Covering approximately 22,000 hectares, the Vale Natural Reserve, in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, is one of the last significant remaining areas of tableland forest, one of the most endangered habitat formations in the Atlantic Forest, a native Brazilian biome. Acquired by Vale in 1956, UNESCO declared the site to be an “advanced” area of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere in 2008, given its importance to flora and fauna conservation.
The reserve’s technical team conducts research to understand the forest’s diversity of plant and animal species. It also investigates ecological issues related to species conservation, working to develop technologies for silviculture and forest management, ecological restoration, tropical ecology, carbon sequestration and the formation of multiple-use ecosystems.
Since the reserve was acquired by Vale, scientists there have catalogued more than 3,000 plant species, 1,460 types of insects, 179 spider species, 26 fish species, 66 species of amphibians, 69 reptile species, and 105 species of mammals. The reserve is also home to 380 bird species, corresponding to approximately 20% of the total found in Brazil.
Conservation and maintenance
The reserve has one of the biggest tree nurseries in Brazil, in terms of diversity of native Atlantic Forest species. Its annual production capacity is three million saplings of more than 600 tropical species. These saplings are mainly used for ecological restoration projects in the state of Espírito Santo and the rehabilitation of degraded areas on Vale’s operational sites.
Virtual herbarium
The Vale Natural Reserve has a rich collection of botanical material.
Click here to learn about our virtual herbarium.