Restoring the Atlantic Forest of South America in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay

Re-afforestation, policy change and marketing incentives

Author: WWF

Re-afforestation
Under the Trinational Atlantic Forest Pact, 360 organizations have worked for over three decades to preserve and restore what remains. They are protecting endangered species, like the jaguar and golden lion tamarin, securing water supplies for people and nature, countering and building resilience to climate change, and creating thousands of jobs.

With WWF support, over 5,300 ha of Atlantic forests have been planted in eight watersheds since 2006. In Andresito alone (Argentina), over the 10-year period (2008-2018) a total of 97,000 seedlings of 40 different native species were planted over an area of 225 ha. Between 2003 and 2019, WWF-Paraguay contributed to a total of almost 15,000 ha being restored in the UPAF (both planting and natural regeneration).

Policy change
Changes in policy and policy implementation have been particularly successful in Paraguay. Since the Zero Deforestation Law (extended several times with WWF support) was first enacted in 2004, the rate of deforestation has decreased between 82% and 95% since the baseline in 2003. 

However, since the promulgation of the zero deforestation law, close to 250,000 hectares have been cleared illegally due to impunity and lack of accountability of public entities. Establishing Paraguay’s national PES mechanism in 2006 was equally important as a governance mechanism to transition from the moratorium.

In Argentina, National Law 26.432 (ex 25.080/1999) was promulgated in 2008 regarding investments in cultivated forests. In 2007, National Law 26.331 established the minimum environmental protection budgets for the enrichment, restoration, conservation, exploitation, and sustainable management of native forests. Both laws grant subsidies for forest restoration in farmland.

 Marketing incentives
Applying market mechanisms has been a useful tool to promote restoration in all three countries. In Argentina, on the one hand, compensation for environmental services has functioned well, with more than 30 local producers reforesting 100 hectares in priority areas of Andresito Municipality. 

On the other hand, creating new markets for products from Andresito has enabled farmers to adopt environmentally friendly activities that generate income for local producers. On a larger scale, hydroelectricity companies are investing in restoration. Itaipú Binacional, for example, is protecting its reservoir by maintaining (conserving and restoring) over 100,000 hectares of forests. 

In all three countries, laws require a protective strip of forest cover along water courses (with the required distance varying from 5-30 meters). The size of the riparian areas to protect depends on the size of the water course. It is regulated by law number 4241/2010 in Paraguay, 26.331 in Argentina, and 12651/2012 in Brazil. 

The benefits of such restoration extend beyond increasing forest cover, as the riparian forests contribute notably to freshwater conservation, protecting water courses from sediment, maintaining water temperature, and providing a corridor where a diversity of faunal species can seek cover, move, and feed.

Source: https://wwfint.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/flr_field_series_atlantic_forest.pdf