Page 133 - Suape 45 Anos

Reforestation, our daily mission

One way in which Suape promotes environmental compensa- Fundamental to the success of Suape’s reforestation activities is
tion is through its huge forest nursery, which has the capacity to the support of the residents of local communities, such as Algodo-
produce, on an annual basis, over 450,000 saplings of more than ais and Massangana. Many local people have in-depth knowledge
80 species native to the Atlantic Forest. This is an extremely im- of the forest, and their help is indispensable in finding seeds for se-
portant and highly visible asset, with its lively colorful pepper trees, lected species.
Pteridons, bay cedars, Parkia, and bulletwood. There is even room Once the seeds have been acquired, a cooperative hired by-
for some examples of Brazil’s iconic pau-brasil tree. Reforestation Suape begins the cycle of production. Before being planted out,
has already secured the preservation of 8,000 hectares of Atlantic the seeds go through various procedures, including pre-process-
Forest, through the planting of 3 million saplings. ing, germination, bagging, andrustication (the gradual removal of
The nursery has been in existence since 1995 and is located coverings). Areas for reforestation are selected by the Sustainability
along the PE-60 highway, in the Municipality of Cabo de Santo Department.
Agostinho, covering an area of two hectares. Since then, it has be- Some species take up to a year to be ready for planting. For
come an indispensable component of social and environmental others, such as pepper trees and bay cedar, the process takes only
projects, helping to preserve the biome of Suape’s vast territory. Fif- around three months. However long it takes, it is vital that reforesta-
ty-nine percent of the 17,300 hectares of the Complex lies within the tion be carried out and that nature be allowed to renew itself on a
Ecological Preservation Zone (ZPEC). daily basis.

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