We are delighted to announce a new project by Verdejar d’Ajuda in partnership with Damasceno Consultoria Ambiental, a major supporter of Verdejar since its inception in 2016, Fernando Damasceno, biologist and master in Environmental Sciences.
The Praças Vivas da Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest Living Squares) Project aims to bring together individuals, local businesses, public authorities, and non-governmental organizations in a collaborative effort to reforest the squares of Arraial d’Ajuda with native Atlantic Forest species. The initiative combines ecological restoration, environmental education, sustainable landscaping, and the generation of ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration and food production for birdlife.
The overall objective of the project is to restore the public squares of Arraial d’Ajuda with native Atlantic Forest species from coastal plateaus, promoting biodiversity, ecosystem services, environmental education, and community involvement.
The first stage of the project will be carried out in Praça Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes, popularly known as Praça da Igreja, serving as a model of integration between historical heritage, native biodiversity, and community well-being. The first planting will take place on September 19, 2025, celebrating Arbor Day (September 21).
The choice of this space is justified by the urgent need to reintroduce native species, given that the square currently has a large number of elements that are exotic to the local ecosystem and several trees in a state of senescence (advanced age and poor condition), compromising its ecological and landscape function.
We will do our best to ensure that this project reaches all the squares in Arraial d’Ajuda so that in a few years we can see the magnificent canopy of native trees and all the birdlife they naturally attract reappear in the landscape of our Arraial.
Read the entire project on our blog: