Brazil's Forest Blooms Anew: 840,000 Trees Planted

Brazil's Atlantic Forest is experiencing a remarkable revival thanks to a twenty-year conservation effort. World Land Trust (WLT) and Brazilian NGO Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu (REGUA) have been instrumental in this transformation.

REGUA has successfully planted 840,000 trees, restoring 607 hectares of degraded land. This initiative has recreated wildlife corridors, reconnecting fragmented forest areas and aiding the recovery of plant, animal, and fungal populations. The project has also focused on wetland restoration.

Since 2002, REGUA has revitalized a lowland wetland, which now hosts over 220 bird species. This restored habitat has allowed for the reintroduction of lowland tapir, a species absent from Rio de Janeiro state for over a century.

REGUA's conservation area now encompasses nearly 15,000 hectares. This expansion, achieved through land purchases and management agreements, is crucial for protecting the remaining biodiversity of the Guapiaçu watershed.