Iracambi lies in the area that has the largest remnant of the Atlantic Rainforest in Minas Gerais, the core of which is the Serra do Brigadeiro State Park, about 13,000 hectares. In addition, there are three municipal conservation areas, plus Iracambi's own private reserve.

To date, no systematic plan has been made as to how these areas should be conserved and of what could or should be done to conserve the many other fragments outside the declared conservation areas. Iracambi is working with local farmers to identify existing land use and catalog the forest fragments with the object of supporting local government in the elaboration of a land use plan.

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Iracambi has already built up a Geographic Information System (GIS) covering our own land, and we are now working on extending this to the surrounding area. We aim eventually to cover the whole 200 km sq of Iracambi's area of influence. Click here to read more about the GIS Project.

Objectives

To map the region according to land use and soil types, and to inventory the biodiversity in remaining forest fragments in order to create a land management scheme for rehabilitating degraded lands.

Activities

• Mapping current land use and potential; identify remaining forest fragments and land and water resource degradation hot-spots;see below
• Evaluating alternative uses that enhance the potential for rehabilitation;
• Identifying critical fragments and patches of degraded lands with a view to acquiring them and putting them under conservation management;
• Studying population dynamics and do inventories of existing forest fragments to determine which patches hold the largest biodiversity and population sizes;
• Assisting local Government in preparing a plan that indicates measures and policies that will synchronize sustainable smallholder livelihoods and conservation.

Geographical Information System

Mapping work at Iracambi began in 2000 when basic land use, trails and houses on the farm were mapped. This information was used to create a map at a scale of 1:5000. However, it became obvious that Iracambi needed a more powerful way of storing and retrieving this data, so the Iracambi Geographical Information System (GIS) was developed. Mapping began by going into the field with a GPS receiver and mapping roads, trails and houses. With the skeleton of the area in place, work began on adding other geographical themes such as streams, lakes, altitude, and farm boundaries. Some information was collected with GPS points, some was taken from a 1:50,000 topographical map and some from the previously mentioned 1:5000 map.

Objectives

To map Iracambi and the surrounding area. The GIS will have a key role in providing information on topography and research for current and future projects.

Activities

• To map land use in accordance to the land management project;
• To use the GIS as a research tool for future projects;
• To use the GIS as a directory for projects carried out at Iracambi, storing information and containing links to reports and research;
• To provide land use information to local authorities to aid the decision making process.

Want to help? Click here for our Forest Futures Program