IPÊ has combined conservation with sustainable development alternatives for families in the Pontal do Paranapanema, and an exmple is a small-scale production and sale of chemical-free "Eco-Loofahs" encouraging.
IPÊ 's researchers have worked with environmental education with farmers in the region , so they can contribute to the restoration of the Atlantic Forest . In turn, the planting and sale of loofahs can increase the families earnings. The initiative aspires to restore the Atlantic Forest , which is extremely threatened through the protection and enrichment of the last remaining fragments found in the Pontal region.  The aim is to increase local biodiversity by mixing the planting of natural loofah with the already existing food crops, such as beans, corn, and manioc. Moreover, the project aims at providing , an incentive for farmers to plant native Atlantic Forest tree saplings together with the natural loofah.  It is a win-win project, as the production of loofah represents financial gains for the farmers, while the planting of trees is restoring and conserving the region's biodiversity.

Today, families are planting, harvesting, trimming and packaging loofahs in their own lots. In addition to the ease of the production , as ( the primary materials all derive from the region ) , "Eco-Loofahs" are extremely marketable since they are grown without agro- toxics . The loofahs are trimmed to resemble local endangered wildlife such as the tapir, the black - lion tamarin and the jaguar.

Investing in a natural product as a source of income has proven to be good business.  The small producer Valentim Messias Gáspwei is an example .   "The income of my plot today has entirely changed due to the natural loofah.  We have been able to make up to 100 loofahs per day," affirms Valentim, who in one year sold more than 5 thousand units of the product and who has continuously contributed to the reforestation of the Atlantic Forest .  "I always told my friends here in the area that farmers in the red don't think about the green (red meaning in debt and green meaning conservation).  Together with this project, I've already planted more than 4 thousand tree saplings of Atlantic Forest species in two hectares of my land.  It's a way to thank nature for what I have been able to achieve through it," concludes the farmer.