Brazil restored a former cattle landscape with native trees; decades later, lowland tapirs returned after disappearing for 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 back

According 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 and surrounding protected land now cover 12,000 hectares, while restoration work over two decades included the planting of around 750,000 trees. Many of the seedlings came from native species, with seeds largely collected from nearby mature forests.The changes did not happen overnight. As vegetation returned, the recovering landscape began to support a growing variety of wildlife. Mongabay reported that hundreds of bird species had been recorded in the area, while restored wetlands again became suitable for animals such as caimans and waterbirds.This gradual rebuilding of habitat also created the conditions needed for a much larger conservation goal which is bringing the lowland tapir back to Rio de Janeiro.

Atlantic Forest in Bahia State, Brazil. Image Credit: Daniel Souza Lima/Wikipedia

The Atlantic Forest was rebuilt one tree at a time

The Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve’s work took place in one of Brazil’s most heavily altered ecosystems. Mongabay reported that the Atlantic Forest has suffered centuries of deforestation and fragmentation, leaving much of its remaining habitat broken into isolated patches.Restoration therefore involved more than simply planting trees. Rebuilding forest can also help reconnect fragmented habitats, allowing wildlife to move between different areas of suitable land. The reserve acquired properties that no longer had agricultural potential and worked to protect and restore them.Its nursery played an important role in this process. According to Mongabay, it contained seedlings representing around 120 native species, helping restoration teams return a greater variety of plants to the landscape.The forest also provides benefits beyond wildlife. The reserve lies within the Guapiaçu River Basin, which helps supply water to around 2.5 million people. Restoring vegetation and protecting the watershed connects conservation with the needs of communities living beyond the forest itself.

Deforestation of Atlantic Forest in Rio de Janeiro. Image Credit: Alex Rio Brazil/Wikipedia

Why did the lowland tapir disappear from Rio de Janeiro

The lowland tapir is the largest land mammal in South America. Despite its size, the species had disappeared from Rio de Janeiro State for more than a century.IFLScience reported that the last confirmed sighting in the state was in 1914, with deforestation, urbanisation and hunting among the factors believed to have contributed to the animal’s decline. Road collisions have also posed a threat to tapirs.The restoration of suitable habitat created an opportunity for the species to return through conservation work. Mongabay reported that the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve supported the reintroduction of lowland tapirs to Rio de Janeiro for the first time in 100 years. At that time, 15 tapirs were living within the reserve’s grounds.The species is also important to the forest itself. IFLScience noted that tapirs help spread the seeds of many plant species as they move through their habitat. Their return can therefore contribute to wider ecological processes that help forests regenerate and maintain their diversity.

A new generation of tapirs shows the population is settling

The recovery has continued beyond the first reintroduced animals. In September 2025, the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve announced the birth of its 8th lowland tapir calf, according to the reserve’s website.Camera traps recorded the new calf in the reserve’s upper areas. The calf was born to Jasmim and Valente and belonged to the second generation of tapirs born in Rio de Janeiro State after the species had become locally extinct there more than a century earlier.Jasmim herself had been reintroduced in 2020 and had already given birth to 4 calves. The reserve said the arrival of a second generation was an important sign that the reintroduced animals had adapted successfully to their new environment and that their offspring were also surviving and reproducing. For the conservation project, this development represented that the tapir population was becoming established in the restored forests.

The wider return of tapirs points towards a connected landscape

The story of tapirs in Rio de Janeiro has also developed beyond the animals living at the Guapiaçu reserve. IFLScience reported that camera traps in Cunhambebe State Park recorded what appeared to be as many as 4 lowland tapirs, including a mother and calf.The sightings were particularly notable because the animals appeared to have returned to that area naturally rather than through a reintroduction programme. According to the report, their movement through the landscape indicated that forest corridors were still allowing wildlife to travel and disperse between suitable habitats.Together, these developments show why restoring and connecting forests can matter over the long term. At Guapiaçu, the combination of native tree planting, habitat protection and species conservation has helped turn altered land into a place where lowland tapirs are now raising a new generation more than 100 years after they disappeared from the region.