Title
Brazil, wildlife corridors
Project Summary
The Atlantic Forest has been reduced to green fragments due to unsustainable agriculture. This has affected the rich biodiversity in the area. WeForest is planting trees to reconnect these forest patches, creating more space for animals such as the endangered black lion tamarin so that they can thrive again.
Region
Project Status
Restoration Approach
Planting Period
Project Partners
IPE received the 2017 Award of Excellence from the Society for Ecological Restoration.
Laboratório de Silvicultura de Florestas Tropicais (LASTROP), Universidade de São Paulo; Instituto de Energia e Ambiente Universidade de Sao Paulo; Federal University of São Carlos; Instituto de pesquisas e estudos florestais.
Species
Project Goals
Restore native forest
Reconnect the Morro do Diabo State Park to the Iguaçu National Park
Conserve biodiversity
Promote economic development
Build livelihood resilience
Latest Project News
Why is intervention needed?
Though the Atlantic Forest used to be 6 times the size of the United Kingdom, it is now only a forest in name. Over the course of 20 years, it has lost over 80% of its original forest cover due to agricultural expansion. No other large tropical forest has suffered this much loss.
Ecological restoration
In order to boost the forest recovery, we combine several restoration methods (i.e. assisted natural regeneration, framework species approach and farmer-assisted reforestation) which are chosen based on land ownership, level of degradation and the amounts of seeds present in the degraded soil. Agroforestry, yet another system, is also used when farmers are eager to directly improve their diet or grow their income.
Livelihood development
We will win this battle against deforestation when people start making a living from restoring and protecting forests and not from cutting the trees. Community-based nurseries around the restoration sites are a good example and are ran by local female entrepreneurs. This allows them to become financially independent. Transplanting the produced seedlings to the final planting site provides another opportunity for income: members of the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra) are hired and learn valuable skills to finally make a decent living. Various trainings in forestry techniques are provided to the people of the community several times during the year.
A growing Team
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* Carbon calculation methodology
This carbon figure is based on research conducted in the region of Pontal do Paranapanema. The total above-ground and below-ground biomass is estimated to average a sequestration of 317.24 tons of CO2 per hectare over a period of 30 years.
Ditt, E.H., Rocha, M. T., Padua, C.V. Estudos de viabilidade de projetos de carbono para mitigação climática, redução de pobreza e conservação da biodiversidade no Pontal do Paranapanema, São Paulo. In: Carlos Klink. (Ed.). Quanto mais quente melhor? 1ed. Brasília: Peirópolis, 2007, v. 1, p. 139-154.