THEY PLANTED 2 MILLION TREES … AND RESTORED A DESTROYED FOREST

*From barren land to lush forest (Image credit: Sebastião Salgado)*

If you feel disempowered and don’t believe that what you do will make a difference in this world, this story will inspire you.

A couple in Brazil helped breathe new life into the world’s lungs by restoring an entire forest that had been wiped out by deforestation. With the help of many, they planted 2.7 million trees over 20 years, completely transforming the environment back into its original condition, thriving with fauna and wildlife.

The area is a paradise once again and home to an array of animals and plants. In all, some 172 bird species have returned, as well as 33 species of mammals, 293 species of plants, 15 species of reptiles and 15 species of amphibians – an entire ecosystem rebuilt from scratch.

When Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado went off to travel the world and pursue a career in journalism several years ago, his home was deep in a tropical forest, and a habitat for many exotic plants and animals.

Sadly, when he returned, he found that his home had been destroyed. The rainforest that he lived in had been entirely cut down, and the lush tropical forest that he once knew and loved had become a barren wasteland. Seeing his homeland in this state sent him spiralling into a deep depression.

Then one day, his wife Lélia Deluiz Wanick Salgado, got an amazing idea. She suggested that they try to replant the forest all on their own, and she truly believed that it could be done. The couple quickly got to work on replanting the forest that they once knew and loved.

*2.7 million trees were planted over 20 years. (Image credit: Instituto Terra)*

The job wasn’t easy, but eventually, they were able to reforest the area around their home. Miraculously not long after the plants begin to bloom again, and the animals started to come back also, giving new life to the region.

Among the many benefits, achievements, and positive effects that came from the reforestation include:

> It was possible to stop soil erosion.

> The 8 natural springs that the forest hosted have come back and are flowing are the rate of 20 liters (5.3 gals) per minute; even in times of drought, they flow.

> 172 bird species have returned, of which 6 are already in danger of becoming extinct.

> 33 species of mammals have returned, with 2 of them being vulnerable and about to be extinct worldwide.

> 293 species of plants have returned.

> 15 species of reptiles have returned.

> 15 species of amphibians have returned.

“The land was as sick as I was – everything was destroyed,” Salgado said in The Guardian back in 2015. “Only about 0.5% of the land was covered in trees. Then my wife had a fabulous idea to replant this forest. And when we began to do that, then all the insects and birds and fish returned and, thanks to this increase of the trees I, too, was reborn – this was the most important moment.”

*Forest changes, 2000-2012 (Image credit: Instituto Terra)*

In addition to providing Salgado with creative inspiration, the process has provided him with one of the answers to climate change: trees. “Perhaps we have a solution,” Salgado said. “There is a single being which can transform CO2 to oxygen, which is the tree. We need to replant the forest. You need forest with native trees, and you need to gather the in the same region you plant them or the serpents and the termites won’t come. And if you plant forests that don’t belong, the animals don’t come there and the forest is silent.”

And so, after taking utmost care to ensure that everything planted is native to the land, the area has

flourished remarkably in the ensuing 20 years. Wildlife has returned, where there was a deathly silence there is now a cacophony of birdcalls and insects buzzing around.

Together, Sebastião and Lélia founded Instituto Terra, a small organisation with people who care about the environment just as much as they do, which has since planted 4 million saplings and has brought the forest back from the dead.

The Salgados no longer own the property, which is now a federally recognised nature preserve that raises millions of tree seedlings in its nursery, trains young ecologists and welcomes visitors to see a forest reborn.

But the couple have shown the world that change is possible. Just two people can literally make a whole forest of a difference. So can every individual. If every single person in the world planted just one tree, we would have billions of new trees.

Consumers Association Penang

THEY PLANTED 2 MILLION TREES … AND RESTORED A DESTROYED FOREST