Saturday, October 12, 2024

Reforesting and Conserving the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

At 6:00 PM on Tuesday, November 12th, the Vineyard Haven Library welcomes Claudia Macedo for a presentation about the vital work she does to repopulate the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and to raise awareness about the importance of ecosystems and forest restoration. This event will be held on the main floor of the library, with refreshments provided by the Friends of the Library.

Claudia Macedo is a doctor of physical therapy in the rehabilitation and wellness department of Martha's Vineyard Hospital, who dedicates six months of the year to forest restoration in Brazil. Her work in Brazil has been recognized by BBC Earth in a 2021 story on forest restoration. 

Macedo’s interest in conservation and reforestation projects focussed on the Brazilian Atlantic Forest began over two decades ago. In 2003, she started her first private project for the conservation of 2000 acres of the Atlantic forest in Serra da Bocaina, SP, which led to the planting of 3000 native tree saplings to reforest degraded areas. In 2013, she began collaborating with other local initiatives related to reforestation of riparian forest in the Serra da Bocaina region, including the reintroduction of more than 13,000 trees in the Atlantic Forest biome. In 2017, she partnered with the international nonprofit, One Tree Planted, to establish community driven reforestation projects in Brazil. In 2018, she began a project to identify and map Atlantic Forest mother trees in order to collect native seeds and propagate saplings for future reforestation. 

In 2020, Macedo initiated the project “Donate a Forest,” to encourage local participation in reforestation efforts through the distribution of native seeds and tree saplings to children in the region. In 2022, she started the Collaborative Family Farming pilot project to facilitate the creation of vegetable gardens among dwellings occupied by low-income families, and in community spaces with a high concentration of families at risk of hunger. In 2023, she founded and became the Vice President of Instituto Biosfera (IBIOS), and as IBIOS representative, joined the Conselho Consultivo (Advisement group) of the Bananal Ecological Station and COMDEMA (Atlantic Forest Municipal Adviser) for the municipality of Bananal, SP. 

For more information about this event, please call the library at (508) 696-4211 or send an email to vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org.

 

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