Forests4Water Brazil: Community Climate Action

Dear wonderful donors!

Before we go any further we want to share with you a message that popped into our mailbox five minutes ago. It’s from one of our new donors, and it really brought a smile to our faces. Here´s what he says.

“Rainforests are hugely important to our global climate, and their protection comes from the people that live amongst them. Increasing ownership, knowledge and awareness of their importance amongst future generations is going to be key to driving the regional & global policy change that will protect them at scale.”

Yess! Right on. We couldn´t agree more. And every aspect of our forestry program emphasizes the importance of  protecting the rainforest. Especially when we are working with community members and young apprentices. 

So here’s a quick update from the field. Yes, it’s raining and yes we are planting just as fast as we can. But we also wanted to take a moment to update you on progress in the nursery, because we are really happy about how things are shaping up.

Of course, nursery work never ends – and that’s just the way we like it. But we have hit some milestones… First we have completed our Seed House. As you can see it’s a low-tech operation, using bamboo for the walls. It’s a place for storing seeds and working with seed preparation. Already two different team members have expressed an interest in living there - but we had to explain that it’s designed for seeds, not for people!

The other building project involves a barn – a shelter for nursery equipment, vehicles, organic fertilizer, and the like. Just what we needed. And incidentally, no one has yet demanded to live in it. Something to do with having no walls, perhaps?! Plus we have totally reorganized the toolshed. (Check the photo.)

We've also expanded the area used for hardening off the seedlings before they are planted out. And we’ve included our medicinal plants education area in the nursery compound.  So we’re going to start 2022 in really good shape – which is just as well since we´ll be completing the planting of the 20,000 seedlings for 2021, AND we´ll be planting another 35, 000.

So this comes with lots of love and appreciation, and please take care of yourselves!

Luiz, Alfredo, Deivid and the Iracambi forestry team

Dear donors, supporters and forest lovers across the world, 

We hope you are all holding up in this complicated world, where it seems that covid refuses to let us get on with our lives?

We, too, have had some of personal plans affected, but, nonetheless....

Today we have lots of good news to relate! 

First of all and thanks to those of you who were able to donate on the day, we raised over $13000 on Giving Tuesday.  

Enough to plant and care for 3662 beautiful rainforest trees. 

Or to take us 65% of the way towards the vehicle we so urgently need.

And on the forestry front. First we took delivery of 15000 seedlings. Yes, we have been enlarging the capacity of our forest nursery, but we didn't have enough seedlings ready for planting right now.

And now we do. They took a lot of downloading but they are now safely hardening off ready to be planted out soon.  

Seedling delivery is an operation with a lot of moving parts. The truck has to be available. So does the driver. So does a team to load and another team to unload. Much depends on the weather since some of our roads are dirt, and trucks don't like mud. It also depends on the driver having a cell phone signal and remembering to warn us of his arrival. (He didn't.)

But the work never stops. We've been preparing nearly two hectares on a steep slope in Ruben's place. When the trees are planted they will stabilize the soil, regulate the water supply and extend habitat for wildlife.

Another area on Rosana's property is all ready to plant. Her place adjoins Leandro's on one side and Iracambi's Pico da Graminha reserve on the other, forming a forest corridor. We are planting nearly 50 different varieties, one of which, Solanum sp, provides fruits and flowers which are much appreciated by the woolly spider monkey which is one of our keystone species. Although critically endangered, they appear to be flourishing in our area, which is really good news.

So it's all go down here, and we really want to thank you for your amazing support. Together we really are saving the planet!

 with love and appreciation from

Luiz and the Iracambi foresters