If you see the Curucutu Farm today you couldn’t imagine the transformation it has undergone at the hands of Jayme Vita Roso. Over 50 years, the lawyer bought his first tracts of land along Imigrantes Highway in the southern zone of São Paulo city. In the 1930s and 1940s, the area served as a source of firewood to power the region’s manufacturers, so when it fell into the hands of Jayme, it was completed deforested with swampy areas.

Jayme Rosa and his daughters releasing a striped owl. Photo: Tiago Queiroz. Reproduction/Estadão

In 1979, the forest of 850,000 square meters began to undergo intense reforestation, which began with Jayme's efforts and were expanded over time. Since then, over one million trees have been planted, and today Curucutu is recognized as a Natural Heritage Private Reserve (RPPN) that is home to hundreds of animals and has rehabilitated and released dozens of wild animals.

In a special series of reports, Estadão tells the story of Jayme and his farm. Watch the video: