The Paraná River snakes through the Atlantic Forest, which at one time spanned 330 million acres, an area twice the size of Texas in the United States, and ranged across eastern Brazil into northern Argentina and eastern Paraguay. Only seven percent of this forest remains today.
The waters of the Paraná have become murky, clouded with sediment washed from upstream. Scientists have determined that one of the main culprits was the rapid deforestation of the Atlantic Forest. With the loss of forested areas along streams that feed the Paraná, no buffer remained to filter sediment from water destined for the Paraná.
The health of great rivers is affected by the lands that surround them. Changes in land management can result in diminished water quality and new water-flow patterns; both are considered major threats to plant and animal life. Restoring buffers along streams is one land-management technique that improves water quality, a benefit to people downstream who depend on the river for drinking water.
Large-scale reforestation is underway in the forest in order to restore the river's health. This is being undertaken by The Nature Conservancy in conjunction with Brazil's water agencies.
Data is being examined to determine where restoration will be most effective and strategic. Currently, there is strong support among water agencies in the Paraíba do Sul, Piracicaba Capivari and the Iguaçu watersheds. Farmers and ranchers, many of whom settled the newly cleared lands, are being encouraged to use best practices and adhere to an environmental law that requires 20 percent of their lands to be forested.[3]