Braskem SA : 01/04/2012 15:51 - More than 121 thousand seedlings of Atlantic Forest species were planted in the Salvador region

The Fábrica de Florestas (Forest Factory) project, which is engaged in environmental recovery, recovered 300 thousand m2 of degraded area in 2011

More than 121 seedlings planted in the cities of Camaçari, Simões Filho, Entre Rios and Dias D'Ávila, in Bahia, in 2011: this is the result of the Fábrica de Florestas Project, which produced nearly 400 thousand seedlings of Atlantic Forest native species this year, besides holding 26 events such as lectures on environmental awareness and courses on fighting forest fires, covering 1,024 people. 

Launched in 2008, Fábrica de Florestas is maintained by Braskem, Camaçari Industrial Promotion Committee (Cofic), Cetrel, an environmental protection company in the Camaçari Industrial Complex and the Garcia D'Ávila Foundation, which focuses on sustainable development, with support from other companies.  The project is among the initiatives taken by Instituto Corredor Ecológico Costa dos Coqueiros (INCECC), an organization created by companies in the Camaçari Industrial Complex and in the tourism sector. Its objective is to establish an ecological corridor connecting the remaining vegetation in the northern coast of Bahia through large-scale production of seedlings of species native to the Atlantic Forest as well as the cerrado and caatinga regions, in addition to restoring degraded areas. 

In 2011, the seedlings were planted with the aid of communities of Sauípe (Mata de São João), Pitanga dos Palmares (Simões Filho), Parque Florestal (Camaçari), Porto Sauípe (Entre Rios) and Bairro do Bosque (Dias D'Ávila), who helped to restore nearly 30 hectares.  The partnership with the Santo Antônio Educational Center (CESA) of the Irmã Dulce Social Work Association, in Simões Filho, produced 40 thousand seedlings. 

"Our objective is to restore, conserve and protect the Forest Ring through social engagement by producing and planting seedlings native to the Atlantic Forest.  We also warn the government of the ring's destruction through criminal acts such as land grabbing," says Álvaro Oyama, managing director of INCECC. An average of 110 thousand seedlings are planted every year, most of which are produced in farms owned by large companies such as Odebrecht.