Promoting ecosystem restoration is not such a simple mission and goes beyond simply reforesting degraded areas. Of course planting trees always makes a difference, but our purpose here at Abundance Brasil involves some special care when it comes to biodiversity.
Our forests consider this factor to be fundamental when planning new plantings. Do you know why? We explain it better below. Follow along to find out the main reasons!
Native composition analysis
One of the first steps before restoring an environmental area is to analyze its native composition. It is important to use species that are already common in the region, because they are used to living there and adapt well to the soil conditions, temperature, humidity, and all the other variables.
Going the other way - that is, not taking this care and choosing species that are exotic to the environment - can unbalance the entire ecosystem. The planting may not work out, the financial investment may be wasted, and, even worse, the local ecosystem may be damaged.
The Brazilian Biodiversity
Brazil is the country with the greatest biodiversity in the world. According to the federal government, there are "more than 116,000 animal species and over 46,000 known plant species in the country, spread across six terrestrial biomes and three major marine ecosystems.
The disparity is such that many Brazilian states probably have more species of trees than the whole of Europe. Moreover, Brazil still has many species that science doesn't even recognize yet. So it is a mistake to try to restore ecosystems without exploiting (in a good way) all the possible potential. It would be like building a restaurant with only one type of food and not serving customers for it.
The importance of avoiding monoculture
In reality, there are several reasons to promote biodiversity, especially when we talk about forming new forests - which is what we do with the planned plantations, like Aurora Verde.
Some of the main points are:
- Different plants demand resources in different ways (soil nutrients, water, etc.). So monoculture of trees is like telling the soil that we will always take the same things from it, without giving it back what it needs.
- Different species of trees attract different species of animals, such as birds, insects, and others. With a greater variety we have a richer ecosystem and the food chain is also favored.
- A diverse forest can usually contain the attack of "pests" better, because they become part of the food network promoted by the hundreds of species.
- Forests are living environments. Plants grow, die, degrade, or sprout in different cycles, creating a dynamic for the beings that live there. By placing too few species, we prevent these natural cycles from happening.
Anyway, now that you know a little more about it, you should know that a good environmental restoration project is not just about reforesting an area by planting a large quantity of a single species of tree. It is important to consider biodiversity and create rich ecosystems that generate carbon credits and other benefits!
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