ILHA DOS ARVOREDOS (ISLAND OF THE TREES):
(by: Criss Cristina)
When you arrive at Sofitel Jequitimar for the XVIII International Santos Coffee Seminar, you will see an island in front of the Hotel from the beach of Pernambuco. It is the “Ilha dos Arvoredos” (Island of the Trees), located 1.800 meters from the shore.
HISTORY
In 1950 the Mechanical Engineer, Fernando Eduardo Lee, received from the National Heritage Service of Brazil a concession to use the Island. The objective was to develop a Center of Ecological Research and Environmental Stability, when these terms were not even found in most dictionaries.
Fernando Lee became a Director at the same time of 10 multinational firms and, with his own resources, he realized a project that even today is impressive.
STRUCTURE
A proof of this is the system of capturing natural rainwater. Using appropriate vegetable species, the researcher created a ground filter where the flow of water is channeled, free of impurities and debris to a tank with a capacity of 2.5 million liters.
Known also as the “Enchanted Island”, The ‘Ilha’ received various engineering projects. One of them is an enormous bird, “Phoenix” (symbol of eternity). It consists of 90 tons of concrete and serves to anchor a crane with basket that lifts visitors and material. This is the only access to the Island. The boat that connects the Island to the continent takes about 30 minutes to make the journey of 1.800 meters, if the sea is not too rough.
(by: Ana Paula Oliva)
Fernando Lee communicated and related with scientists around the world and the crane system was one of the fruits of these contacts.
Many of the materials used in the construction and decoration of the Enchanted Island are curious. There is a cannon that salutes visitors on arrival, a copy of one that Fernando Lee made in 1932 for the São Paulo military forces during the Constitutional Revolution.
(by: Rafael Petrechem)
There are about 600 meters of paths that take visitors to various retreats like the Happy Square and Philosophy Bench.
The island contains ample and comfortable installations and rooms for the employees.
A large part of the furniture of the main house, at the top of the Island, is constructed of noble pine. The wood came from a three masted sailboat acquired abroad and dismounted to use the material on the Island.
Fernando Lee also built a workshop for boats on top of a rock 30 meters high and on the highest point he installed a signaling system with flags that was used during the time he was living on the Island. He also mounted a cannon on the rocks that announced the visit of illustrious persons.
NATURAL WEALTH AND SCIENCE
The flora and fauna of the Island is charming by its diversity. There are small lakes, nurseries for birds, tanks for spawning fish and gardens.
The complex has systems that provide auto-suffiency in drinking water, solar and wind energy. Drinkable water is captured by the roof of the main house when it rains. Decanters and purifiers make the water proper for consumption before being stored in cisterns.
To heat the water, solar panels were installed, the first solar energy heaters in South America. To obtain electric energy, silica crystal panels were constructed to absorb sunlight and transform into energy. Winds are also a source of energy. A tower similar to a lighthouse supports a propeller capturing the wind generating eolic energy to supply the Island.
Lee also made a series of Botanical studies. He brought the first Korean grass to be planted in the Americas, a species which adapted quickly to conditions of the Island due to its resistance to salinity. He also planted Malaysian coconut trees and made tests with exotic plants that retain water and avoid soil erosion. One of the principal researches realized was with “neumarica carulea”, a vegetation that reproduces by immersing one of its long leaves in the earth to form a space to give life to another plant to contain inclines and prevent soil erosion. Besides all this, he even bred exotic birds. The Island contains an area with various nurseries.
With the system of wind and solar energy, the sanitation by bio digesting and capturing natural water, it is possible to maintain on the Island a team of researchers for extended periods without returning to the continent.
With his experiences Dr. Fernando Lee was awarded the prize” Hugh Hammond Bennet International” granted in 1982 by the Soil Conservation Society of the United States. This was one of the numerous prizes and awards received by the Paulista Engineer and American descendant.
In 1984 the Fernando Eduardo Lee Foundation was created to administer, maintain and preserve the scientific enterprise.
Many things with respect to the researcher are still being discovered. He maintained contact with NASA and obtained from the space firm, a project for the spaceship Saturn 1 that conducted Apollo 11 to the moon. With his brilliant intelligence, he built a replica of the rocket in the garden of the Island which functions as a water cistern.
Another interesting work that defies the imagination is the swimming pool of natural water constructed in the back part of the Island that served for some time as a tank for sea turtles. The architectural project was made at a space near the sea where the breaking of the waves was strong. He built a series of windows in the breakwall allowing sea water to penetrate into the pool.
Fernando Lee also developed some experiences in the area of Oceanography principally in the creation of marine species such as sea perch.
CURRENTLY
In 1994, the idealizer of the Enchanted Island died at the age of 91 years.
Currently, the University of Ribeirão Preto,Campus Guarujá, is heading the Foundation, developing projects like CRAM REVIVA, a Center of rehabilitation of marine animals in partnership with the NGO GREMAR, a group rescuing marine animals and sponsored by the Municipality of Guarujá, Petrobras and IBAMA.
CRAM has developed emergency plans to attend animals stranded along the coast of São Paulo and acts in the rehabilitation, which later will allow their return to their natural habitat.
(by: Ana Paula Oliva)
At the moment visits to the Island are suspended due maintenance and security works controlled by the Foundation.
Soon, the Enchanted Island will receive controlled visits to raise funds for the preservation and continuation of research projects.
