Fazenda Bom Pastor

From pasture land to a wildlife corridor

AMAP Brazil reforests former pastures on the associations’s owned Fazenda Bom Pastor as part of a wildlife corridor with the involvement of volunteers from Germany and Brazil. The corridor will interconnect two major forest and cabruca areas and will enlarge the habitat of the golden-headed lion tamarin and other endangered species. Native Mata Atlântica tree species will be planted on an area of approximately 70 hectares. All reforested areas are owned by AMAP Brazil and are, thus, secured for the long term. The reforestations on the Fazenda Bom Pastor were started in 2018 and have been continued year after year since then. The Umweltstiftung Greenpeace has been a supporter of the first hour.

The reforestation on the Fazenda Bom Pastor as a wildlife corridor is a multi-year project that AMAP Germany has been supporting since 2018, after AMAP Brazil purchased the farm. AMAP Brazil has started the reforestation in the areas with the highest soil moisture, along former streams and depressions. This reduces the mortality rate of the seedlings and improves the regeneration of the water balance. Like this, 30 000 seedlings of 70 different native tree species have been planted so far on 23 hectares.

This year, AMAP Brazil is planning to plant about 15 000 seedlings. In the selection of tree species, AMAP Brazil is following the requirements of the golden-headed lion tamarins. Native key species such as Eugenia sp., Protium heptaphyllum and Pouteria grandifolia will be planted in a targeted manner, which will later serve as food suppliers and provide sleeping facilities for the golden-headed lion tamarin, as Prof. Dr. Leonardo de Carvalho Oliveira has determined in his research. According to the succession classification, approximately 75 percent of the species will be pioneer species that show very rapid growth, serve to regenerate soil fertility and ensure that the areas will be shaded as quickly as possible. 25 percent of the species are secondary and climax species, the actual, shade-loving forest species. Both succession classes are planted in alternating rows, at a distance of 2 x 3 metres. This is a tried and tested planting scheme and is used in most reforestation projects that serve renaturation purposes. As in the last years, the seedlings will be purchased from the local nursery Floresta Viva.

After the reforestation, a circa four-year monitoring is carried out. The aim is to support the natural succession process and to promote and document the regeneration as part of the native Mata Atlântica biome. This involves continuous vegetation surveys and documentation of the faunal diversity on the sites. All standard parameters necessary for a scientific evaluation of the reforestation success, such as diversity, growth height, trunk diameter and degree of tree cover, are recorded. Seedlings that have not grown will be replaced. Every eight weeks a mowing is carried out, as dominant, mostly neophytic fern and grass species would overgrow the seedlings and, thus, prevent or greatly delay natural succession. This will no longer be necessary as soon as the seedlings cast sufficient shade, which will be the case from a growth height of approximately 1.5 metres, or after approximately 24 months. In the first three months after planting, a home-made liquid fertilizer is applied, which increases the growth of the seedlings and their resistance to pathogens.

Action 10 000 trees: Tefal helps AMAP Brazil with the seedlings—help develop the forest and become a tree sponsor

Tefal has committed to financing 10 000 trees in the Brazilian rainforest. Help develop the forest now and become a tree sponsor. For this, use our form or transfer 30 Euros per tree to the AMAP donation account with the reference “Baumpate Tefal”. The first 1 500 seedlings have already been planted.