One of the most striking scenes at the opening of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was the symbolic planting of seeds by athletes in mirrored cubes. At the end of the show, these cubes turned into trees and drew, in the center of the Maracanã Stadium, the five Olympic rings.
Since June, the Bela Vista Biological Refuge (RBV) of Itaipu, in Foz do Iguaçu (PR), has also encouraged tourists to plant native tree seeds. It is the largest reforestation program – or ecological restoration, as technicians prefer to call it – ever carried out by a hydroelectric plant.
In just over three months, around two thousand seeds were planted by visitors, of the species canafístula, tarumã-branco/tucaneiro and angico-vermelho. This week, a new species became part of the program: the brown laurel.
These seeds are deposited in small tubes with fertilized soil and then taken to the Itaipu forest nursery. There, the germination and development of the plant takes place. When they are stable, from 30 centimeters in height, they can be planted.
“This is a really cool partnership with tourism people because it helps to publicize the flora of the Atlantic Forest. Therefore, we made a point of sharing the technical information, so that the monitors can answer all the visitors' questions”, said forestry engineer Veridiana Araújo Alves da Costa Pereira, from the Protected Areas Division (MARP.CD).
In front of the television, Veridiana confesses that she was surprised to see a similar initiative during the opening party of the Olympic Games. In Rio, the seeds will become the Athletes' Forest, at the Teodoro Sports Complex; here, they will cover devastated areas in the west of the state with green. “We were super excited.”
Tourists who visit the refuge are also thrilled. “A very good initiative. Because then, after planting the tree, you won't be able to cut it anymore. Sometimes people cut down trees and forget that they give us oxygen and help improve people's quality of life”, taught young Sthefany Medeiros de Paiva, when planting a brown laurel seed.
Sthefany's family lives in Rio de Janeiro and decided to escape the hustle and bustle of the Games to find a little more tranquility in Foz do Iguaçu. The trip to the refuge in Foz do Iguaçu showed that the decision was right. The parents, Igor Nascimento and Karina Medeiros, and sister Gabrielly also planted seeds and approved the visit.
Visitation on the rise
The reforestation action was driven by the “Meu Refúgio” publicity campaign, led by climber Waldemar Niclevicz. The results are already beginning to appear: in July alone, visitation to the attraction increased by almost 100%, compared to the same period last year.
The manager of the Itaipu tourist complex, Jurema Fernandes, recalls that the action is also open to residents of Foz do Iguaçu and the municipalities bordering Lake Itaipu and the trinational region (such as Puerto Iguazú and Ciudad del Este), who pay nothing to discover the attraction.
Come to Foz do Iguaçu, stay at Tarobá Hotel and discover this and many other wonders! The Tarobá Hotel will certainly be your best hotel option in Foz do Iguaçu, located in the central region, with easy and quick access to Paraguay and Argentina, in addition to, of course, having the best value for money in the Triple Border.
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Photo: Rubens Fraulini
