A cooperation project between Samarco and UNESCO in Brazil inspires the first Brazilian municipal laws fostering Ciência Cidadã Program (Citizen Science Program)

A project born in the Rio Doce Basin has been offering a new perspective on scientific practice, bringing it closer to people's everyday reality.  The Ciência Cidadã Program (Citizen Science Program), a result of the cooperation between Samarco and UNESCO in Brazil, has transformed classrooms, backyards, and entire communities into true open-air laboratories, and has inspired the creation of the Brazil’s first national laws to foster Ciência Cidadã Program.

The initiative is present in 10 locations across eight municipalities in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo and, in some of them, has been producing results beyond the program's actions. One example is the municipality of Conselheiro Pena (MG), in the Rio Doce Valley, where the project is implemented in three municipal schools, featuring actions for monitoring and restoring springs, caring for streams, and establishing school gardens. The impact on the city was so positive that, even before its conclusion, the program was transformed into Bill No. 047/2025, creating the Ciência Cidadã Program of Conselheiro Pena — Brazil’s first municipal legislation focused on this topic — in September 2025.

Another municipality that enacted Ciência Cidadã Program into law was Linhares (ES), located on the northern coast of Espírito Santo. There, two schools and 210 students conduct participatory monitoring of water quality and the biodiversity of aquatic plants (macrophytes) and birds in the Interlagos de Linhares lagoon, including the cataloging of the rich biodiversity (fauna and flora) existing in Vila de Regência Augusta.

The initiative is now an integral part of the municipal policy for formal and non-formal environmental education. The coordination of the Ciência Cidadã Program of Linhares will be carried out by the municipal departments of Environment and Education.

“From the beginning, we envisioned the possibility of the public authorities and communities adopting the program and including it in local policies. The approval is the result of a process of understanding the value of science and strong community coordination. More than just numbers, Ciência Cidadã Program represents a legacy,” highlights Samarco’s Environment Manager, Brígida Maioli.

The expectation is that other cities will also present similar proposals for the creation of instruments that allow for the continuity of Ciência Cidadã Program. By bringing together citizens and scientists in education, research, and communication actions, the program strengthens the monitoring of terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity and fosters practices for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in the region.

 Closing seminar

The municipality of Aracruz, in Espírito Santo, was the location chosen to host the II Ciência Cidadã Program Seminar in the Rio Doce Basin in December 2025. The event marked the conclusion of the  Ciência Cidadã Program activities within the partnership between Samarco and UNESCO in Brazil.

A total of 170 students, teachers, researchers, community leaders, Indigenous leaders, public administrators, and technical teams from 23 municipalities took part in the event. 

About the Ciência Cidadã Program

The Ciência Cidadã Program was created in 2021 and is part of the Technical Cooperation Agreement signed between UNESCO in Brazil and the now-defunct Fundação Renova, which was then responsible for reparation actions following the Fundão dam rupture. With the approval of the New Rio Doce Agreement in November 2024, within the scope of the transition actions of the Biodiversity Action Plans, Samarco assumed responsibility for the continuity of this initiative through the cooperation established with UNESCO.

In the final phase, which ran until December 2025, 860 citizen scientists were trained in locations that include Indigenous Communities, residents of the districts of Novo Bento Rodrigues and Paracatu in Mariana, as well as students. “The program is characterized by co-production, and the community participates fully, from choosing the action to its execution. We provide oversight to ensure that activities are carried out according to scientific protocols,” explains the project coordinator at UNESCO in Brazil, Tatiana Mazzo.