Nonprofit mobilizes private sector to conserve Atlantic forest
This week, the nonprofit SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation launched the Aliança pela Mata Atlântica (“Alliance for the Atlantic Forest”), a multisectoral coalition that mobilizes the private sector and institutional partners to invest in projects for the conservation, restoration, and protection of biodiversity in the Atlantic forest. The announcement was made during the Agenda SP+Verde Summit, a pre-COP30 event held in São Paulo.
The initiative is the main mechanism for business mobilization within the 2023–2030 Territorial Strategy, a long-term plan by the foundation that seeks to achieve measurable results, especially in the Middle Tietê and Middle Paraíba do Sul basins – strategic territories for the biome’s water and climate future.
These basins – which cover 5.5 million hectares and encompass 170 municipalities in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais – have high population and economic density and suffer from significant environmental pressures. The area is home to 12 million people, has high demand for water and energy, and undergoes significant forest fragmentation.
Using geospatial intelligence to identify priority areas, the plan aims to restore 5 thousand hectares by 2030 and totally eliminate deforestation in these watersheds. The entity points out that, in permanent preservation areas around rivers and watercourses alone, the potential for restoration is upwards of 300 thousand hectares.
The indicators for measuring impacts include restored area, sequestered carbon, water quality, ecological connectivity, and green job creation.
“We have two big announcements here today. The first is a territorial approach to a long-term, large-scale, science-based project for the conservation and restoration of one of the most critical areas of the Atlantic forest in Brazil, which is at risk of ecosystem service collapse that could compromise the economy and cities,” said Luís Fernando Guedes Pinto, the foundation’s executive director.
According to the foundation, approximately BRL 150 million has been invested in various initiatives across the region, and the aim is to raise a further BRL 350 million in investments. In total, half a billion reais is expected to be raised by the end of the decade.
The alliance, Guedes Pinto said, was created as a movement of shared responsibility. “We will work in an integrated manner in these territories, designing and implementing solutions with a view to conserving biodiversity, water, agriculture, and climate resilience,” he said.
In addition to contributing to global climate, water, and biodiversity goals, the entity points out that the alliance allows companies to reduce socio-environmental and economic risks, strengthen their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) credentials, and act for sustainable development. To date, ten companies have joined the alliance with the foundation.
“Biodiversity preservation is a central theme in building effective solutions to address the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. It is also essential to making cities and our business more resilient to ongoing climate change,” said Juliana Silva, sustainability director at Motiva, a company that has joined the initiative.
