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The Area:
A The area to be utilised by the project is located at the following coordinates:
M-01 02º38'51" 51º48'18"; M-02 02º38'24" 51º48'00"; M-03 02º39'06" 51º47'11";
M-04 02º39'34" 51º47'29"; M-05 02º39'43" 51º46'29"; M-06 02º40'21" 51º46'53" and;
M-07 02º39'01" 51º48'25", and is situated in the municipalities of Senador Jose Porfirio and Portel, in the sub-region of Xingu, in the west of the state of Pará - Brazil.
The initial area extends over more than 500 ha of virgin forest cover.
It is a relatively flat area, with light relief, being drained by various rivers and streams.
There are two main distinct seasons; dry and wet, occurring in the Amazonian summer and winter respectively.
Because the area is relatively distant from any local principle urban centre (the nearest town is Senador Jose Porfirio, 25kms away), and because of the transportation difficulties in the region, the ecosystem has remained undisturbed, preserved from any human interference.
How the Area is Divided:
In order to improve Project operations and logistics, the area is divided into fields of 1.0ha. By means of pathways, opened in such a way as to reduce to a minimum any impact on the local environment, the areas are constantly watched over, conserved and maintained.
This division has two further practical objectives:
a. In the case of people or associations who have adopted the trees wishing to visit the area, they are able to identify them more easily.
b. To allow the provision of facilities for any work carried out on site by national or international researchers, reducing associated costs.
Along with this, there is also the intention to use the Project, once up and running, as an important site for eco-tourism.
The Flora:
The forest cover in the region of the Project is, in the most part, made up of firm ground cover; typical Amazonian forest cover.
It is possible, however, to encounter other types of forest formations in the lower lying terrain and along the banks of the streams and rivers.
Another characteristic already identified in the pilot project is the richness in diversity of species, as can be seen on table 1.
Nevertheless, it is important to emphasise that the size of the area on show is only a small section of the total area and that it is meant purely as a reference to the diversity of the species and to show the spread and frequency of the aforementioned throughout the total Project area itself.
Tree Plotting:
The plotting of the trees will strictly follow a methodological procedure used in agro-forest field research and will initially constitute of these stages:
a. Identification of trees with more than 0.50cm in diameter;
b. Cataloguing of all trees identified as above using both the popular and scientific names.
c. Plotting of trees in the field using GPS (Global Position System);
d. Development of a detailed relief plan of the area showing the geographical coordinates of each of the trees.
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