Undo Pasture

The push to reforest the Amazon has begun. One such project, Amazonia Nativa, will convert degraded pasture (which had been created by clearing rainforest) to sustainable forestry.

Campo Capital, the local project implementer, plans the site to demonstrate to Columbia that diverse forest can provide jobs and support nearby towns. Working with sustainability developer ACT Group, Campo Capital have selected an area of degrading agricultural land to plant with several native species.

Bark and leaves of a Caoba tree (Swietenia macrophylla), one of several native species that will be planted by Amazonia Nativa. Image credit: jayeshpatil912 (CC BY 2.0)

Projects like Amazonia Nativa used to do their best on modest budgets, but the international community is now motivated. Both the Danish IFU and the Dutch FMO have committed development funds to support this project, which aims to convert 75 square kilometers of unsustainable pasture to native hardwoods and palms.

Read more on State of Green.