The world's large research groups tend to create extension actions and return results to civil society through lectures, games and teaching materials, books, films, websites, social media, etc. However, the great challenge lies in the transition from knowing to building empowerment tools for environmental preservation, sustainability and social justice. This project's main objective is to promote the integration of non-formal local knowledge, engaging the different populations of the Teles River, and formal scientific knowledge to effectively bring academia closer to society, generating positive socio-environmental actions. First, at the local/territorial level, to create a new culture of man's relationship with the land, aiming at global preservation and sustainability actions as the next steps. This process of social transformation, due to its dialogical and dialectical nature, has a strong focus on action-learning, as it brings together and integrates the various knowledges, connecting them to the positive actions discussed by the local population to solve the regional socio-environmental problems revealed throughout the process as deforestation, environmental contaminants, hydropower, overfishing. In this way, the transition from knowledge to doing, valuing the knowledge of the local populations of the Teles River, in a fair and equitable way, will ultimately promote social justice. Recent research shows that action is fundamental for learning because it provides for integrating knowledge and solving socio-environmental conflicts. Social engagement and integration between local communities and the Federal University of Mato Grosso is a key factor necessary for the population to learn the skills that lead to facing the challenges of environmental preservation and sustainability.