Carried out in partnership with Vale Base Metals, the project focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of the Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) and other threatened plant species in areas impacted by mining. The proposal is directly linked to compliance with environmental conditions set out in vegetation suppression authorizations (ASVs), which require actions such as saving germplasm, collecting seeds, producing seedlings, and monitoring plantations in environmental compensation areas. The project brings together ecological, genetic, and climatic approaches to support forest recovery strategies that are more efficient and resilient to environmental changes.
This project is motivated by critical gaps in knowledge about the ecology, population structure, and local adaptation of the Brazil nut tree, a vulnerable and emblematic species of the Amazon. The lack of information on the genetic origin of the seedlings used in restoration – combined with the scarcity of cultivation technologies adapted to the new climatic conditions – can compromise the success of plantations and compliance with legal requirements. The proposal adopts the Brazil nut tree as a model species to investigate adaptive genetic variation on a pan-Amazon scale. The aim is to identify populations that are more tolerant to water stress and propose more suitable seed sources for future plantings.