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Breathe/Respira Brazil Objective - Porto Não Sul
- Here: Untouched Forest. Below: Impression of Port Project
Goal - Create International Awareness of the devastating Porto Não Sul project in the heart of the Atlantic Rainforest.
The Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, a World Heritage location identified by UNESCO as one of the five Biodiversity hot spots globally, already savagely reduce to 7% of it's original size, is facing yet another major threat. Commercial interests reported to be Indian and Chinese are proposing a major port development in the sleepy town of Ponto da Tulha, just north of Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil to exploit the huge iron ore deposits in central Bahia State, destined for Chinese Steel smelters to reduce their reliance on Australian Iron Ore. Other exports would include as uranium, nickel, coal, cement, fertilizers, oil derivatives, grains, and bio-fuels.
Local and globally supported activist group are rallying attention and action against this proposed development. A Swiss National, Daniel Krattinger is leading the local action through the platform, www.portosulnao.com.br, whose main purpose is to prevent the development of the 1770 Hectare (17,700, 000 m2!!!) site right in the middle of this ecologically hyper sensitive area.
Check out their site, www.portosulnao.com.br, for more information. The site is in Portuguese, but you can read an in depth article on the situation in English here:
Battle in Bahia: A New Port Faces Growing Resistance
by Colleen Scanlan Lyons
https://nacla.org/node/6097
"The South of Bahia is being exposed . . . to the interests of China, India, of businesses . . . that involve sectors that we have nothing to do with . . . which aren’t the economic vocation of this region. . . . We have an economy linked to culture, services, and clean industry. . . . So this local question has to impose itself on global interests that aren’t ours."
People on the streets of Ilhéus, one of Brazil’s oldest colonial cities, are furious. Wearing shirts adorned with a drawing of a skeletal fish and the words “Porto Sul No,” members of social and environmental movements are uniting in public demonstrations against an infrastructure project that gravely threatens their vision of sustainable development and environmental conservation in the interior and coast of southern Bahia state.1 Meanwhile, mining, transportation, and transnational commerce executives and politicians from Brazil, as well as from around the world, are fervently planning for the development endeavor known as Projeto Porto Sul, or the South Port Project, slated to begin in 2010.
In general, the urban areas in the South of Bahia region still have relatively clean water and air amid a smattering of historic Jesuit churches, cobblestoned streets, and deteriorating mansions from the region’s cacao-baron era. The rural areas are dotted with family farming areas, a smattering of ecotourism inns, and quiet coastal fishing communities, some of which are famous for practicing the dying art of fishing with jangadas, or sailed rafts. Although the region is threatened by clandestine logging, hunting, and unchecked urban development, it has never faced the complex environmental and cultural issues that accompany a project like Porto Sul.
Read Complete Article: https://nacla.org/node/6097
Breathe/Respira Brazil Objective - Atlantic Rainforest Institute
- The Atlantic Rainforest
Goal - 30,000m² Direct Reforestation with the Atlantic Rainforest Institute (SRARFI)
The Atlantic Rainforest is the most striking example of a conservation HOTSPOT – 93% of it’s original size were destroyed during the last 500 years. It is very rich in biodiversity and under continued threat! Just for your information: about 80% of the Amazon remains today. The worst, the Atlantic Rainforest is hardly known by anybody in the Western world – we all must change this!
SRARFI, founded in 2005 to create direct action initiatives in the Atlantic Rainforest have created Carbon Neutralization program that closes the circle on urgent Reforestation and Protection needs while addressing the many of the social issues that foster them. Using the SRARFI "Carbon Calculator", you can gauge your carbon footprint and offset your emissions with money directly invested into creating a Conservation and Reforestation Corridor in one of the worlds most threatened bio-diversity hot spots. See SRARFI Carbon Calculator
Breathe/Respira Brazil hopes to create enough interest and funds to assist the Atlantic Rainforest Institute directly re-claim 25,000 m².
Why?
The Atlantic Forest or "Mata Atlantica“ stretches along Brazil's Atlantic coast. It extends inland to eastern Paraguay and the province of Misiones in northeastern Argentina, and narrowly along the coast into Uruguay. Also included in this hotspot is the offshore archipelago of Fernando de Noronha and several other islands off the Brazilian coast.
The Atlantic Rainforest comprises 7 ecosystems with up to 5 altitudinal zones. Therefore, the biodiversity of the Atlantic Rainforest is particularly high. It comprises the second largest biosphere reserve on Earth. About 600 of Brazil's 900 conservation units are to be found in the Atlantic Rainforest.
The exceptional biodiversity of the ecosystems of the Atlantic Rainforest is related to its geological history, its tropical and subtropical position, severe climate changes in the past and substantial altitudinal differences from 0 to almost 3.000 m. The coastal mountain ranges „Serra do Mar“ and „Mantiqueira“ contain the highest peaks on the Atlantic side of the American continent. Additionally coastal rainforests are significantly richer in biodiversity than inland ones like.
The original size of the Atlantic Rainforest once covered over 1.23 million km2. Today a mere of 99 thousand km2 remain. That is less then 7%!
Even tough heavily deforested, the biome still holds a very high biological diversification with a high level of endemism. The Atlantic Rainforest harbor more then 20'000 tree species. In Southern Bahia (where the SRARFI base camp is located) there were following counts recorded in only one hectare (size of a football field): 270 species of mammals (90 endemic), 372 amphibious (260 endemic), 197 reptiles (60 endemic), 849 birds (188 endemic), 2120 butterflies (948 endemic) and a world record of 456 trees. Once a species is extinct, it is gone forever!
SRARFI CO² Program
With this particular program you can offset your CO² produced by directly sponsoring your own virgin plot of Atlantic Rainforest in Bahia/Brazil. All land adopted by you is transferred into a natural reserve "RPPN“. You can visit your sponsored land on our main entry page where you can leave your trace behind on the interactive map. Or even better – visit us and your sponsored land personally in Brazil, this is truly unique.
With this program you invest into the idea of preserving the Atlantic Rainforest NOT into the idea of whitewashing your bad CO² conscience. This is an ON-TOPIC-PROJECT, this means we invest your donated money directly and 100% into our project to save the Atlantic Rainforest. Like this you invest into the future of our children! To have something to go on in how much you should invest into this sustainable program, SRARFI provides you with some CO² facts. The following data is based on average values and can vary from your personal CO² emissions. Our program appraises one ton CO² with the amount of € 42, which again is an average value on costs.
Visit the SRARFI site: www.atlanticrainforest.org
SRARFI is a non-governmental organization with trade register number - 2984 à Folha 0022 do Livro A-14 do Cartório de Títulos e Documentos da Comarca de Ilhéus - Bahia - Brazil. CNPJ - 08.631.232 /0001-50 (Cadastro de Pessoa Juridica). Date of Foundation: 5th of June 2005
Breathe/Respira Brazil Objective - Construction of Multi-Purpose Administration and Meeting Hall adjacent to Local School
- Sustainable Construction
Goal - Construction Multi-Purpose Building
The Breathe Foundation, in association with the Atlantic Rainforest Institute, a number of NGO's and private donations has committed to constructing a multi-purpose Administration and Meeting building in conjunction with the Local School.
A large part of the Atlantic Rainforest Institutes work is based not only on providing land and Guarana seedlings to the local farmers for them to plant, harvest while in the process of reclaiming cleared land, but it is also to provide education and technical assistance through the Biologists who work directly with the Institute. This education and support system includes instruction on sustainable farming practices, administration, management and commercial instructions to help them make the most from their crops. The Center will not only be the Administration hub of the project, but will also be the social, meeting and educational hub of the project.
With the land dedicated to the building adjacent to the local school, it will be made available to for local classes and assembly's for use during the normal school day, with ecology, biology and sustainability classes being held in the facility to reach out to the next generation of environmental guardians.
In holding with the sustainability ideals of the institute, the design and construction processes have been decided on based on local materials and the unconventional use of what is commonly considered waste. This unique construction concept and maximum use of discarded materials is a great example of a cheap, effective and sustainable solution created by local organizations.
The Breathe Foundation is proud to name this as one of the Breathe/Respira Brazil objectives, and look forward to taking part with the participants of the event in the actual construction of the building.
Any private individual, company, NGO or Foundation that is interested in helping or donating towards the construction of this facility is welcome to get in touch with the Breathe Foundation directly.
Interested parties can contact: drew (at) breathefoundation.org
Breathe/Respira Brazil Objective - Skate Bowl
- Location for the Skate Bowl
Goal - Leave Infrastructure for Local Kids
It is often difficult to get to ecology unless you first look at and attempt to address the social aspects of a local community. For this reason we have decided to build a skate bowl for the local community in an area that is starved for infrastructure.
The concept for building a Skate Bowl for the local kids came about after lengthy discussions in Itacaré with local elders and municipality about what lasting benefits that Breathe/Respira Brazil could bring to the area. Withing these conversations, infrastructure for the local kids to give them something to do and keep them away from poaching endangered animals in the forest came up and the concept grew from there.
In conjunction with the local Town Council, who has donated land in front of the main surfing beach in town, we are working with skate companies, construction companies and park design companies to come up with a park that will allow local kids the chance to enjoy a new facility in twon.
In conjunction with the Skate Bowl, we are working with selected companies to donate skating product including boards, wheels, trucks, grip tape and safety equipment with the intention of founding and handing it over to a skate club in the town.
Construction on the skate park is set to break earth in a month with the plan to have it ready for the 10 day Breathe/Respira Brazil event and to hold the first local Skate contest in that time.
Parties interested in supporting this project should contact: drew (at) breathefoundation.org
Breathe/Respira Brazil
Joseph Schoeinger joins the Breathe/Respira Brazil as Presenter and Consultant
Joseph Schoeinger, founder of the environmental consultancy company "Beautiful Days Productions", an author, waterman, surfer, humanitarian project manager and visionary will lend his depth and experience in a multitude of different areas to the Seminar sessions during the the...
Breathe/Respira Brazil Releases Program, Launches New Site
The program for the event in Itacaré, Brazil, 15th - 25th of May released.The second of the Breathe Foundation events, Breathe/Respira Brazil, to be held in Itacaré, Bahia State, over the 15th - 25th of May has finally released it's Provisional Program and opened the booking system for interested...
Jamaram Confirms Breathe Opening Night Concert
Rock/Ska/Reggae fusion band, Jamaram, with support from Condor Airlines have confirmed they will kick off the Breathe/Respira Brazil, playing as the headline act at the opening concert on Monday the 15th of May, in Itacaré, Brazil. Currently in rehearsal for the Release Tour of their fourth studio...