Brazil restored cattle land with native trees; tapirs returned after 100 years

South American tapir. Image Credit: Charles J. Sharp/Wikipedia A former cattle landscape in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest has been transformed into a thriving wildlife refuge through years of restoration and the planting of native trees. At the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve in Rio de Janeiro State, land that was once cleared and used for grazing has gradually been returned to a more natural state. Birds, wetlands and other wildlife have returned, while the lowland tapir has once again become part of the region after disappearing from the state for more than 100 years. The reserve’s restoration work now offers a striking example of how damaged landscapes can recover when forests are given the time and protection needed to return.How did Brazil’s restored cattle landscape help bring lowland tapirs backAccording to Mongabay, much of the land now protected by the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve had once been heavily altered for agriculture and cattle grazing. One wetland in the reserve had been drained and cleared, leaving behind a barren pasture rather than the wildlife-rich habitat it had once been.The transformation began through a long-term effort to restore the Atlantic Forest. The reserve a...