Climate Action Brazil Project #69025

Forests4Water - Forests Forever

by Iracambi

Project Report | Apr 1, 2025
What's going on in Forests4Water? Read on!

By Luiz Gusmao | Iracambi Forestry Coordinator

Amber planting in between rainstorms

Hello friends and supporters,

Forests4Water has recently made a few changes on this platform, and now it's time to send you the latest news - direct from the rainforest.

Are you ready?

First and foremost, as we come to the end of the rainy season, we've been super busy completing this season's planting as well as the monitoring and maintenance of the baby trees planted since October when the rains began.

This season we've done both direct restoration - planting native trees in water catchment areas - and also agroforestry which is where we mix native trees with food crops, restoring forest cover and providing an economic return for the farmer.

We are focusing on the land that directly borders the Serra do Brigadeiro State Park, creating a green wall around the core conservation area, building forest corridors, extending forest cover and habitat for biodiversity, and restoring a flourishing ecosystem.

And the impact of what we - and so many other committed environmentalists - are doing at local landscape level, stretches across the hemisphere and around the world. Together we're regulating water cycles, enriching soils, mitigating carbon emissions and supporting global food systems.

Not a bad return on investment, right?

Thank you so much for supporting us!

with love,

Binka, Luiz and the Iracambi Foresters

PS Check out our cover picture - Amber from New York City. She crossed continents to join our restoration team, stuck it out through torrential rains, and says she wouldn't have it any other way. Iracambi owes a huge vote of thanks to our students and volunteers. Thank you, guys!

Planting crew taking a break

landscape restoration - corridors and agroforestry

fragmented forest

baby forest flourishing

Links:

World Economic Forum: How reforestation affects food security

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Mar 17, 2025
Latest news: An important message from Binka, sloth baby rescue and Teiu, our big lizard

By Carla da Hora Duailibi | Comunication Coordinator

Binka, the amazing woman who founded Iracambi

Hello everyone! We hope you are well!

We continue to care for the Atlantic Forest and its people, working hard and happily. Join us and keep up to date with the latest news from Iracambi. Binka has a special message of hope in the month of International Women's Day. You can also see the beautiful rescue of a super cute baby sloth that hitched a ride with us. He was safely reintroduced to the forest at our research centre. And meet the enigmatic Teiú, one of the largest lizards in South America.

Happy reading, and have a great week!

Iracambi Team

“We were born for this time”, a message from Binka
To celebrate International Women's Day, nothing could be more fitting than to pay tribute to all the women, young people and girls of Iracambi (those of yesterday, today and the future) through the powerful message of a woman who is pure inspiration: our co-founder Binka Le Breton.

“In these difficult times we choose hope over despair. We choose to survive and thrive. We choose to restore the magnificent forests that sustain the biodiversity which underpins all life. We choose the painstaking work of collecting seeds, nurturing saplings, planting, and caring for the young forests that are bringing new life to the weary land. We choose to provide a safe and welcoming space for people of all ages and backgrounds to devote their talents and passion to solving the challenges of living together on a fragile and finite planet.

We choose to inspire and encourage children and young people to find new ways to thrive, protect and transform their communities, using all their creativity, imagination, and energy. Sometimes the sheer scale of the problems can feel overwhelming. But we are stronger together. Like the hummingbird, we invite you to join us for the next twenty-five years as we play our part in leaving the planet a little better than we found it. We were born for this time.” Binka Le Breton

Iracambi team rescues the cutest baby sloth on a farm

We are totally in love and we're sure you will be too with this video (link below) . A few days ago, we were called to rescue this baby sloth that was in the corral of a property in the rural area of Rosário da Limeira, in the Zona da Mata Mineira, where Iracambi is located.

Our volunteer and research coordinator Gabriela Soares went to the site and removed the baby sloth, which was clinging to the driver's seat. The animal was released into the wild in an Atlantic Forest reserve in Iracambi. We would like to thank the owner of the farm for his trust in us. This was a beautiful example of how, together, we can care for and preserve nature and the creatures that inhabit it with respect and affection.

Teiú is one of the largest lizards in South America

Today we bring you information about a much-loved inhabitant here in Iracambi: the Teiú (Tupinambis merianae). It is one of the largest lizards in South America and can reach 2 metres in length. With its striking colouring in shades of black, yellow and white, the teiú easily adapts to different environments and can be found almost everywhere in Brazil, even in large cities.

In summer and spring, it takes advantage of the sun in search of food and reproduction. But in the colder months, between May and August, it hibernates and spends long periods inactive in its burrows. This lizard is omnivorous and has a varied menu: from insects, birds and small rodents to fruit, leaves and even carrion! It also plays an important role in nature as a seed disperser, helping to regenerate the biomes where it lives, did you know? Fun fact: females can lay up to 35 eggs per clutch!

Rescue of the baby sloth

Teiu, the great lizard of Iracambi

Links:

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