After nearly two decades of work, the new Amazon Science Museum, also known as MuCA, or Museu de Ciência da Amazônia, is finally a reality.
MuCA is the first Advanced Jungle Laboratory in the country; a shelter for life, where traditional and scientific knowledge come together. Located on the banks of Flona Tapajós, in the heart of the Amazon, it is situated 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 aims to bring education and scientific dissemination to the interior of the Amazon so that young people can undertake and lead a bioeconomy project. MuCA is home to the largest living gene bank on the planet and, through this asset, opens a new horizon for nature, science, and humanity.
Pillars of MuCA
Collection
MuCA brings together several native species from a 15-year collection conducted in partnership with the Butantan Institute, supported by the 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 houses 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 Western Pará – UFOPA and Biotec Amazônia.
Social Development
The main focus of MuCA is Entrepreneurial Education in Bioeconomy. The project aims to train 635 young people from the region to work on the development of high value-added forest services and products, strengthening 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 productive chains of raw materials with high added value for the industry. Technicians and researchers from UFOPA will work to standardize these assets according to regulatory and industrial norms.
ESG
The presence of MuCA in the Amazon also represents the beginning of a practical approach to ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) in the territory with the highest biodiversity in the world. The Museum seeks 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 of the former Vila Americana. The architectural complex of the city is being revitalized by Studio Arthur Casas; the office 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 – called “Silicon Valley of Bioeconomy.”
The hospitality structure includes decks, a bar, a restaurant, and a lounge area by 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 focused on sustainability, the administrative village, and the auditorium, with chairs specially designed for the location.
The exhibition space of MuCA was designed by architect Marko Brajovic, from Atelier Marko Brajovic, responsible for the museum’s first exhibition, “Life.”
For more information, visit: https://mucamazonia.org/en/home-2/