In the heart of the Pantanal, a hyacinth macaw takes flight from a nest box; meanwhile, in the Cerrado, a lowland tapir roams the terrain, scattering seeds along its path. These iconic scenes reflect decades of uninterrupted dedication by female conservationists. Through field expeditions, laboratory analyses, community engagement, and the constant pursuit of funding, they ensure the preservation of these ecosystems. It is the history and legacy of these scientists that this story seeks to honor.
Neiva Guedes, Nathália Zie, Patrícia Medici, and Simone Mamede work across different fronts, ranging from field science to environmental education and community empowerment. What they share is the persistence of those who understand that protecting nature takes time and requires people close by.
Neiva Guedes and the Story That Began With a Flock of Macaws
It all started in the late 1980s, when biologist Neiva Guedes, a native of Ponta Porã, MS, began monitoring a flock of hyacinth macaws in the Pantanal. She never stopped. In 1990, she created the Hyacinth Macaw Project (Projeto Arara Azul), and in 2003, she founded the Hyacinth Macaw Institute (Instituto Arara Azul), which today operates across Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, and Pará.
Her method combines research and coexistence. The team monitors nests, collects data on chicks, and speaks with ranchers and local residents about the importance of preserving the palm trees that feed the birds. The artificial nest boxes designed by Neiva helped expand the species’ population, successfully removing it from the endangered species list. Her work has earned award nominations and even inspired a character version of the biologist in the iconic Brazilian comic series Monica and Friends (Turma da Mônica). Today, the institute also tracks macaws that have adapted to urban life through the Araras na Cidade (“Macaws in the City”) project, which includes Campo Grande.
Nath Ecoa: Conservation Is Also About Guaranteeing Rights
With a master’s degree in Women’s History and a background in Sociology, Nathália Eberhardt Ziolkowski leads Ecoa (Ecologia e Ação). This non-governmental organization was established in Campo Grande in 1989 by a team of researchers from diverse fields, such as communication and biology. The entity’s overarching purpose is to integrate the safeguarding of the Cerrado and Pantanal biomes with the protection of local populations’ rights.
Nath’s trajectory stands out especially for her strong work alongside women. She led the articulation of CerraPan (a network dedicated to female producers of the Pantanal and Cerrado), serves on the coordination team of the women’s center of the Pantanal Network (Rede Pantanal), and is part of the Pantanal Model Forest. In her view, the conservation of a biome is inseparable from valuing the communities that inhabit it.
Patrícia Medici: More Than Three Decades Dedicated to Tapirs
Affectionately known as the “gardeners of the forest,” tapirs play a crucial role by dispersing seeds and driving the natural reforestation of their environments. At the forefront of this cause, forest engineer Patrícia Medici, co-founder of the Institute for Ecological Research (Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas – IPÊ), has led the Lowland Tapir Conservation Initiative (INCAB) since 1996. The initiative spans five biomes, building the world’s most comprehensive database on the mammal.
Her career has been recognized with prestigious global honors, such as the Whitley Gold Award, the National Geographic Society/Buffett Award for Leadership in Conservation, and the 2024 Women of Discovery Award, where she stood out as the sole representative from Brazil among the five laureates. In 2026, INCAB’s three decades of dedication and the magnitude of her work hit the big screen with the premiere of the documentary Anta – O Filme.
Simone Mamede: Eyes on the Skies of Campo Grande
With over 30 years of work dedicated to conservation, biologist Simone Mamede’s journey began in the public school classrooms of Campo Grande. Today, holding a Ph.D. in Environment and Regional Development alongside degrees in Biological Sciences and Tourism, she works as a graduate professor and researcher at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) and the Federal University of Tocantins (UFT), in addition to serving as managing partner of the Mamede Institute for Environmental Research and Ecotourism.
By integrating environmental education, ecotourism, and scientific research, Simone has developed studies, mappings, and strategic routes that helped establish Campo Grande as Brazil’s Birdwatching Capital. Her contributions include research on migratory birds in the Pantanal, active participation in the Global Big Day in collaboration with the State Government, and initiatives to install species identification signs in protected areas in partnership with WWF-Brazil and Imasul.
In March 2026, the researcher presented the project “Pré-COP15: Diálogos e Passarinhadas” (“Pre-COP15: Dialogues and Birdwatching Walks”) at the Brazil Space in the Blue Zone during COP15, hosted in Campo Grande. The initiative brings society closer to conservation through birdwatching and citizen science, reaffirming her vision that environmental preservation begins with the fundamental act of stopping to contemplate nature.
Science and Empowerment in One Afternoon
From artificial nests scattered across the Pantanal to the vital role of tapirs in seed dispersal throughout the Cerrado, passing through the strengthening of female producer networks and birdwatching in the state capital, the journeys of Neiva, Nathália, Patrícia, and Simone prove that environmental preservation requires continuous perseverance. Their initiatives exemplify that safeguarding biomes fundamentally depends on the active involvement of local communities, fostering dialogue, education, and attentive listening to those who inhabit these regions.
In an ecosystem defined by the uniqueness of its biodiversity, the work of these researchers reinforces the premise that conservation is born from the essential act of contemplating the environment. On Nov. 14, the public is invited to celebrate and learn more about these initiatives at an event hosted at Rua Vitório Zeola, 180 — Campo Grande, MS, Brazil, from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.