What is the “Brazil Wildlife Corridors” project?
Over 20 years, Brazil’s Atlantic Forest has lost over 80% of its original forest due to unsustainable agriculture, affecting the rich biodiversity in the area.
The WeForest project aims to grow tree corridors that connect remaining patches of the Atlantic forest and bring back wildlife.
What’s new in Brazil?
Four local associations and four family-based operations are involved in the project, from seed collecting to final seedling production. This activity allows locals to increase their income and to lead a more decent life.
Women are at the core of the project: 4 nurseries that provide seedlings are managed by women, which allows them to develop economic independence.
Since March 2020, the goal is to convince owners of large forest remnants to convert their lands into private reserves in order to maintain native species and increase connectivity in the landscape.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had little impact on this objective: the meetings with the landowners are now held using videoconferencing tools. Some activities had to be delayed following the pandemic but have now resumed.
Since the beginning of 2020, more than 87 hectares of land have been restored and more than 114 hectares are being restored. By 2030, the objective is to protect and restore 5,200 hectares.
How do we know our restored forests are growing and making an impact on the environment?
Every hectare under restoration assigned to sponsors is mapped with GPS points to generate well-defined areas. This allows science and forestry teams to carry out continuous monitoring of several indicators such as the progress of biomass growth, tree density, survival rate and species diversity etc. Socio-economic indicators can also be measured.