The reforestation of mined areas is carried out exclusively using species native to the region. The land is tilled in the dry season which goes from July to December, while the seeds are planted in the rainy season which covers the other six months of the year.

Around 700 thousand cuttings are produced every year in the MRN nursery. The seeds used for the production of the cuttings are purchased from the riverside communities. About 2,500 cuttings are planted in every hectare, in a total of about 100 different species planted per year.

In the nursery, the seeds undergo a break of dormancy, then germination. This is done in a vermiculite sower. The cuttings grow in plastic bags, protected by wire fencing, in periods that range from 2 to 24 months, before they are planted in areas being recovered.

Prior to reforestation, the sterile piles removed to the bauxite mine are spread with the use of tractors. Next, the stocked organic soil is used to cover the new surface. The land is then scarified by tractors and the cuttings are then planted by hand. In hillsides and sloping banks there is hydrosowing with grasses.

By June 2002, about 1,726 hectares of mined areas had already been reforested, and more than 3.6 million cuttings had been used by the end of 2001, with a survival rate over 90%. The cost of reforestation, including the tilling of the soil, production and planting of the cuttings, monitoring and research, is US$ 3 thousand per hectare.

The indicators of growth of the cuttings, fertility and structuring of the new sopil, return of fauna and the evolution of the natural succession process of vegetation are all monitored by scientists from the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) and the Emílio Goeldi Museum of the State of Pará (MPEG). The results clearly show that the established reforestation model is progressing rapidly.

Beginning of reforestation process

Aerial view from a replanting area

Native plants seedlings in replanting area

Native plants in replanting area

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