In 2005, the partnership between Conservation International, Bunge, and Oréades-Núcleo de Geoprocessamento (Óreades Geoprocessing Center) concluded the pilot-study to preserve the exquisite biodiversity of the Brazilian savanna, called cerrado, in the Emas-Taquari strip. This project was initiated in 2003 and consists of two principal, interrelated components:
Creating a network of private reserves by helping farmers establish and manage legal reserves on their land. Likewise, the project includes efforts to protect Permanent Conservation Areas (or APPs) and recovering depleted areas, in accordance with the regulations in the Brazilian Forest Code.
Encouraging conservation through the company’s supply chain and fostering better environmental practices among growers.
The pilot-study was developed in the surroundings of the das Emas national park, which extends from the southwest of the state of Goiás to the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. It has benefited 63 farmers who together manage an area of 142,000 hectares. Of this total, 25 properties are undergoing a process of regulation and recuperation of 22,300 hectares of legal reserves and APPs.
In order to supply farmers with seedlings of native trees necessary to recuperate these areas, the project has also created a nursery in the Chapadão do Sul region. This initiative helps fund a philanthropic institution that works in the community. It produces 550,000 seedlings a year, which include cerrado and exotic species for restoring natural areas, in addition to eucalyptus as an alternative energy source to the native biome firewood.
The second phase of this project was signed in 2005 and also encompasses the biodiversity conservation corridor of Uruçuí-Mirador, located in the south of Piauí and Maranhão states. In addition to helping farmers comply with environmental laws, this partnership seeks to integrate both the public and private enterprises in regional planning efforts, thus linking conservation needs and regional development goals. Planning will promote agricultural practices that support the conservation of biodiversity. This includes managing water resources and using the soil in a suitable and proper manner, as well as minimizing microclimate alterations and biodiversity losses. Additionally, it fosters high agricultural productivity and prevents breaches of environmental contracts.
This project recognizes the role of farmers in protecting natural areas and facilitates interaction between growers and the conservationists, thus bringing the Emas-Taquari and Urucuí-Mirador biodiversity corridors into effect. The partnership with Bunge enables the project to reach the greatest possible number of properties. This was made possible through the employees who create a multiplier effect. Furthermore, it has helped the company strengthen its policy governing supplier relationships in ways that address fundamental issues with regard to conservation of the cerrado and social responsibility. In other words, it affects everyone’s role concerning the rational use of natural resources.
