With a mission focused on conserving and restoring the Atlantic Forest of the Peixe and Camanducaia rivers, the Copaíba Environmental Association celebrates a significant milestone in its trajectory this month. The organization reached the impressive milestone of 4 million native Atlantic Forest seedlings produced in its forest nursery, which is located in the Pedra Branca neighborhood, in Socorro/SP.

Since its founding in 1999, Copaíba has been dedicated to promoting planting in degraded areas, protecting local fauna and flora, raising awareness and environmental awareness, participating in public policies and producing native seedlings of over 130 species.

The organization's first nursery was built in 2001, on the Sartori family's farm. In this location, almost 20 thousand seedlings of 61 species were produced. In 2005, the nursery was relocated to the space provided by Asilo José Franco Craveiro, where it remained until 2016. As this area was larger and with the passage of time and the structuring of Copaíba, more than 1.5 million seedlings were produced. In 2014, owners Eliane Vaz Guimarães and Eliane Aparecida da Silva donated their property located in the Pedra Branca neighborhood to Copaíba, which in 2016 transformed it into its headquarters and can further expand the nursery, reaching an annual production capacity of 500 thousand seedlings.

Every seedling begins with the collection of seeds, carried out by Copaíba itself, through mother trees and cataloged in the region's forest fragments. They are separated, cleaned, stored, many go through processing processes, are sown, fertilized, watered daily, cared for and only leave the nursery after they are rustified and have well-formed roots. In this process there is a percentage of loss, which is very small compared to the total production.

Angico, Baúna, Capixingui, Cedro, Dedaleiro, Grumixama, Jabuticaba, Mutambo, Paineira, Palmito, Pata de vaca, Pinheiro do Paraná, Pitanga, Quina, Uvaia and many other species native to the Atlantic Forest are produced in the Copaíba forest nursery. They supply ecological restoration initiatives for the Atlantic Forest by the organization itself and by landowners in municipalities located in the Peixe and Camanducaia river basins, in addition to being sold to the general public.

Alexandra Godoy, supervisor of the Copaíba nursery, comments that “the Association’s nursery is a central piece of the reforestation initiative”. She has been working in the production of these seedlings since 2018 and is proud to say that at least 1.8 million of them have passed through her hands, who take care of the pricking, a thorough process that consists of transferring the seedlings from an initial container (sand screen), for larger containers (tubes). “This milestone is proof that we can achieve unimaginable numbers! We will continue dedicating ourselves to this important work, which begins internally, but which gains strength and transforms into important forests abroad” – comments Alexandra.

The 4 million seedlings milestone is more than a number; is a testimony to the commitment of the members, collaborators, advisors, associates, owners, partners, companies, donors and volunteers of the Associação Ambientalista Copaíba. It is also a powerful reminder that even in the face of global environmental challenges, local action can make a significant impact.