The Atlantic Forest and the Paraná River

Preserving Links Between Watersheds and Rivers

South Americans living along the Paraná River have watched its waters become murky, clouded with sediments washed from upstream. Scientists have determined that one of the main culprits was rapid deforestation of the Atlantic Forest. With the loss of forested areas along streams that feed the Paraná, no buffer remained to filter sediment from water destined for the Paraná.

To help restore the river's health, the Conservancy is collaborating with Brazil's water agencies to encourage large-scale reforestation in the Atlantic Forest. The aim is to direct a portion of water fees collected by some watershed committees to plant trees along streams. To increase the impact of these efforts, Conservancy scientists are examining data to determine where restoration will be most effective and strategic. Currently, there is strong support among water agencies in the Paraíba do Sul, Piracicaba Capivari and the Iguaçu watersheds.

The Conservancy also is encouraging farmers and ranchers, many of whom settled the newly-cleared lands, to use best practices and adhere to an environmental law that requires 20 percent of their lands to be forested.

The Atlantic Forest once spanned 330 million acres—an area twice the size of Texas—and ranged across eastern Brazil, into northern Argentina and eastern Paraguay. Today, about 7 percent of this forest remains. The Paraná River snakes through this area, flowing along the western border of Brazil then through many of South America 's industrial centers before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean from Argentina.

Throughout the world, the health of great rivers is affected by the lands that surround them. Changes in land management can result in diminished water quality and new water flow patterns; both are considered major threats to plant and animal life. Restoring buffers along streams is one land management technique that improves water quality, a benefit to people downstream who depend on the river for drinking water.

The Atlantic Forest, Brazil, © The Nature Conservancy

Quick Links

The Rivers: The Paraguay-Paraná

Explore the ways that the Conservancy and its partners are working to protect the Atlantic Forest.

A waterfall deep within the forest.
© Michael Giannechini