PROJECT-SUPPORT BRAZIL

Association NORDESTA Reforestation & Education, Geneva, Switzerland

Country / Region

Brazil, Community Quebrangulo

The Biological Reserve of Pedra Talhada is a forest area in eastern Brazil, the largest country in South America. It spreads over approximately 50 km², covering the municipalities of Quebrangulo, Chã Preta, Lagoa do Ouro, and Corrente (States of Alagoas and Pernambuco).

Atlantic Forest

Before European colonization, there existed primitive rainforests so immense that they defied human imagination. The largest of these forests, the Amazon – named after the river that crosses it from beginning to end – has become an emblem for tropical forests around the world.

The second biggest forest area is called the Atlantic Forest. Its surface covered over 1 million km² during the 15th century. This Atlantic Forest has greatly suffered from the deforestation caused by agriculture and cattle breeding. Today, a dwindling percentage of its original area remains. This is the last forest of this size in the region.

Thanks to this exceptional climatic and geological situation, one can find hundreds of species of trees in every hectare of the forest. There are also many species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, snails, insects, and spiders. Dozens of these species are endemic, which means they are found only in this forest. 

General

Biologist Anita Studer first travelled to Brazil in 1976 to study the many native bird species there. She was fascinated by the enormous diversity of nature and dismayed by the treatment of the tropical forest. Together with the local population, she set out to save the "Pedra Talhada" area.

The NORDESTA Reforestation & Education association was founded in 1985. Its objective is to preserve tropical forests and to improve the lives of its remote populations. The two fields of activity are environment and education.

In 1989, the Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve was founded by the Brazilian government. Until today, Anita Studer and the Nordesta Association are partners of ICMBio (Instituto Chico Mendes da Biodiversidade) for the management of the Reserve. 

Project-support

Agroforestry for farming families and the climate
Planting trees is a commitment to the climate and biodiversity. Furthermore, farming families are enabled to plant their food crops between the trees and thus build up sustainable agriculture.

Tree planting
100,000 indigenous trees will be planted upstream at the edge of the family plots.

Protecting climate and biodiversity
The trees will absorb a large amount of carbon dioxide. Many plants and animal species will repopulate this new green oasis. 100 beehives of the native stingless Melipona bees will also be installed.

Nutrition for farming families
The beneficiary families are landless farmers living in the village Quebrangulo. They will plant vegetables and fruits on their plots and thus get a better and more varied diet.

Soil health and drinking water
The plots are cultivated without the use of pesticides. The diversity of crops will benefit the health of the soil.

Promoting sustainable agricultural practices
The innovative agroforestry project aims to permanently change agricultural practices. A change in mentality is emerging, producing a new generation of farmers. Forestry and agriculture emerge and coexist.