In São Paulo, Brazil's most populous state, only seven percent of the original rainforest extent remains. The local farmers of Cunha are now beginning to realize a disturbing consequence of deforestation in their area: the natural springs they have always relied on are drying up. A recent article in Science entitled Reconstructing Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest takes a closer look at this problem and the forest restoration project that is attempting to solve it.
The Riparian Forest Restoration Project
The Riparian Forest Restoration Project (RRP) in São Paulo will attempt to restore altered hydrologic cycles by reforesting some one million hectares of riparian rainforest. The project will require two billion seedlings from hundreds of different tree species, costing over $2 billion and taking decades to complete. Funding to date has come from the Global Environmental Facility and the state, although only a fraction of the total cost has been raised.
Source: Wuethrich, 2007. Reconstructing Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest
Numerous pilot projects will be initiated in five watersheds throughout São Paulo, each targeting the specific needs of its area, such as soil stabilization, water maintenance, or production of fruits and nuts from rainforest trees. RRP hopes to convince farmers to set aside crop or pasture land for reforestation, which will require educating local communities about the linkages between forest loss and the disappearance of ecosystem services, such as the natural springs in Cunha.
The Challenges of Reforestation
Recreating a healthy and sustainable forest ecosystem is a complicated task. According to the article, of 98 publicly funded reforested areas evaluated in 2000 in Brazil, only two were highly successful. Most biologists agree that a newly planted forest must be able to maintain existing and recruit additional biodiversity, though there is debate as to how to achieve this. For example, one restoration effort in western São Paulo began with 42 tree species only to find 10 years later that four species had dominated the upper canopy. Some biologists believe that flora and fauna must be introduced simultaneously in order to promote ecological relationships between plant and animal life, whereas others focus initially on the species and genetic diversity of trees alone. The RRP pilot projects will emphasize a number of different approaches, hopefully yielding important lessons in forest restoration that can be replicated throughout Brazil and the world.
Full Citation:
Wuethrich, Bernice. 2007. "Reconstructing Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest." Science 315(5815): 1070-1072.
RELATED LINKS:
Human Pressures on the Brazilian Amazon Forests(PDF)
EarthTrends
Forests, Grasslands, and Drylands Searchable Database
January 2007 Monthly Update: Forest Certification and the Path to Sustainable Forest Management
