The objective of the project On the Path of the Atlantic Forest: Restoring productive landscapes in the Guanabara region is to promote the recovery of native vegetation in the Atlantic Forest. An integrated landscape management approach will be used to improve environmental compliance of rural properties, conserve biodiversity and its contributions to people, strengthen agroforestry production chains and sustainable tourism, and expand knowledge in the area of ecosystem restoration, in the municipalities of Cachoeiras de Macacu, Guapimirim and Magé, Rio de Janeiro. The project covers areas adjacent to and/or partially included within the Três Picos State Park and Macacu Wildlife Reserve Protected Areas. A total of 135 hectares will be benefited on six properties selected for ecological restoration and 15 hectares intended for productive restoration and/or environmental adjustments to small-scale properties.

The project will strive to:

• Develop Executive Forest Restoration Projects covering different methods of ecological and productive restoration, totaling 150 hectares;
• Implement Executive Forest Restoration Projects, promoting an increase in tree cover with a high diversity of native species;
• Strengthen local production chains and territorial management, mobilizing and training local actors in activities associated with the recovery of native vegetation, agroforestry, seed collection, nurseries, and sustainable tourism;
• Promote the environmental adjustment of at least 20 small rural properties, offering support for registration in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR, the acronym in Portuguese) and carrying out environmental planning for properties to support the preparation of Executive Forest Restoration Projects and implementation of the state Environmental Recovery Program (PRA, the acronym in Portuguese);
• Monitor areas with restoration efforts based on biodiversity and socioeconomic aspects, supporting adaptive management, cost-effectiveness assessments, implementation of public policies, research and development (R&D).

The main socioenvironmental impacts generated will be:

• Mobilization and training of local actors to strengthen the ecological restoration production chain;
• Strengthening ecotourism, rural tourism and territorial management initiatives;
• Increasing the number of small-scale properties or rural possessions registered in the CAR system;
• Expanding the forested area in the municipalities of Magé, Guapimirim and Cachoeiras de Macacu;
• Contributing to achieving state restoration goals;
• Strengthening local capacities for agroforestry production, environmental adjustments of rural properties, and biodiversity conservation;

As a result, we expected to achieve:

• 20 properties registered or updated in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR)
• 150 hectares restored, of which 135 hectares through ecological restoration and 15 hectares through productive restoration;
• At least 15 landowners partnering with the project;
• 20 technicians, at least, trained in legal environmental compliance of properties and recovery of native vegetation;
• 20 owners, at least, trained in planning, implementation and maintenance techniques for agroforestry models;
• 20 women nursery workers, at least, qualified to produce seedlings and seeds;
• At least 20 campaigns to collect seeds and mark matrices of species native to the Atlantic Forest.