Brazilian photojournalist Sebastião Ribeiro Salgado returned from East Africa nearly 30 years ago. He had been documenting Rwandan genocide horrors and returned to yet another traumatic experience.
Upon returning to his family’s cattle ranch, he was shocked to see that it had lost nearly all of its lush trees and all of the wildlife had disappeared.
The ranch is located in an area of Brazil called Minas Gerais. It’s a region that Salgado had always known to be green, lush, and full of life.
“The land,” he tells The Guardian, “was as sick as I was.”
His wife Lelia, also devastated, came up with an idea that, at first, seemed impossible – she suggested to replant the forest. Salgado knew it would be a giant feat but he was determined to save this beloved part of his country and family’s life.
In 1998, the couple set up the Instituto Terra, an “environmental organization dedicated to the sustainable development of the Valley of the River Doce.”
With years of hard work, dedication, persistence, and a dream, the Salgados and their team replanted and rebuilt the 1, 754-acre plot of land. Slowly, the land transformed from the barren desert that Salgado returned to the lush paradise that he remembered.
Now, this region is known as a Private Natural Heritage Reserve. Not only is the cattle ranch thriving, but hundreds of species of animals and plants have also returned to the land.
The land is now home to 293 species of trees, 172 species of birds, 33 species of mammals, and 15 species of reptiles and amphibians – many of which are endangered.
As one could imagine, having this influx of flora and fauna to the area in such a short amount of time has had a major impact on the ecosystem as well as the climate.
As if all of this wasn’t incredibly amazing news, the reintroduction of these animals and plants, along with the change in climate, has rejuvenated several springs that had dried up. All of this has had a positive impact on local temperatures. Of course, another huge impact all of this has had is on Salgado.
“All the insects and birds and fish returned,” Salgado shares, “and, thanks to this increase of the trees, I, too, was reborn—this was the most important moment.”
Let’s take a look at some of the couple’s major accomplishments with this incredible project as well as some of the species that have found a new life and home at Minas Gerais.
A satellite image shows the dramatic change the land has made over the years.
You don’t have to go to space to see the massive change the land has made. Comparing two photos from the hillside shows a breathtaking transformation of the land.
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It took a lot of hard work and dedication from the Salgados and their entire team.
Posted by Instituto Terra onFriday, June 20, 2014
The amount of animals that have returned is truly amazing and gives us so much hope for their future.
The trees and flowers are just as beautiful and impressive.
If you want to hear more about the Salgados and their truly incredible endeavor, watch the short video below.
We couldn’t be more amazed by all of their hard work and dedication. It’s deeply moving to see what people can do when they put their hearts and minds to it.
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