Another Copaíba partner property receives the donation of seedlings this month. Another spring in the municipality of Bueno Brandão is being protected through the planting of 1,600 seedlings of native trees, in an area of almost 10,000 m2.

The property belongs to the family of Edilson de Paula and is located in Bairro do Esmeril. The seedlings planted around the spring will contribute to its conservation. “Water is a common good that needs to be preserved. By recovering the surroundings of the springs, we are guaranteeing the quality of this water resource. Thus, the entire microbasin is benefited”, comments Ana Paula Balderi, coordinator of forest restoration at Copaíba.

This initiative is part of Verde Novo, a project carried out by Copaíba that has the support of companies in the region. Through it hundreds of rural properties are being benefited and thousands of trees are being transformed into new forests.

All native seedlings destined for partner properties contribute to the restoration of the Peixe and Camanducaia river basins. Edilson's family property is located in this region, part of it has eucalyptus trees and the other part is where the east of the property is located, an area of great ecological importance, which until then was without any native vegetation. According to the owners, approximately eight years ago this area was used for planting potatoes and also for grazing.

The forest restoration project meets the family's wishes. “Today the idea is, in the near future, to build a house that meets the ecological requirements of energy use, consumption and use of water, and a system for treating waste before disposal”, comments Edilson.

This property, added to the more than 160 rural properties that received support from Copaíba, total 3,354,000 m2 (335 hectares) of areas under restoration. “Individual initiatives, together, transform the environmental quality of our region. So far, more than 470,000 seedlings have been planted through the partnership with these landowners. The good result achieved together with them today will be the example to be followed by their neighbors in the future”, comments Flávia Balderi, executive secretary of the institution.