The Light-Nucleus has a notable attunement with the biome characteristic of the regions even before becoming an extension of the Figueira Light-Community in the Federal District
The Savanna is the second largest biome in Brazil, second only to the Amazon biome. Its importance can be ascertained by researchers due to the great aquifer potential of the biome, in addition to the highly diversified vegetation (which varies from plains to dense forest formations), and also because it is considered sacred by several indigenous populations of the Central-West. On the Savanna, descendants of enslaved African peoples can also be found, the so-called ‘quilombolas’, who live in communities mainly in the region of Alto Paraíso, in Goiás.
The region of the Savanna, where the Sacred KingdomsLight-Nucleus (SKLN), affiliated with the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Federation (FIHF), is situated on the banks of the Pipiripau River, in Planaltina (FD), is a natural shelter for a rich and diversified fauna, and even before the formalization of the Mother of the Sun Monastery, was already showing its welcoming nature, serving as a sanctuary for rescued and ill-treated cart horses (see the material on the history of the region at: https://bit.ly/3393Trc, page 13).
All this capacity of the Savanna for fostering a deep attunement with the more sublime aspects of Creation was immediately perceived by the then FD Light-Network (before it became a part of the Central-West Light-Network), when in 2018, the group visited the place for the first time. Everybody was hopeful and marveling at the regenerative potential and high vibration of the region.
Although the area has a dry climate during a good portion of the year, we noticed that the thermal and climatic sensation changes abruptly when we approached farm 41: we felt the change in the air, becoming more mild, a little more humid because of the density of the forest along the boundary of the farm, with many eucalyptus and other large trees.
It is 21 hectares in the middle of the Brazilian Savanna. In this terrain, we find the characteristics that distinguish this biome from others existing in the country. We are in an area with aquifer potential, with the presence of several springs and different types of vegetation. A small lake, discovered in a portion of dense forest, in the upper part of the land, provides proof of the abundance of spring water. The main spring, besides supplying the houses with drinking water, provides irrigation for the crops, the process of which occurs in a natural way, facilitated by the sloping ground.
Cradle of Brazilian waters
The SKLN has made a formal agreement with the Regulatory Agency for Water, Energy and Basic Sanitation of the Federal District (Adasa) to preserve the springs of the area and the Pipiripau River, once the Light-Nucleus was included in the Water Producer project, carried out by that organization.
Further, the SKLN is a very close neighbor of the Águas Emendadas Ecological Station, one of the most important natural preserves of the FD, where the coming together of two great watersheds of Latin America occurs: that of the Tocantins/Araguaia and the Platina.
From a 6 km (3.7 miles) long footpath, springs emerge, running in opposite directions. One stream flows in a southerly direction and pours into the Paraná River basin. The other flows north, forming the Tocantins River. Planaltina, where the Light-Nucleus is located, is the guardian of this natural phenomenon, considered unique in the world. The region is also the source of the São Francisco river basin and the Pipiripau river, which –perpetual– crosses the area of the Light-Nucleus, bordering the neighboring farm.
The Águas Emendadas Ecological Station received the Water and Heritage Shield International Award, conferred by a Dutch institution, on being recognized for its remarkable actions for water preservation in the region.
Mother Nature: crying out for care
Meanwhile, within a general context, according to studies carried out by the university professor, Flamínio Levy Neto, a member of the Central-West Light-Network (CWLN), the situation throughout the whole of the Savanna, which encompasses several Brazilian States, is a matter of concern. A large part of its precious native vegetation, around 50%, has already been destroyed to make room for agricultural activities.
These activities intensify the degradation of the biome, due to the stripping of large areas, which besides damaging the biodiversity, has also triggered several climate changes. The shift of the Brazilian capital to the interior, which caused an increase in the industrial and urban development rates of the Central-Western Region, also expanded the boundaries of the agricultural trade.
The watersheds of the region are also affected by that imbalance. The native trees of the biome have very deep roots, which help in the filtration of the rains into the subsoil. The trees absorb and accumulate the excess rainfall, and through a process known as evapotranspiration, return to the atmosphere, during dry periods, the moisture retained in the soil adjacent to their roots. This reduces both flooding and moisture loss during dry periods.
In this context, with 50% of the natural biome destroyed, having been substituted for grass and extensive monocultures, without wind breaks, in addition to urbanized areas (where there is rainfall runoff instead of soil penetration), erosion processes intensify.
Dedication to the Plant Kingdom
With the intention of being a little oasis in the Central Plateau, the SKLN holds to the purpose of serving the Kingdoms of Nature in a responsible and persistent way. A small group of the Light-Nucleus has dedicated itself to the task of revitalizing their portion of the local ecosystem. When the Figueira Light-Community received the area as a donation, the exuberance of the vegetation testified to the care it had received from the old inhabitants of the farm.
Meanwhile, because of instructions from the State Secretariat for Agriculture, Supply and Rural Development of the Federal District (Seagri-DF) for farms of the region, which are under the regime of “concession of use” (as is the case of the Light-Nucleus), some changes were made by the CWLN to meet legal requirements regarding crop activity in the locality, in order to cause minimal interference to native forest spaces.
The group’s first step was to observe the trees and feel the need of each one. Then began the pruning activities, with a conscious vision of the nature of the plant. Then meticulous repairs were made, such as removing wires and nails from the trunks of trees, which were probably used to support fences dividing the spaces.
For a long time, the idea of protecting seedlings inside tires also caused damage to the trunks of adult trees. Many efforts were made to relieve them of the tires and allow a normal development of each of them.
As for the Savanna vegetation of the Light-Nucleus, there is riparian forest around the (preserved)wellheads and also the surroundings. On the highest part of the land, the water flowing from the spring and from the rain, running down, creates a small dam, which forms a beautiful lake at the entrance to the farm. In front, along the road that borders the farm, there is a gallery forest, which doesn’t stand out from the riparian forest.
At some points in the extensive terrain, you can see a dense forest, surprising those who venture into it, because they come across different fruit trees and flowers of various types and colors. Finally, there is also a riparian forest on the banks of the Pipiripau river, which cuts through the area, bordering the neighboring farm.
