Animal in a tree in the Zurich Forest

Biodiversity

Biodiversity provides vital ecosystem functions. Restoring the biodiversity of plants and animals is one of the goals of the Zurich Forest Project

Why is Biodiversity so important?

With the Zurich Forest Project, Instituto Terra aims to re-create native forests, restore the biodiversity of plants and animals, protect soil, and to revive and maintain water sources on the former cattle farm “Bulcão” in the Doce river valley in Brazil.

The term biodiversity refers to the mix of organic life that exists within an ecosystem. It includes animals, insects, plants, and even bacteria and fungi.

Biodiversity is important for several reasons. Every organism in an ecosystem plays its part in that system, meaning they are interdependent. Trees rely on birds eating and digesting their fruit to spread their seeds; bacteria in the soil break down dead plant and animal matter, and the extracted nutrients feed other plants. Once one part of this network of organisms is lost, it has knock-on effects for the rest of the ecosystem, which will become less resilient and more vulnerable to disruptions, like climate change.

Key numbers

7,459,193

native seedlings cultivated in our nursery

+3.3million

trees planted in our forest

+300

seed species collected within a 200 km radius

+235

animal species have returned

172

bird species (6 endangered)

33

mammal species (6 endangered)

15

reptile species

15

amphibian speciest