My 21 days At Iracambi Research Center Mapping the Atlantic Rain Forest

Why come?   Who is welcome? Authentic Brazilian meals are prepared in the Iracambi Restaurant.  Past projects? Biodiversity GIS Current needs... Interviews and photos

Water - Collection, filtration, use Compost processes - toilet paper, food scraps, coffee Below is the little kitchen in the center.  Tiny bin to the far left is for actual garbage.  The cardboard box is paper and plastic recycling.  The bin to the right of the stove is compost.  There is another cardboard box for cans which are sold at a nice rate. Reuse is common wherever possible.  These plastic bags are hung to dry for reuse after washing. Classroom for visiting local school children, workshops for farmers, and computer lab. Wildlife cameras monitor activity Laundry Pick a sunny day to do laundry. This machine is powered by electricity and spins on a timer.  You must manually oversee the process of filling and emptying water - first with soap and then two or three times with just water to rinse. Next you must wring each piece well and hand outside to dry. Iracambi past volunteers and locals oft...

Bauxite Threat Iracambi keeps a constant watch on the threat.  A public  online map  is updated often. Signal Grass aka  brachiaria Benefits - high quality for grazing cattle. Also highly requested exported seeds. "Brazil is also the largest exporter of tropical forage seed in theworld, with the main destinations in Latin America (especiallyMexico, Colombia and Venezuela), Africa and Asia. Brachiariaspp. are the most requested species, representing >80% of the total volume exported in 2010." https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289852654_The_value_of_improved_pastures_to_Brazilian_beef_production However, brachiaria grass is a major threat to re-forestation.  It takes over and chokes out all other growth in the area.  It is also very hardy and extremely difficult to remove.  As silly as it sounds, this miracle grass presents a long term obstacle to all other flora. Wildlife Corridors : How to convince the subsidy farmer? ...

The orderly scene below is common in this region of Brazil where farming is king and monocrops cut into the mountains are standard farming procedure.  However, this all used to be rain forest. There is proof in Iracambi that the rain forest can grow again in these de-forested regions.  However, it is not always clear why a section of land is successful and 200 meters away there is an 80% fail rate. This is the Iracambi Research Center peeping out among rain forest.   Robin's findings/suggestions: 1) Rest the soil for 4-5 years 2) Plant nitrogen replacing flora 3) Let regrowth happen naturally      AND/OR 4) Plant native species or those which "do no harm" - this is the tricky part Eucalyptus crop planting - Photo of Eucalyptus plot Used to make pulp for paper.  Can be harvested 4 or 5 times. Grows well and fairly quickly.  About 7 years to first harvest. Issues include the ability to grow quickly means rapid de...

WELCOME! My cabin mate Kate and I agreed to a slow morning (read: sleeping in until lunch if possible). Here is our blue-doored cabin; aka "Casa Azul". The living spaces are tucked away in the dense hilly forest.  The accommodations are simple and comfortable and the fluidity with the surroundings make it feel a bit like a secret camping spot. What was her name?  Where was that kitchen?  Some coffee might help. If you are not a coffee drinker, humor me for a moment... If you drink coffee, you should bring the ground coffee of your choice with you everywhere you go.  Surprising as it may seem, the colonial coffee growing regions of the world are either totally uninterested or prefer the instant stuff.  In addition, Brazil is not known for its quality coffee as Columbia is and makes no effort to change that status.  Green (upripe) fruit is picked, processed, and roasted along with the red (ripe) creating a bitter taste in gener...

Bring a towel.  I really cannot stress this enough.  Now on to the other stuff you'll need... Required travel documents - Passport with 6 months to expiry past the dates of travel. Tourist visa - This can be acquired online and is good for two 90-day visits over the following 2 years.  Watch for scams charging a lot for the same process.  It cost me $40 with a $4 processing fee.  You will need to submit a separate photo - tie your hair back; they want to see your ears, no glasses on; they want to see your eyes.  Do not smile; they do not want to see your teeth.  Be sure you have access to a good quality scanner.  Despite the multitude of stressful posts about rejections, it took me 2 days to receive a passport to print.  The airline will not let you on the airplane without it. Medical needs - Give yourself at least a month ahead of travel to consider immunizations.  Check recommendations on the CDC's website for visiting B...

The Atlantic Rain Forest is the Amazon's little sister.  Less known and more intact.  Just as important to the world and equally in danger.  There is a lot of talk about Amazon biodiversity and the Atlantic Forest shares this quality with the added bonus of higher endemic species present. The biggest threat to the forest is agriculture with coffee, sugar cane, palms (oil and fruit related to acai berry), various root vegetables, and banana as common crops in addition to Eucalyptus (used to make paper).  Cattle pasture, logging, and fire are major challenges as well. These human activities cause habitat fragmentation .  Important processes such as seed dispersal, gene flow, and migration patterns are cut off.  This means biomass reduction and mass extinction for endemic species.  Many look to creation of wildlife corridors.  More about this in my post "Farmers vs. Rain Forest Conservation". Photo here Iracambi Research Center founders ...