Iracambi's mission is to work with the community to make conservation of the rainforest more attractive than its destruction. Located in the Serra do Brigadeiro of Brazil, in the highly endangered Atlantic forest area of Minas Gerais, where most of the forest is privately owned by smallholders, we face the same challenges as our neighbors: how can we make a sustainable living while conserving our globally important biodiversity? Iracambi has evolved as a result of these challenges.

From its original roots as a farm, Iracambi has set up a Research Center, a private forest reserve and an NGO. We work with people from across the country and across the world, searching for solutions to the problems caused by unsustainable land use.

In the 500 years since the first Europeans arrived in Brazil, 93% of the Atlantic Rainforest has been destroyed. Though less famous than its northern counterpart, the Amazon, the Atlantic Rainforest's unique climate supports a greater range of animal and plant life, much of which is in danger of extinction. The people living near the forest face a daily struggle to survive, which leaves them with few resources and little incentive to conserve the forest.

Amigos de Iracambi, the Brazilian registered NGO, is working to stem the destruction of the forest and build a future in which the forest and the people live in harmony, by rebuilding the forest in ways that improve the quality of life of the local farmers. Amigos de Iracambi strives to achieve this goal by supporting the work of the Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research Center (IARRC), especially through:

• Local education programs to generate an appreciation of the importance and fragility of the forest;
• Research into the regeneration of forest habitats;
• Trials and implementation of the research into different land management practices;
• The forest futures program.