In one of the most biodiverse regions of the planet, the World Bamboo Organization (WBO) and the Association of Residents and Farmers of Serra do Conduru (AMASC) have launched a transformative community-driven agroforestry initiative that unites ecological restoration with rural economic resilience in the heart of Bahia, Brazil.

Led by WBO Ambassador Guilherme Korte of São Paulo, the project supports eight family farms across an initial 8-hectare area, providing high-value native and productive species, soil recovery inputs, and technical guidance. The objective is clear and urgent: revitalize degraded soils, diversify livelihoods, and safeguard one of the last strongholds of the Atlantic Rainforest (Mata Atlântica).

Each family received 100 seedlings of five carefully selected species: three bamboo species (Bambusa oldhamii, Dendrocalamus giganteus, Dendrocalamus latiflorus), the Amazonian crops cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), and two native palms essential to regional biodiversity, jussara (Euterpe edulis) and pupunha (Bactris gasipaes).

These species were planted across degraded and ecological transition areas managed by the eight participating families: Fabricio (Sítio Tupumuju), Deroaldo (Fazenda Nova Vida), Talita (Recanto das Estrelas), Ibere & Ana (Fazenda Ninho das Aves), Pajé (Fazenda Família), João (Fazenda Águas Claras), Eliana (Fazenda Wankantanka), and Betina (Fazenda A Cor da Selva).

The bamboo seedlings, transported from São Paulo and donated by Mr. Korte, were complemented by locally sourced cocoa, cupuaçu, jussara, and pupunha. Soil amendments, limestone, rock dust, and fresh manure, were obtained from regional suppliers to ensure strong establishment and long-term soil recovery.

A Critical Corridor for Global Biodiversity

Serra do Conduru State Park spans 9,275 hectares within the larger Atlantic Rainforest, a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot. Its 25,057-hectare buffer zone shelters:

• up to 458 tree species per hectare,

• 175 bird species (27 endemic, 6 threatened),

• over 30 medium and large mammals, including golden-headed lion tamarin, ocelot, and puma,

• at least 45 endemic amphibian species found nowhere else on Earth.

  
  

Despite this richness, the region faces the impacts of overgrazing, soil degradation, and rural out-migration. This initiative responds by offering concrete pathways to restore land, regenerate income, and strengthen community permanence.

A Collective Effort Rooted in Local Leadership

Under the coordination of AMASC President Mr. Deroaldo Santos de Souza and AMASC Vice President & Project Lead Ms. Betina Vizzini Moura, the project followed a rigorous and transparent work plan, from input procurement to field logistics and community-based planting.

The final collective planting on 3 December 2025 represented more than the establishment of agroecological systems: it marked the renewal of cooperation, trust, and shared responsibility for the future of Serra do Conduru.

For WBO and AMASC, the initiative demonstrates how locally led restoration, backed by strategic partnerships, can deliver meaningful environmental, social, and economic impact.

Planting More Than Trees: Planting the Future

What is being cultivated in Serra do Conduru is more than vegetation: it is a renewed social fabric, a stronger rural economy, and a landscape where conservation and production coexist in balance.

Each bamboo culm, each palm, each fruit tree symbolizes a step toward a future in which communities thrive alongside nature, and where restoration becomes a shared act of hope.

WBO and AMASC will continue to monitor the planted areas, support participating families, and strengthen capacities to ensure long-term ecological and economic resilience.

“This initiative does not simply plant trees. It plants hope, autonomy, and a renewed balance between production and conservation.”

We continue together, cultivating the future.

Susanne Lucas, Executive Director, WBOGuilherme Korte, WBO Ambassador & President of ABRIFIBRAS

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