Rainforest Alliance

The Project activities will be implemented in the Cantareira Water Supply System (Cantareira System), which supplies drinking water to nine million people in the city of São Paulo, its metropolitan area, and the greater industrial region of South America. The first project area, the CPA # 1, will happen in the city of Piracaia, state of São Paulo, Brazil. The reservoir waterfall private area belonging to the Basic Sanitation Company of the State of São Paulo (Sabesp), where it will be feasible to restore 242.5 hectares of native vegetation and, of that total 185.56 ha are considered eligible areas to generate carbon credits. Although the current project area is only 185.56 ha, the Cantareira Water Supply System extends across five watersheds and the social and environmental benefits resulting from the project activities will spread to all of this entire 228,000 ha area.

The main objective of the project is to restore the environmental integrity of the region bordering the Cantareira System. More specifically the project has the goal of contributing to climate change mitigation by increasing carbon stocks of trees planted and regenerated naturally; promoting the conservation of biodiversity through the restoration and maintenance of the native ecosystem, through planting of native species; to improve water quality and stabilize the discharge in Cantareira System through the recovery and protection of springs and riparian vegetation; and improving soil management practices.

The Project activities will also result in benefits to the community in the form of payments for environmental services to landowners, improvements in water quality and soil, creating opportunities for direct employment during the reforestation process, technology transfer and dissemination of information on climate change and the value of standing forests.