Help, SP – On October 29 and 30, the city of Socorro hosted the 2nd in-person meeting of the Raízes do Mogi Guaçu Program, organized by WWF-Brazil, the company Sylvamo and the implementing partner, Associação Ambientalista Copaíba. The event brought together a select group of partners dedicated to the restoration of the Peixe River basin, including WWF-Brazil, WWF-USA, Sylvamo Brasil, Sylvamo USA, Copaíba, Grupo Dispersores, IFSul de Minas – Inconfidentes, Reenvolver, as well as landowners and rural producers from the region. Together, they form a task force for the restoration and conservation of the Atlantic Forest along the Mogi Guaçu River.

The meeting was marked by an intense exchange of experiences and knowledge among participants, facilitated by the Lanterna LAB team, specialized in promoting collaborative engagement in environmental causes. During the dynamics, valuable content was generated, which will serve as a basis for future actions of the program.

The meeting was an opportunity for attendees to discuss strategies and new practices for restoring biodiversity in the region, as well as the possibility of keeping the program active. The data and analyses collected during the two-day event will be essential to refine the project’s initiatives, with a focus on supporting landowners and rural producers in implementing ecological restoration in their areas.

“The Mogi Guaçu Roots Program is in its 6th year, with impressive results thanks to the collective effort of the network of actors involved in the restoration of Mogi Guaçu, especially rural landowners who are the protagonists in this process. This collective effort helps us to refine the program’s performance and achieve results with greater impact on the ground, with lessons learned for the entire Mantiqueira region,” highlighted Daniel Venturi, Conservation and Restoration Specialist at WWF-Brazil.

• Since the beginning of the program, in 2018, until August 2024, Raízes do Mogi Guaçu has achieved significant results:
• 3 implementing partners,
• 269 hectares in the process of ecological restoration,
• more than 294 thousand seedlings planted,
• 142 protected springs,
• 94 rural partner properties engaged in restoration,
• 58 direct and indirect jobs created,
• operating in 10 cities in São Paulo and Minas Gerais.

These figures highlight the positive impact of the program, which seeks to restore ecosystems, conserve water resources and promote the sustainable development of local communities.

The 2nd in-person meeting of the Raízes do Mogi Guaçu Program showed that, through the union of forces of NGOs, the private sector, academic institutions and the local community, it is possible to achieve practical and lasting solutions for the recovery of the most biodiverse biome in the world, which is the Atlantic Forest.