A BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT

Though it’s just a few hours from Brazil’s two largest cities – Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo – Ilha Grande remains relatively undeveloped, with just a few dozen pousadas strung across some of its beaches, and you can count the number of cars on the island with one hand.

A biodiversity hotspot, the seas around the island feature a unique convergence of tropical, subtropical and temperate-zone marine life – and could quite possibly be the only waters in the world where it is possible to see corals and tropical fish, and turtles, alongside Magellanic penguins and cetaceans such as orcas and the southern right whale which usually dwell in sub-Antarctic climes. Head inland, and the jungles of Ilha Grande hold some of the largest remaining populations of the brown howler monkey and the maned sloth, reptiles like the broad-snouted caiman and birds such as the red-ruffed fruitcrow and the red-browed Amazon parrot.

PLASTIC IN BRAZIL’S COSTA VERDE

Though a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 87 percent of the island designated as a State Park, Ilha Grande and its surrounding islands – of which there is said to be one for every day of the year – are affected by plastic pollution drifting in from Rio de Janeiro and from São Paulo’s Tiete River.

The problem is most acute during the winter months of May to September, when big swells bring plastic to the island’s Atlantic Ocean-facing shores, such as the Aventureiro Sustainable Development Reserve, a site of particular importance. Aventuereiro’s beach, along with Praia de Lopes Mendes, a sweeping 3km expanse of white sand lined with almond trees, regularly rank among Brazil’s – and the world’s – most beautiful, and recent years have seen an increase in day-trippers coming to the beaches on speedboats for a BBQ and a selfie, often leaving a trail of trash in their wake. 

PARADISE PROTECTED

Your support directly funds the protection of this unique place in two ways. Working with Parley and our partners in Brazil, you are making it possible to intercept plastic waste on Ilha Grande and upcycle some of it. You’re also supporting education and infrastructure projects to reduce plastic at source – an essential part of our mission in Ilha Grande and beyond. 

WELCOME TO THE MOVEMENT

Your sunglasses are just the beginning of the Clean Waves journey. In the months ahead, we’ll take you to Ilha Grande and other islands around the world through exclusive content and reports of how your support helps us protect these fragile marine ecosystems from plastic pollution. 

It's great to have you onboard.