The Salto Morato Reserve protects 1700ha of Atlantic Coastal Forest in the coastal Guaraque aba region of the state of Paran . Founded and financially supported by the large Brazilian cosmetics company, O Botic rio, the reserve is a promising model of corporate commitment to conservation. Maintenance of the reserve is additionally supported by The Nature Conservancy and the John and Catherine MacArthur Foundation. Plant ecologists from the University of Paran will work with the students in ongoing studies of managed secondary succession in areas previously farmed, and an ornithologist leads the group in classifying seed dispersal agents. A public relations associate provides a lecture and tour of dam operations.
Research associates introduce the group to on-going environmental impact studies.
A half of a million acres of subtropical, semidecidous broadleaf forest straddles the Brazilian-Argentine border and is under National Park protection in both countries. Meetings with each country's Park Director enable a comparison of management strategies. The capital of the state of Bahia, Salvador, is an important commercial port serving eastern Brazil, and a popular tourist destination. It is a city rich in cultural traditions of Afro-Brazilians and in historical evidence of its 16th century roots as a Portuguese colony. Local nongovernmental organizations assist the group in evaluating the effects of shipping activity and heavy tourist traffic on the area's coastal systems.