The Programs at Iracambi

An overview of our main priorities

The programs at Iracambi are divided into three main areas:  Managing Natural Resources, Developing Sustainable Communities and Researching Ecosystems. All programs and projects are focused on saving forests and changing lives and there are many overlaps between them.

Managing Natural Resources is where saving forests begins. Our objective is to have a clear overview of land use in the Serra do Brigadeiro so that we can work with county authorities to designate priority conservation land to be included in Environmental Protection Areas. The next stage is to work with local farmers to set up management committees, create and implement a management plan, and ensure that the best conservation practices are being followed. A fundamental tool in this process is the Iracambi GIS where we collect data and generate maps. Once we have a clear understanding of how the land is being used we can see which additional areas qualify for the Payment for Environmental Services scheme which we are in the process of developing. In connection with this we are looking at best practices in soil and water conservation, reforesting around water sources and on steep slopes, linking isolated forest patches through planting forest corridors, establishing agroforestry plots to combine native species trees with agricultural crops, and raising money under our Forest Futures project to purchase threatened patches of forest and place them under permanent protection.

A vital component of ensuring the future of the forest is to ensure the future of the people who live in it. Our Developing Sustainable Communities program is where we work with local communities to change lives. This is based on training in community skills, participatory rural analyses, community workshops to exchange knowledge and share experiences, policy work at all levels from farm gate to the State Assembly, and fostering social entrepreneurship, where we are currently developing a robust project of community- based ecotourism.

And since we live in the Atlantic Rainforest, an ecosystem where there is still much to be discovered, our Researching Ecosystems program includes researching and inventorying flora and fauna, forest monitoring and stream ecology.