Arlington, VA (Vocus/PRWEB ) April 3, 2008 — Today, The Nature Conservancy launched the “Plant a Billion Trees Campaign” at www.plantabillion.org to restore and plant one billion trees by 2015 in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, one of the greatest repositories of biodiversity on Earth.

“This is an unprecedented effort — nothing on this scale has ever been attempted in a single country in South America,” said Stephanie Meeks, acting president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. “No tropical forest on Earth has come closer to total destruction than Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, and now we have a real chance to bring this region back from the brink.”

Once twice the size of Texas, the Atlantic Forest spanned across eastern Brazil, northern Argentina and eastern Paraguay. Yet today, more than 93 percent of the forest has been cleared to accommodate Brazil’s rapid development and support the region’s 130 million residents, 70 percent of Brazil’s population.

Although the remaining 7 percent is highly fragmented, these last stands of lush forest harbor one of the greatest repositories of biodiversity on Earth.

Just a small fraction of the size of the great Amazon rainforest, the Atlantic Forest is home to 1,180 vertebrate species — mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and birds — representing 5% of the vertebrates on Earth. More than 800 of those species are unique to the Atlantic Forest, and more than 60% of all of Brazil’s threatened animals call this forest home.

Sponsored by Penguin Classics and Planet Green, the new multimedia content initiative from Discovery Communications that includes the first-ever 24-hour television network dedicated solely to green lifestyle programming, the Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees Campaign will support efforts to restore and plant one billion native trees on 2.5 million acres and connect more than 12 million acres of new forest corridors in the Atlantic Forest — in the next seven years.

The Conservancy’s Atlantic Forest Program will work with a strong coalition of diverse Brazilian and international partners to reconnect forest fragments through intensive and large-scale reforestation, create economic incentives for conservation, implement sustainable use of natural resources, and create effective protection of public and private reserves.

“The Nature Conservancy is helping to address a critical issue and create a brighter future for the planet,” said Eileen O’Neill, President and General Manager, Planet Green. “We are proud to join forces with the Conservancy and help inspire people to action through Planet Green’s platforms and unique voice.”

Working with the Conservancy, Planet Green has created an engaging, animated PSA scheduled to air later this month in nearly 50 million homes on Discovery Home Channel — soon to be re-branded Planet Green on June 4, 2008. In addition, special features and in-depth information about the Plant a Billion Trees Campaign and the science of reforestation will be available on PlanetGreen.com and TreeHugger.com.

On the campaign’s web site, Plantabillion.org, visitors can learn more about the project, explore the Atlantic Forest through an interactive map highlighting the people, plants and animals of this spectacular region, get involved by telling friends, or downloading a widget to raise awareness and funds on social networks like Facebook and MySpace. Visitors can also plant a tree by donating to the campaign — just one dollar can make a real difference.

“For every dollar donated, our goal is to leverage at least three dollars by mobilizing governments, farmers, communities, businesses, and NGOs to support the Atlantic Forest’s reforestation,” said Miguel Calmon, director of the Conservancy’s Atlantic Forest Program in Brazil. “By planting trees under the right environmental conditions, we’ll spark the growth of other trees and restore a healthy forest ecosystem.”

To help save paper, each tree donor will receive an online acknowledgement as well as e-updates on the campaign and the Atlantic Forest throughout the year.

Other partners include Panasonic, which will plant a tree for each customer who selects The Nature Conservancy in their “Giving Back” program, and Organic Bouquet, which will donate 10 percent for every flower and gift purchased during the month of April at UNEP’s campaign.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees Campaign, visit: www.plantabillion.org.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.

Tags: atlantic forest, biodiversity, brazil, discovery channel, earth, forest, planet green, plant a billion, rainforest, the nature conservancy, treehugger

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