Due to its history of degradation, great biological diversity, and a high degree of endemism, the Atlantic Forest is considered a global priority for ecosystem restoration. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, the region of the Central Fluminense Mosaic (MCF) is of enormous relevance to the conservation of the biome, as it is home to protected areas and a large portion of the population of Rio de Janeiro, thus restoration actions in the region have high potential to generate environmental and socioeconomic benefits.
The project “On the Atlantic Forest Trail: restoring landscapes and strengthening local production chains in the Central Fluminense Mosaic” aimed to promote the recovery of native vegetation and strengthen the forest production chain and sustainable tourism, connecting Private Natural Heritage Reserves (RPPNs) and local stakeholders to expand, enrich and conserve the biodiversity of forest remnants in the MCF region.
Focusing on the extreme northern corridor of the Serra do Mar, the project implemented restoration actions in priority areas to increase functional connectivity between the MCF and the Desengano State Park, along the Atlantic Forest Trail (Caminho da Mata Atlântica - CMA). The CMA is a 4,270 km trail that runs along the entire Serra do Mar and part of Serra Geral, between Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul, with the goal of promoting contact with nature, generating income for local communities, connecting people, forests and protected areas.
Using spatial planning, appropriate restoration techniques (taking advantage of the potential of natural regeneration and increasing the cost-effectiveness of actions), promoting the training of rural landowners on different forms of income generation from restoration and conservation, stimulating sustainable tourism, citizen science, and fauna records, the project achieved the following results:
Restored 250 hectares of Atlantic Forest to increase the functional connectivity between forest remnants in the extreme northern corridor of the Serra do Mar;
Mobilized and trained local stakeholders in activities associated with the restoration of native vegetation, promoting and strengthening the production chains of forest seeds and seedlings, ecotourism, and rural tourism;
Monitored areas with restoration actions and their surroundings by means of fauna records and Citizen Science tools, contemplating the ecosystemic and social benefits of restoration, and subsidizing Research and Development (R&D).
Over two years, the project partners - the Atlantic Forest Trail (CMA), the Laboratory of Vertebrates of the Biology Institute of UFRJ (LabVert), Fiocruz, Agroicone, Embrapa Agrobiology, and the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve (REGUA) - contributed with the IIS to achieved the proposed objectives.
5 май 2024
