mbaracayu Reserve represents the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, two ecosystems of high importance for conservation which only about 7% of its original area persists in the present. This site was recognized by the UNESCO as the core area to the Mbaracayu Biosphere Reserve, the first one in Paraguay. Inside this natural protected area, The Mbaracayu Educational Center was established as a boarding school for young rural and indigenous girls from the ages of 15 to 18 as a conservation strategy with a powerful mission: to promote the transformation of young rural and indigenous girls to become agents of change. Both, the Mbaracayu Nature Forest Reserve and the Mbaracayu Educational Center were established and are still managed by Fundación Moisés Bertoni, a local NGO. In 2018, the school won the Zayed Sustainability Prize to implement a project focusing on the provision of renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainability and community strengthening. The presentation describes the implementation of this project, starting with the forest conservation model, the school, and moving on the state-of-the-art technology installed in the middle of the forest, referring to hybrid solar panels which provides both hot water and electricity and other components of the project. It also highlights the role of empowering young rural and indigenous girls to become agents of change, including a bilingual children s book for all ages entitled “Sustainable Adventures in Mbaracayu” as a celebration to innovation, diversity, and a call to action.