José Fernandes, 19, is one of the members of the Seeds Project, which aims to restore the areas impacted by the failure of the B1 Tailings Dam. 

According to José Fernandes, 19, curiosity and determination to change the world are typical traits among young people. Consequently, and using a lot of willpower, this young resident of Brumadinho, born in Capelinha, elsewhere in the state of Minas Gerais, intends to help restore the forests and biodiversity throughout the area impacted by the failure of the B1 Tailings Dam. He dedicates most of his time to studying and collecting the seeds of native trees, which are helping reforest the region and guarantee the conservation of species, some of which are endangered. Collecting these seeds establishes a relationship of respect and discovery between people and forests. 

According to the United Nations, people aged 10 to 24 represent a quarter of the world’s population and they ought to engage in environmental causes to promote change in humanity’s relationship with the environment. The Seeds Project is just one of various initiatives designed to restore around 297 impacted hectares, 140 of which are forested, within 10 years. So far, 27 hectares of areas directly impacted by the dam failure and repair work are in the process of reforestation using species native to the region. This includes some legally mandated minimum areas of native habitat and permanent preservation areas. 

José Fernandes is one of the members of the Brumadinho Seeds Project, carried out by Vale in partnership with specialists, which began in 2019. The daily process, which José describes as “essential for the future of nature,” includes identifying local trees and understanding the routines of wild animals that depend on them. 

To date, around 782 kg of fruits and seeds of 100 different species have been collected and processed. As a result, 225,000 saplings have been produced and they are being planted little by little in impacted areas and compensation areas. 

This work is a source of pride for José and an opportunity to use techniques that are being taught by more experienced people. “I’ve always liked nature but I never imagined working with seed collection. It was a great surprise. Being a forestry worker wasn’t part of my plans but now I intend to deepen my knowledge and study biology at university. Every forest is born from a seed. We are collecting some of them, while respecting the environment, and then returning them to the region as saplings, which will later grow into big trees,” he says. 

The seeds collected include those of some rare, endangered and legally protected tree species, such as cedar, white tambu, Bahia rosewood tree, jussara palm, brauna, Brazilian peppertree, tigerwood and golden trumpet tree. 

Special precautions  

To produce large quantities of high-quality native saplings, seed collection is one of the most important steps in the process. “The collection of native seeds of Brazilian flora is historically linked to the domestication of plants by indigenous peoples. This is a cultural trait of the Brazilian people. In Brumadinho, biodiversity is part of our intangible heritage,” explains Professor Sebastião Venâncio Martins of Viçosa Federal University. “These areas are being restored in the most harmonious way possible, preserving the genetic variability of impacted local species and using the seeds of native species. This means respecting flora and fauna, while avoiding the proliferation of invasive species, which can compete for space and harm the ecosystem.” 

Before collecting seeds, it is necessary to carry out studies and prepare a forest inventory and calendar, to identify the quality and quantity of seeds and the time of year when each species can be collected. The process of mapping and marking specimens involves a lot of field work, walking through forest remnants and identifying species of interest. 

In this surveying work, the location of each tree is georeferenced and notes on its diameter, height and other characteristics are made. This process makes it possible to identify “mother” trees, from which seeds and fruits can be extracted. To do this, characteristics such as crown size, trunk size, ecological value and the amount of material available are considered. Only a part of the fruits and seeds are collected and the bulk remains as food for fauna, seed bank formation in the soil and the continuity of forest succession ecological processes. 

After collection, in some cases extraction is required. This means the removal of seeds from fruits, which varies according to the type of species. In the case of fleshy fruit such as palm tree seeds, the process uses water and different types of sieves, always manually and carefully. In the case of dry fruits, such as the fruits of golden trumpet trees, they must be left in a shady and ventilated place to facilitate the extraction of seeds. 

After that, the seeds are cleaned and stored in special packaging, ready to start the life cycle. 

Transportation to tree nursey  

The transformation of seeds into saplings begins with a journey of almost 700 km, between Brumadinho, Minas Gerais and Vale Natural Reserve in Linhares, Espírito Santo, most of which takes place on the trains of the Vitória-Minas Gerais Railroad. Vale Natural Reserve covers 23,000 hectares and it is dedicated to conservation and scientific research. The park’s nursery can produce up to 3 million saplings per year. 

In Vale Natural Reserve, the seeds are placed for germination and when they reach the ideal size, they are ready to return to Brumadinho on a new journey as saplings. 

Arriving back in their “home” region, the saplings are kept in a temporary nursery close to the restoration sites for at least two weeks. There, they undergo an adaptation process called hardening before they are sent off for planting. 

“The whole environmental restoration process takes time. In the long run, what we are doing is trying to strengthen this process by applying different innovative and sustainable techniques for reforestation,” says Diego Aniceto, an environmental analyst at Vale. He explains that several techniques are being used, including bioengineering to recover soil and control erosion (an important step to effectively restore the region’s geomorphological and ecological balance); the extraction of DNA from native trees, in partnership with Viçosa Federal University, which is being done for the first time in the world; and the Seeds Project, which is restoring impacted areas using native seeds. “It is necessary to respect nature’s response time,” Aniceto says. 

Environmental progress  

For revegetation to take place, the first step is to remove the tailings, which is also a fundamental activity to support the searches carried out by the local fire department. Revegetation work can only begin after the fire department gives the go ahead, as the search for missing bodies has been a top priority since the dam failure. At the moment, 23 hectares are undergoing environmental recovery, including part of the directly impacted area and protected areas. So far, around 30,000 saplings of species native to the region have been planted. 

With regard to reforestation, Professor Sebastião Venâncio highlights some important factors that are aiding Vale’s restoration work, such as good species diversity, watering in dry periods and the use of mulch mats around saplings to prevent competition with grasses. 

Regarding the removal of tailings, of the approximately 9 million cubic meters that came out of the B1 Dam, around 60% has now been dealt with. 

Carbon dioxide capture from the atmosphere 

The revegetation of areas impacted by the dam failure will capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thereby combating the intensification of the greenhouse effect. 

Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere via photosynthesis, allowing the fixation of carbon in trees’ biomass and in the soil. As trees grow, more carbon is incorporated into their trunks, branches, leaves and roots.