Campaign Supports Tree-Planting Efforts in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil
Arlington, VA (Vocus) April 21, 2008 -- The Nature Conservancy’s "Plant a Billion Trees Campaign" is well on its way to reaching its goal of restoring and planting one billion trees by 2015 in one of the world’s most threatened landscapes.
Since its launch on April 3, the campaign has raised over $245,000 to reforest Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, one of the greatest repositories of biodiversity on Earth.
“We’re thrilled with the Plant a Billion Trees Campaign’s success so soon after its kick-off,” said Sue Citro, senior manager of digital membership at The Nature Conservancy. “Just imagine the impact the campaign will have on conservation efforts in the Atlantic Forest over the next seven years.”
On the campaign’s web site, plantabillion.org, visitors can learn more about the project, explore the Atlantic Forest through an interactive map highlighting the people, plants and animals of this spectacular region, get involved by telling friends, or downloading a widget to raise awareness and funds on social networks like Facebook and MySpace. Visitors can also plant a tree by donating to the campaign—just one dollar can make a real difference.
“Even the smallest amount has a huge impact on the campaign’s success. One dollar brings us one tree closer to our billion-tree goal,” said Citro. “We’re encouraging all visitors to plantabillion.org to consider donating as little as one dollar to the campaign. It’s a simple way to celebrate Earth Day, and you’ll be helping to protect this amazing tropical forest for generations to come.”
To help save paper, each tree donor will receive an online acknowledgement, as well as e-updates on the campaign and the Atlantic Forest throughout the year.
Once twice the size of Texas, the Atlantic Forest spanned across eastern Brazil, northern Argentina and eastern Paraguay. Yet today, more than 93 percent of the forest has been cleared to accommodate Brazil’s rapid development and support the region’s 130 million residents, 70 percent of Brazil’s population.
Although the remaining 7 percent is highly fragmented, these last stands of lush forest harbor one of the greatest repositories of biodiversity on Earth.
Just a small fraction of the size of the great Amazon rainforest, the Atlantic Forest is home to 1,180 vertebrate species – mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and birds – representing 5% of the vertebrates on Earth. More than 800 of those species are unique to the Atlantic Forest, and more than 60% of all of Brazil’s threatened animals call this forest home.
The Conservancy’s Atlantic Forest Program will work with a strong coalition of diverse Brazilian and international partners to reconnect forest fragments through intensive and large-scale reforestation, create economic incentives for conservation, implement sustainable use of natural resources, and create effective protection of public and private reserves.
To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees Campaign, visit: www.plantabillion.org.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
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