A legendary photojournalist and his wife replanted the forests of their home in southeastern Brazil and turned the area into a private nature reserve.
Sebastião Salgado and his wife, Lélia, live in the Minas Gerais state and wished to restore the area.
Between 2001 and 2019, the Salgados and a group of volunteers planted 20 million trees over a 1,500 acre space.
The land is now called the Private Reserve of Natural Heritage Bulcão Farm. It is home to over 290 different tree species as well as 172 species of birds. Countless animals returned to the area as it was being restored.
According to a paper published by the Environmental Review, deforestation in Brazil has been a concern since the start of the 1900s. Much of the country’s forests had been destroyed to clear the land for cultivation of export crops.
Salgado wanted to make a positive impact in his community after reporting on the exodus of the Rwandans to the Congo in Africa.
He and his wife formed the Instituto Terra organization to help restore areas devastated by deforestation and focus on sustainable farming practices.
While finishing his project in Minas Gerais in 2015, Salgado told The Guardian, “The land was as sick as I was—everything was destroyed.”
“Only about 0.5% of the land was covered in trees. Then my wife had a fabulous idea to replant this forest,” he went on.
“And when we began to do that, then all the insects and birds and fish returned and, thanks to this increase of the trees I, too, was reborn – this was the most important moment,” he added.
Now, supporters are not only able to donate to the cause, but they can schedule their own trip to visit the Private Reserve of Natural Heritage Bulcao Farm and witness for themselves how the land has healed.
Salgado’s documented some of the most dramatic events of human misery of the 20th century. He authored half a dozen books, exhibited his photos around the world, and was the subject of a documentary Salt of the Earth.