Community-based Atlantic Forest Reforestation

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The Plight of the Atlantic Forest

This year, world leaders signed a historic agreement at the COP26 conference in Glasgow – pledging to end deforestation by 2030. While this is a positive step towards combating climate change, it comes too late for Paraguay, a country that has previously been predicted to be the first to lose all its primary forest – by 2028! Para La Tierra is looking to raise £3000 to fund the expansion of our Atlantic Forest program. With £3000 we will be able to grow our environmental education program reaching more Mbya Guaraní indigenous schools, hear and respond to the concerns of leaders in isolated campesino and indigenous communities and implement community-based reforestation programs to reconnect forest fragments and begin to reverse the negative trend.

The Back Story

Since 2018 (briefly interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic) Para La Tierra’s Dr Rebecca Smith has been running a much-lauded environmental education program in 22 campesino and Mbya Guaraní indigenous communities around the San Rafael (Tekoha Guasu) forest. Working in these communities and hearing their incredible stories has opened her eyes to the grave and often-ignored social issues in the area, and has made it clear that any sort of long-term protection and conservation of the Atlantic Forest must address these issues first.

As the forest continues to disappear, these vulnerable communities, who often depend on the forest resources, are among the first to suffer. Protecting the remaining forest is no longer enough to sustain these growing communities and reforestation projects with financial benefits for local people are essential.

Working with indigenous and local communities we aim to launch a reforestation campaign, combining native tree species and cash crops such as yerba mate, to reconnect the highly fragmented remnant forests. This will provide income for local people, a more connected landscape for wildlife and more forest cover - an important weapon in the global fight against climate change.

PLT has always works towards conservation by combining scientific research, community engagement and environmental education. The restoration and reforestation of this unique forest is an endeavour that combines all of these principles and we need your support to get this work off to a flying start!

Every Penny Counts

One thing that PLT has always been good at is making sure every penny stretches as far as possible and we want to make sure you know the impact of your donation:

£5 will buy arts and crafts supplies for an entire class.

£10 will buy amenities for a community meeting.

£25 will buy supplies for educational murals to be painted on the wall of a school.

£50 will buy sapling protection supplies for 1 hectare of planted forest.

£100 will buy 400 native tree saplings for the reforestation program.

£250 will allow us to take a class of students into the forest for a day of immersive learning.

£500 will provide an air conditioning/heating unit to a Mbya Guaraní classroom.

£1500 will cover the fuel required to visit remote rural communities for an entire year.

£3000 will cover all the costs associated with the projects for an entire year!

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