Last updated: May 2025
According to data from the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), Rondônia ranks fourth nationally among the states with the highest number of detected fire outbreaks (2). In response to this issue and to restore devastated areas in the Amazon, Terra Cura was established in 2016 by resident Luana Lopes, promoting the planting of more than a thousand trees in the Porto Velho region (1). The areas benefiting from this initiative were those degraded by deforestation, causing erosion along the riverbanks (1). This reforestation effort took place in the scenographic city of Jerusalem of the Amazon, from 2016 to 2022, a cultural and touristic complex in Porto Velho, where erosion caused by deforestation was observed along the riverbanks next to it (2). It was developed as a collaboration with the club and the founders of the Associação Clube Teatral Êxodo, who gave the space so that we could recover the land (3). The project focused on developing an agricultural strategy known as syntropic farming, by implementing an agroforestry system. This approach seeks to reorganize and restore the natural environment, creating better conditions for planting and allowing trees to thrive. In the reforestation process, volunteers and experienced technicians worked together Additionally, the project included a nursery used for donating seedlings and for offering forestry and agro-construction courses to the community, held in the reforestation area (2). The Terra Cura project, in addition to working on reforestation and recovery of degraded areas, promoted environmental and cultural integration at the site, promoting sustainable fairs and bazaars, training courses in ancestral practices such as soil cultivation and bioconstruction, and thematic events, bringing together artists and local communities (3). Although they were evicted from the area surrounding the scenic city of Jerusalem (5, 6), they are still active in the area.
First results of reforestation with the implementation of the Agroforestry System
Terra Cura
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Riverbank/Lakeside greens
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Environmental quality
- Soil quality improvement
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Rewilding
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
- Preservation of historic traditions
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Forest fires and wildfires
- Environmental Degradation
- Deforestation and forest degradation
- Soil degradation and loss
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Agriculture/ crop production
- Resource Scarcity and Competition
- Over-exploitation of natural resources (water resources, overgrazing, fisheries, mangroves, fore products)
Key priorities
Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Focus
Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Soil remediation and revegetation, Remediation activities of sites with very poor environmental quality, Restoration and protection of ecosystems (including water ecosystems), Protection of natural ecosystems, Habitat restoration, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Protection of agroecology approaches (agroforestry & silvopastoral systems), Sustainable use of natural resources to improve livelihoods and food security (eg. community- based wildlife or forest management), Educational and awareness raising programs
Project objectives
- Recovering devastated areas in the Amazon (1)
- Recovering and restoring degraded areas around riverbanks (1)
- Reorganise and restore the natural environment, creating a better place for planting and enabling trees to grow healthy (1)
- To keep the forest alive (1)
- To create sustainable human settlements in full harmony with nature (5)
- To invest in raising awareness and reforestation activities (5)
Implementation activities
In October 2016, the project began with the planting of 150 seedlings of native trees and various fruit trees, which were purchased by order from the Porto Velho City Hall nursery. Two months later, they received 150 seedlings from friends and supporters, and by January 2017, 300 trees had already been planted at the site. In 2017, more people volunteered for the project, embraced the cause and planted more than 1.000 trees, created a nursery with seedlings of various species, an orchard around the community church, an agro-Florestal system in the implementation phase that significantly accelerated the regeneration process of degraded soil and a bio-construction that will also serve as a base to support reforestation and permaculture actions in the area. In 2022, the project had the collaboration of about 50 volunteers, who donated their time and knowledge in their professional areas or areas of interest and contributed to all the activities carried out in the area. Terra Cura also seeks to promote environmental and cultural integration, organizing sustainable fairs, training courses in ancestral practices such as solitary cultivation and bio-construction, and thematic events with performances by local artists (4). Environmental education campaigns have been organised, promoting environmental education and awareness and training courses in reforestation, agroforestry and bioconstruction. They have established partnerships with technical and higher education institutions (5)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
- Restore valued species
- Restore endangered species
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Researchers/University
- Citizens or community groups
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Non-government organisation/civil society
- Citizens or community group
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
Luana Lopes: Porto Velho citizen. Journalist, producer and manager of the Terra Cura project (1, 2, 3)
The club and founders of Jerusalem of the Amazon, a film city in Porto Velho, provided the space for the project (3), from 2016 to 2022 (5, 6).
Community volunteers: foresters, engineers, biologists, students of technical courses and other nature-loving volunteers who helped in the development of the project (3).
Partnerships with the Rondônia Tourism Institute (IRTUR) Technical education institutions such as the Federal Institute of Rondônia (IFRO) and higher education institutions such as Faculdade São Lucas and the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM) where Terra Cura provided field classes for more than 150 students and an internship in bioconstruction for four months for a group of nine IFRO students on the Building Technician Course (5)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
No
... a local policy or strategy?
No
Type of enablers
Capacity-building projects, Change agents (individual with major role influence on launching), Collaboration with other projects that implemented NBS
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Unknown
Type of funding
- Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of goods
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
- Private sector (businesses, financial institution)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Achieved increased protection against flooding
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Achieved increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
- Achieved increased conversion of degraded land or soil
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
- Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Achieved increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Other
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Achieved increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Promotion of cultural diversity
- Achieved promotion of cultural diversity
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Achieved improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Increased appreciation for natural spaces
- Achieved increased appreciation for natural spaces
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Achieved increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Achieved increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
- Achieved increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
Yes
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Famazonia Brazil (n.d.). Projeto promove reflorestamento em áreas desmatadas de Porto Velho. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Rede Amazônica (2020). Projeto 'Terra Cura' promove reflorestamento de áreas degradadas em Porto Velho. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Tv Norte Rondônia (2019). Conheça o projeto de reflorestamento Terra Cura | Allamanda Revista | (19.02.19). Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Ze katraca (2021). Luau Terra Cura é contemplado pela Lei Aldir Blanc e reaviva o teatro da Jerusalém da Amazônia. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Terra Cura (2022). Terra Cura - Projeto de Reflorestamento e Permacultura. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
6.
NINJA (2022). Grupo que reflorestava Jerusalém da Amazônia é expulso por diretoria de associação. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Terra Cura (n.d.). Terra Cura - Facebook Page. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
Group of people invovled in a reforestation action
Terra Cura
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.