The State University of Santa Cruz -UESC was founded in 1991, merging a variety of academic institutions located in the twin cities of Ilhéus and Itabuna. The university offers 37 undergraduation courses such as medicine, law, letters and sciences, and 35 graduate programs. It is a leading institution of higher education in south of Bahia. UESC is surrounded by the Atlantic Rainforest, rivers and several small villages. This unique location in Brazil gives the opportunity to see the magnificent and relatively intact Rainforest. It is also close to many cocoa farms, most of them founded more than a century ago, with its small houses and their drying roofs where cocoa is processed. The Atlantic Rainforest shades provide protection to the cocoa trees and to the local rich variety of flora and fauna. This is the land of Gabriela, Jorge Amado’s most famous fictional character. He wrote Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon and many other books about Bahia. Surrounded by beautiful white crystal beaches, Ilhéus was founded in 1534. The university academic community contributes to the economic and social development creating and maintaining programs in search for alternatives and sustainable development. It also contributes to the preservation of the Atlantic Rainforest whose diversity of flora and fauna represents rich research resources. UESC was constructed in the area of a large cocoa farm. Cocoa trees can still be found only a few meters from its buildings. Since its foundation, it has evolved to become a regional leader in higher education. As it is situated in an agricultural area, the university attempts to improve its ecological role, i.e., by implementing various research activities related to agriculture, focusing on the impacts of farming on the environment. Thus, the project to preserve the Atlantic Rain Forest was improved, and many studies on its fauna and flora have been conducted, yielding a large number of interesting samples to be studied. Here we can find rare species such as the endangered Golden Lion Tamarin. The University has three farms within its domains which function as experimental laboratories. Nowadays, the State University of Santa Cruz strongly searches to strength its research projects. UESC faces the challenge to meet local expectations, especially in times of social and economic crisis due to the monoculture of cocoa that is greatly endangered by fungal pests. The institution tries to create interactive programs with entrepreneurs, civil associations and agricultural producers which aim to find alternatives to regional development and to solve the communities’ vital problems. As an example of work, there is the recovery of the hydrographic basin formed by the rivers Cachoeira, Colônia and Salgado, an area inhabited by a population of nearly 500,000.

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Population: 15000

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