Accor is reforesting the headwaters of the São Francisco River and promoting local agriculture
News
February 15, 2009Nordesta Brazil,
along with many volunteers, planted 3,100 young plants of 22 native species in the park of Serra Canastra near the Limeira guesthouse. (...)Progress report
- 3,200 trees planted since January 2009.
- 1 landowner involved in the pilot phase.
- 1 awareness program organized by school heads in the village of São Roque.
Accor's commitment
The project is funded from savings achieved in hotels in Latin America: every time a towel is re-used by a customer, the hotels pay 50% of the laundry savings to the project in Brazil.
The project
In partnership with the NGO Nordesta, Accor is reforesting degraded areas along one of the headwaters of the São Francisco River (the largest river in Brazil after the Amazon). More than 30km of trees are being planted between the Serra da Canastra nature park and the village of Vargem Bonita in the State of Minas Gerais.
At the same time, ecotourism and beekeeping activities are also being promoted to ensure that forest preservation brings concrete benefits to the local population. The ultimate goal it to safeguard the headwaters of the São Francisco River, which flows through many towns for more than 3,000 km.
The planting
The young shoots are first nurtured in a nursery in the town of Arcos. After two to three months, these seedlings are transferred to an outside nursery where they finish growing and developing roots before being moved to open ground. Planting is done during the rainy season, from July, in an area 30km long by 50m wide along various parts of the headwater.
Some 30 species of trees are planted in all, in particular ipe, jabuticaba, rubber, palm, Brazilian walnut, urucum and pernambucco.
The local benefits
The planting is carried out along the side the Serra da Canastra nature park (100,000 visitors annually), which brings it to the attention of large numbers of the public. Educational visits are organized and progressively incorporated into the traditional tourist routes. This new ecotourism brings additional income to the landowners who have conserved their land.
In addition, beekeeping activities will also soon be set up, which involves farming honey from Meliponini bees which are stingless and widespread throughout Latin America. Honey sales also provide additional income, which encourages people to safgeguard the ecological quality of their land.
Preserving the headwaters of the São Francisco River is crucial for upstream and downstream irrigation and the welfare of tens of millions of people.
Our NGO partner in Brazil is Nordesta
Nordesta
Nordesta was founded in 1985 by the Swiss ornithologist Anita Studer with the aim of preserving tropical forests and improving the living conditions of rural populations in Brazil and Cap Vert.
The NGO has a dual focus:
- The environment, including reforestation efforts and setting up nurseries and awareness programs.
- Education, including school and library construction projects, supporting education for girls, and support for local welfare centers.
Nordesta relies on an extended network of local volunteers to create strong, effective and appropriate impact.
Testimonials
The project supported by Accor is a real help in benefiting local people...
It is essential for humanity to concentrate on preserving the environment, and in this respect I believe that the Accor group's initiative goes hand in hand with that of the Nordesta association, aiming to develop projects that can lastingly benefit local people.
It is through hard work that we will achieve our objectives - to persuade people to change their attitudes and behavior, to enable everyone to guarantee a better future for our children. In this, the project supported by Accor is a real help in benefiting local people and raising their awareness.
Neuza FALCO, President of Nordesta Brésil
