WEFOREST PROJECT BRAZIL

The Atlantic Forest, is among the world’s top five biodiversity hotspots. Trees are planted with the purpose of reconnecting remaining forest patches and grow new forest corridors and thus making more space for wildlife to thrive and reproduce. Animals such as the black lion tamarin, ocelots, anteaters, and even pumas have now returned to the area. Restoring the Atlantic Forest is also of high importance for the climate, as second-growth forest has a big potential for carbon storage. In the Brazilian Forest Law, every landowner is obliged to register a minimum of 20% of rural land as permanent forest, meaning that the trees planted there will be protected. The tree seedlings are grown in community-based nurseries run by local women, whereas members of the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement plant the trees. This way they are not only helping to restore the Atlantic Forest, but also learning valuable skills and earning a living.