Elizabeth Martinez
In the state of São Paulo, Brazil, a man has devoted 40 years of his life to revive a rainforest devastated by deforestation.
At first, his neighbors thought he was crazy. When he was younger, Antonio Vicente was trying to alert the inhabitants to the impending disappearance of water in his region, which would obviously have disastrous consequences for the environment of the surrounding rainforest.
Do Rochedo Pouso
As a child, he saw deforestation cutting down trees to create space for cattle breeding and charcoal mining. Inevitably, Antonio Vicente was right, as the water sources became scarce, drying out the land that was becoming barren.
From then on, by the force of his will alone, he strove to recreate this natural ecosystem that had disappeared. He then bought the land and replanted some 50,000 seeds on 31 hectares over a period of 40 years.
As he told The Guardian, the goal was to save nature: “I didn’t do it for the money, I did it because when I die, what’s here will remain for everyone… People don’t consider me crazy anymore. Every tree here is a seed I planted. This is where the story of Pouso do Rochedo in Brazil began.” he confides with pride.
He then explains his story: “My name is Antonio Vicente. I’m 83 years old. When I was a child, I used to tell my neighbours that we would run out of water eventually. In 1973, when I made this acquisition, it was all cattle pasture. The water sources had dried up and never reappeared. Then what did I do? I left the country to go to the city. I worked very hard to buy this land. And I started replanting. And then the water sources began to resurface. Today, I own 31 hectares of land here. All revegetated with native plants. There are eight waterfalls that have all come back to life. That’s what I wanted to do. It’s like my family.”.
Do Rochedo Pouso
You have read correctly, the forest now has 8 waterfalls and all of nature has come back to life, thanks to the work and determination of Antonio Vicente. Bravo sir!