Serra das Lontras and Javi, Bahia >> See the Project's website

The Atlantic Forest is the most threatened forest biome in Brazil, considering that less than 7% of its original cover remains partially conserved. In general, human occupation and agricultural activities are the most important causes of deforestation at this biome. Especially in south Bahia, logging, pasture, coffee and eucalyptus plantations compose the main threats to the area. Also, because of the historical importance and beautiful beaches, most of the attempts for conservation in the region were concentrated on protecting areas near the beach. Parallel to the coast, and 15km away from the Una Biological Reserve, the Serra das Lontras complex is a small mountain range, with elevations varying from 400 to 1.000m, in the Tropical Forest Domain. As a consequence of this altitudinal variation, Serra das Lontras presents a gradient of vegetation types, including montane forest on the top of the hills, and a rich avifauna, with endemic species from southern Bahia and Espírito Santo states and also floristically similar to south-eastern forests. During the 1990s, a number of surveys suggested the importance of this area revealing the occurrence of 295 bird species, from which 10 are globally threatened and 2 species are completely new to science (non described species).

Giving attention to these data, BirdLife/SAVE Brasil, in partnership with the NGO Instituto de Estudos Socioambientais do Sul da Bahia (IESB), decided to implement a conservation programme in the Serra das Lontras IBA. As a first step, four contiguous farms (465 hectares) were purchased to constitute a private reserve and a demonstration site of organic cabruca (traditional system of cacao production under the shadow of native forest trees) for local farmers and rural workers.

In the neighborhood of the BirdLife – IESB's farm, there are many small properties of familiar producers of cacao that suffered incredible lost of income in the 1990's because of the cacao crisis - witch's broom disease caused by the fungus Crinipellis perniciosa and low international market values that drop down cacao's price. Since then, they were pushed to change from the traditional cabruca system to environmentally destructive cultures.

Taking into account the experience IESB had with farmers and cacao producers, BirdLife International applied a project for the European Development Fund. Approved in December 2004, the Una-Lontras Corridor Project consists of integrated actions in order to develop a sustainable model for the region of the Una Biological Reserve and the Serra das Lontras mountain complex. The main activities of the Project are:

· To work with government institutions towards the creation of public protected areas and to enforce environmental patrolling in the region;

· To increase the registration of Legal Reserves in rural properties;

· To work with cacao farmers to improve productivity in traditional cabrucas;

· To promote agroecological practices; and

· To work with local communities, with special attention to women groups, aiming to empower people and community organisation.

Thus, the Una-Lontras Corridor Project develops a model which includes the protection of Atlantic Forest remnants, the promotion of agricultural practices that are environmentally and economically sustainable and the empowerment and organisation of local communities.

Project objectives: Development and testing of management and good governance models for the forest-farmland complex, based on agroforestry systems, especially the cabruca system of cacao production, aiming the sustainable management of the landscape, the long-term conservation of Atlantic Forests in the Central Biodiversity Corridor (CBC) of southern Bahia, and the generation of viable options of long-term forest-based employment with equal opportunities for men and women in the rural poor communities.

Date project began: 2000

Project duration: ongoing

Partner organisation: Instituto de Estudos Socioambientais do Sul da Bahia (IESB) – www.iesb.org.br

Principal accomplishments to date:

Biodiversity conservation work

Since 2000, BirdLife/SAVE Brasil has been working towards the establishment of a protected area system in the Serra das Lontras region to maintain the integrity of the forests and preserve the species they support.

Immediately after the purchase of BirdLife – IESB's farm, a guard was hired to patrol the forests and prevent hunting or other illegal activities. Improvements on the existing building were made to accommodate the guard and his family. Organic cacao is being cultivated in a 5 hectare plot as a demonstration project for neighbouring landowners and other stakeholders. We expect this initiative to allow the sustainability of basic management activities at the reserve for the next few years. At the same time, all registration documents of the four properties have been issued and the initial steps for registering these properties as a Private Nature Reserve (RPPN) have taken place.

In general, our initiatives coincide well with the government's strategy to focus on Ecological Corridors. Protected areas would form the backbone for the conservation of biodiversity, while areas in-between would be filled with agroforestry systems or other uses that have proven to be more sustainable and environment-friendly. Indeed, this region presents an ideal scenario for the implementation of the corridor concept. Serra das Lontras lies c. 15 km away from another protected area, the Una Biological Reserve IBA. These forests, and agroforestry practices in-between, would thus connect the coastal forests at Una to the more inland montane forests, which once extended all the way to another high priority IBA in Bahia, known as Boa Nova.

In parallel, BirdLife/SAVE Brasil and IESB, together with other organisations, provided technical information for the elaboration of a proposal for the creation of a federal reserve of 8.000 hectares. This proposal was submitted to the Federal Government and resulted in the recognition of Serra das Lontras, both by the Ministry of the Environment and IBAMA (Brazilian Environmental Institute), as a priority area for the creation of protected areas in the Atlantic Forest Central Corridor. Recently, the Federal Government started detailed studies in order to define the limits of the Serra das Lontras reserve.

Community work

Our local partner IESB has helped to organise two cooperatives among cacao growers, most being from the coastal area surrounding the Una Biological Reserve. The cooperatives are producing organic cacao and other products from agroforestry cultures and marketing it locally, nationally and internationally. CEPLAC, the government agency for cacao culture development, is now working on agroecological activities in partnership with IESB in the Serra das Lontras region. This relation between IESB and CEPLAC has been gradually turning into a Technical Cooperative Term between the two institutions.

Although organic cacao is not currently fetching higher premiums, farmers do save money as they spend less on chemicals and fertilizers to produce the same quantity of cacao. As they understand the benefits that the organic production and certification of cacao (and other products) can bring in the short to medium terms and visualise real possibilities for a stable commercialization, many of them are expected to change their traditional plantations. A bigger scale of production and the consolidation of an organic pole in the region are the next goals of the farmers involvement in the Una-Lontras Corridor Project.

Partners and Collaborators

To implement this conservation strategy, BirdLife/SAVE Brasil and IESB have been developing an important network of partners and collaborators which includes: Conservation International; Cabruca Cooperative; Cooperuna Cooperative; CEPLAC; The Prosecution Service of the Bahia state; Ministry of the Environment; IBAMA; CARE.

The future of Serra das Lontras

Although the activities mentioned above are already under development, many of the actions still need financial support, considering the complexity of the strategy adopted and the model that is being developed for the region – based on good governance and landscape principles. On the other hand, all activities are focused on a restricted area, what favours the implementation of the corridor model, and coordinated to maximise their effects, improving the chances of success of this strategy.

Project Funders: British Birdwatching Fair, Council of Agriculture of Taiwan, Rainforest Action Fund, Dutch Government (DGIS), Garfield Foundation, Clothworkers Foundation, NC-IUCN and Netherlands Postcode Lottery, private donations from individual donors, and, since 2005, the European Union.