The forest restoration work that the Verde Novo project sponsored by Petrobras through the Petrobras Socioambiental program has been carrying out over 9 years has brought significant results and benefits to landowners in eastern Paulista and southern Minas Gerais. One of these important results that the Copaíba team, responsible for the project, has been closely monitoring is the return of wildlife, animals and birds, which visit areas undergoing restoration .
Recently in the RPPN Copaíba (Private Reserve of the Natural Heritage of the institution), an area also restored through the Verde Novo, several holes were found in the forest floor. The holes were made by the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) which feeds on roots and insects. “It helps in controlling ants that, in excess, harm the development of seedlings. The fact that we found it here means that biodiversity is also being restored and that the forest in formation is slowly doing its job”, comments Ana Paula, biologist and coordinator of Viveiro Florestal Copaíba.
It is important to emphasize the benefits that the recovery of native forest brings to the property, because in addition to conserving the water sources, the vegetation also attracts natural predators, such as the armadillo, which can help in biological control and prevent other animals and insects, like the ant, become pests to the crop.