ARAUCARIA 2030
Pedaling seeds and restoring movement
ABOUT US
We are the winning team of Challenge Campus 2030 - edition 2. Our proposal is to bring sustainability by offering new views of planning the landscape, that uses the Nature Based Solutions (NbS). Our great differential is to bring scientific knowledge to practical solutions that can be applied in urban projects in several places throughout Brazil.
We will implement the first prototype on the São Paulo State University (UNESP), campus Rio Claro. The project aims to transform life on campus, by creating a network of cycling paths to promote connectivity between the main areas of the campus; expanding three thousand square meters of the agroforest area to increase organic; and restoring 10 ha of the riparian forest of Ribeirão Claro River.
From this experience, we hope to implement new similar projects in other campuses, institutions and cities.
WHY ARAUCARIA?
Araucaria (Araucaria angustifolia) is a 200-million-year-old pine species, native from Brazil. It is also known by the indigenous name curi. It is a critically endangered species from the Atlantic Forest. For us, Araucaria means resilience, strength, and ancestry. We chose this name to represent our team because we believe our project can be a driver for a more sustainable future and have the capacity to endure over time.
OUR MISSION
Our main mission is to transform life on campus, by improving the environmental quality and increasing sustainability.
We want to highlight the importance of biodiversity and green infrastructure for urban planning. We also want to encourage active mobility and the adoption of agroecology practices among our community. We hope that our campus become an example of sustainability among Unesp campi and also for universities across the globe.
To reach this goal, we will increase the network of cycling paths connecting university buildings, will expand the agroforest area to increase organic food production and will restore ten hectares of the riparian forest of a nearby river. Those actions will increase the arboreal cover and will improve the quality and the reaching of the cycling paths’ network, engaging even more students and the university staff into active mobility (and reducing the use of motorized vehicles). Finally, by restoring part of the riparian forest of a nearby river, we will increase landscape connectivity for fauna movement and will preserve this important ecosystem.
OUR ACTIONS
Restoration
We will restore ten hectares of the riparian forest of Ribeirão Claro river in order to improve the quality of stream and to increase landscape connectivity for fauna movement between our campus and the nearby State Forestal Park.
JOIN US
WORK WITH US
We are looking for undergraduate and graduate students to carry out research projects in partnership!
BE A SPONSOR COMPANY
Make the project viable and be part of it!
BECOME A VOLUNTEER
Participate in our planting efforts!
