Dialogues on Sustainability and Leadership
Replanting a Rainforest: Update 2 - 091111
Replanting a Rainforest began in earnest three weeks ago on October 20th, after having received a generous donation from WeForest.com. And things started happening in a big way.
Almost immediately a group representing our local partners, Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza (FAF) and the local NGO Grupo Ecológico Olho D’Agua, and neighbors with lands bordering on FAF, went to inspect and study more closely some of the areas which had been defined to be a part of the total project of almost 300 hectares; the so-called different “Reserva Legal” (RL) and “Áreas de Preservação Permanente” (APP). These last, the “APP”, are the areas surrounding natural water springs and waterways; streams, rivers, and lakes. There are more than 47 natural water springs and eight lakes, made mostly of dammed streams, on the FAF property of 850 hectares. It has always been our intention to prioritize the protection and regeneration of the APP’s, like the three natural springs in FAF Lot 1.
We now discovered, however, a considerably more degraded area just south of this, what we are calling FAF Lot 2, consisting of 8,12 hectares of land historically used as a chicken farm (going back a few generations) and now overgrown with the so-called “elephant grass” known locally as “capim”, a favourite for grazing cattle. Being great for cattle, it’s disastrous if you want to grow trees, since it grows as tall as an elephant in one rainy season (beginning in October each year), smothering any seedlings you may have planted.
What we discovered on FAF Lot 2 was that there are 4 natural springs (previously only 2), and that this is the source of the “Corrego da Agua Limpa” which downstream becomes the “Rio Agua Limpa” or Clear Water River! At least one of the springs is totally dried up, but another, after digging a few inches into the ground became soaked with water!
We are now studying this in more detail but it’s clear (clear water clear!) that we will begin Replanting a Rainforest with trees to protect and regenerate the natural water springs. This is what Felipe Croce wrote:
“This plot has one spring in the middle of the area we are planting which has dried up but when we dug a few inches into the ground we found water. Actually this was all recorded in the filming with Renato! There are two or three more spings further down the hill a little which is not in the area we are planting (because the land was too steep to clear).” Further, he continues: “As far as the area: It was recently purchased by FAF and used to belong to Morro Azul. It used to be called Granja which was because there was a big chicken coop there. Then it became all coffee and overtime the springs dried up. There are people who live on the farms who can tell stories of how the area used to be and can tell stories of the river. When Renato (Kerr, Filmmaker, editors remark) was here we thought about tracing the river down a bit and interviewing people from the different farms and communities whose live are affected by the river. This area is also particularly interesting because it will be an essential link in connecting forest reserves between 7 or more farms! This will create a large habitat for wildlife that is hard to find today in the state of São Paulo. We are excited to have you come down and start planting!”
The clearing has started, and species are being identified which will help the capillary activity of raising the water table and regenerating the springs. The added bonus of this becoming a “corridor” for wildlife, and joining the efforts of 7 neighboring farms is a great way to get our project started!
More studies will be undertaken, and many decisions need to be made over the next few weeks, in the meantime we will continue to clear about three hectares of land and prepare it for planting, which we plan to begin within two weeks. I am flying to Brazil tomorrow and after a meeting on Monday with “SOS Mata Atlântica” (NGO) Director Mario Mantovani will proceed to the farm, located 330 km. from the São Paulo city, at 950 meters above sea level.
I would also like to get a discussion going if there are questions on “Replanting a Rainforest”, or if anyone would like to contribute with knowledge or other resources.
Exciting weeks ahead, I look forward to posting regular updates, and if anybody should be in the area, come and join us! Contact me for information on lodging and board at Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza in the period between November 17 and December 7
Almost immediately a group representing our local partners, Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza (FAF) and the local NGO Grupo Ecológico Olho D’Agua, and neighbors with lands bordering on FAF, went to inspect and study more closely some of the areas which had been defined to be a part of the total project of almost 300 hectares; the so-called different “Reserva Legal” (RL) and “Áreas de Preservação Permanente” (APP). These last, the “APP”, are the areas surrounding natural water springs and waterways; streams, rivers, and lakes. There are more than 47 natural water springs and eight lakes, made mostly of dammed streams, on the FAF property of 850 hectares. It has always been our intention to prioritize the protection and regeneration of the APP’s, like the three natural springs in FAF Lot 1.
We now discovered, however, a considerably more degraded area just south of this, what we are calling FAF Lot 2, consisting of 8,12 hectares of land historically used as a chicken farm (going back a few generations) and now overgrown with the so-called “elephant grass” known locally as “capim”, a favourite for grazing cattle. Being great for cattle, it’s disastrous if you want to grow trees, since it grows as tall as an elephant in one rainy season (beginning in October each year), smothering any seedlings you may have planted.
What we discovered on FAF Lot 2 was that there are 4 natural springs (previously only 2), and that this is the source of the “Corrego da Agua Limpa” which downstream becomes the “Rio Agua Limpa” or Clear Water River! At least one of the springs is totally dried up, but another, after digging a few inches into the ground became soaked with water!
We are now studying this in more detail but it’s clear (clear water clear!) that we will begin Replanting a Rainforest with trees to protect and regenerate the natural water springs. This is what Felipe Croce wrote:
“This plot has one spring in the middle of the area we are planting which has dried up but when we dug a few inches into the ground we found water. Actually this was all recorded in the filming with Renato! There are two or three more spings further down the hill a little which is not in the area we are planting (because the land was too steep to clear).” Further, he continues: “As far as the area: It was recently purchased by FAF and used to belong to Morro Azul. It used to be called Granja which was because there was a big chicken coop there. Then it became all coffee and overtime the springs dried up. There are people who live on the farms who can tell stories of how the area used to be and can tell stories of the river. When Renato (Kerr, Filmmaker, editors remark) was here we thought about tracing the river down a bit and interviewing people from the different farms and communities whose live are affected by the river. This area is also particularly interesting because it will be an essential link in connecting forest reserves between 7 or more farms! This will create a large habitat for wildlife that is hard to find today in the state of São Paulo. We are excited to have you come down and start planting!”
The clearing has started, and species are being identified which will help the capillary activity of raising the water table and regenerating the springs. The added bonus of this becoming a “corridor” for wildlife, and joining the efforts of 7 neighboring farms is a great way to get our project started!
More studies will be undertaken, and many decisions need to be made over the next few weeks, in the meantime we will continue to clear about three hectares of land and prepare it for planting, which we plan to begin within two weeks. I am flying to Brazil tomorrow and after a meeting on Monday with “SOS Mata Atlântica” (NGO) Director Mario Mantovani will proceed to the farm, located 330 km. from the São Paulo city, at 950 meters above sea level.
I would also like to get a discussion going if there are questions on “Replanting a Rainforest”, or if anyone would like to contribute with knowledge or other resources.
Exciting weeks ahead, I look forward to posting regular updates, and if anybody should be in the area, come and join us! Contact me for information on lodging and board at Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza in the period between November 17 and December 7
Comment
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Comment by Alana Lea on February 25, 2010 at 7:42pm - Christer, you will find some information about these other crops from my partner Ian. I highly doubt we'll ever see him in here (ning), but will privately share our findings with you on this topic, based upon both his experience in the Amazon and our Atlantic Forest partner's knowledge.
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Comment by Christer Soderberg on November 11, 2009 at 7:12pm -
Thank you Robert and Corri, for your very relevant points and ideas! My comment about "species..." was precisely in view of existing Eucalyptus plantations in Brazil which are counterproductive of any capillary activity, indeed drying out the springs. Unfortunately as you say this is a cash crop, and one of our jobs is to find alternative species which help raise water tables and can be seen as cash crops. I encourage any and all discussions threads on this subject and will contribute as much as possible. More updates to come!
Corri, I fully agree with you; outreach and education are very crucial and key aspects to any project to develop sustainable models.
Thank you both for your support! And see you soon in Brazil!
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Comment by Corri Madia on November 11, 2009 at 3:53pm -
Good luck and great planting Christer! I am so excited to hear the details of the areas you will be planting. On our site in Ecuador we have a year round seep and much overland flow of water during the rainy season, both feeding the river running through the middle of our site. Please keep us posted on how you go about restoring the wetter areas and what the mature ecosystem is expected to look like. We are receiving tremendous help from a local nature reserve biologists but the park is primarily mangrove forest, a significantly lower elevation and saltier ecosystem.
I wish I could come too and help! Give love to those sedges, they are phenomenal plants!
To Robert: I commend you on your work in Cameroon. We have been lucky in Ecuador in that many in the village local to our site understand the importance of the trees in maintaining the ground water. They have watched the land dry as farmers pushed farther into the mountains. While the threat is not an introduced tree, but rather logging of existing trees, many small villages are watching as illegal poachers from surrounding areas come in in the middle of the night and log. As frustrating as that is, just our presence...our confirming and expanding their ideas of exactly how important the trees are, greatly increases their resolve to protect the land, even when we're not there. My point is that outreach and education is critical. And, in addition to that, alternative economy solutions are imperative. Forest restoration really doesn't exist without it, not in any sustainable way. I say the previous to you in support and encouragement, I know little of Cameroon and now I want to know a lot more. Keep talking about it! I also know how heartbreaking it is to watch the people and the land hurt in such a way. So don't wait! You know people in your home town and you know people in Cameroon...you already are that link!
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Comment by Robert Simpson on November 11, 2009 at 11:02am -
Well done!
I am interested when you say "species are being identified which will help the capillary activity of raising the water table and regenerating the springs." I imagine that this is crucial.
As you know I am involved with a Cameroonian development ngo and one of the big problems in the forestry sector there has been the alien eucalyptus plantations of the early 20th century which are now mature and drying up all the local springs!! A case of inappropriate planting! It has impacted in all sorts of unfortunate ways: the village women have to walk miles to find water and cultivable land, while the men prevent the trees from being cut down because the wood is sold as fuel providing their only cash income source for school, medical costs etc..
If at all possible I would like to know (a) how your experience in Brazil could provide a template for similar work in Cameroon acting through the agency of the BetterWorld Cameroon ngo. And (b) thinking also how such a project could be the focus for North/South community linking (aka: One World Linking).
I imagine (in my dreams!) that my hometown in Farnham, Surrey, UK could build a One World Link with, say, Bafut in the NW Province, situated in the sadly deforested uplands of Cameroon's mountain rainforests - once one of the world's richest ecologies. The OWL link would have as one of its focii a forest restoration programme.
Do you know about One World Linking? Try www.ukowla.org.uk. BWC are seeking to establish a sister organisation, COWLA, in Cameroon, hopefully as a model for other West African countries. Perhaps we should establish a One World Linking discussion thread on OpenWorld Cafe? This would be an important step towards building the human face of globalisation, don't you think?.
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