Reforestation

The Alter do Chão area also draws attention for having freshwater beaches of admirable beauty, these famous nationally and internationally. In fact, in 2009 the Guardian rated the beaches of Alter do Chão as the number one “beach” in Brazil. See the Guardian article here.

And it is in the restoration of these economically vital beaches that ACRAA is focusing its initial reforestation efforts, as there is an urgent need here. Specifically, this means planting the appropriate species to reverse the ongoing loss of tree cover here. 

We started this work in February 2020 with the collection of seeds from several species of trees that grow on these beaches, including the Ilha do Amor [1]. In March of the same year the first of these seeds germinated, those of a tree locally known as Comandá. This work has continued and we now have a growing collection of “Beach Trees” in our plant nursery. In February 2022 we began to plant some of those first Comandá on beaches of Alter do Chão. More were planted in late 2022 and early 2023, and we have now planted about 100 trees on the Ilha do Amor.