During the visit of President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the booth of the Interstate Forum of the Legal Amazon, at the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP27), the region's governors delivered to the Brazilian President a letter in which they reaffirm their commitment to cooperate "in favor of policies oriented to conservation and sustainable development. In the document, read by the governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, the governors also ask for a joint effort "that allows greater speed in the processing of international support.Besides Helder, the governors of Acre, Gladson Cameli (PP); Mato Grosso, Mauro Mendes (Union); and Tocantins, Wanderlei Barbosa (Republicans), were also present.<h1>See, below, the full text of the Letter translated to English:</h1>27TH UN CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES ON CLIMATE CHANGE - COP-27 LETTER FROM THE GOVERNORS FOR THE AMAZONAware of the strategic importance of the Amazon for national development, the Governors of the nine states of the Legal Amazon reaffirm their commitment and their spirit of cooperation in favor of policies oriented to the conservation and sustainable development of the Region.In this new political framework resulting from the October 2022 elections, we express our willingness to build a fruitful and effective relationship with the Federal Government, based on democratic respect, observance of the Constitution, and dialogue with the powers that be at the state and federal levels.The urgency posed by the climate emergency also requires urgency in finding solutions. This imperative requires a dialogue with the international community, aiming at structuring more effective partnerships, as well as the observance of the principles and the fulfillment of the commitments assumed in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and in the Paris Agreements.The Amazon is a region of superlatives, contradictions, challenges and opportunities. The Amazon is also a multicultural space whose diversity is one of the elements that define the Brazilian identity. The wealth of its natural resources has been the engine, at different historical moments, of Brazil's economic development and geopolitical projection.The economic transformations then generated were, however, incapable of reducing inequality and eradicating extreme poverty. The current development model, in order to be economically powerful, brought the cost of being environmentally devastating and socially excluding.Changing this requires a new cooperation between the states of the legal Amazon and the federal government, guided by science, stability and institutional reinforcement, and driven by the determination and political will of both parties. This cooperation requires resuming the constructive dialogue with the other Amazon countries in order to strengthen their concertation, as well as to reinforce the capacity of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (OTCA) to act.&nbsp; One important aspect: in the last four years the Amazon States have reached a level of relationship capacity with international organizations, with the civil society, with financial institutions and even with each other, which should be encouraged and cannot go backwards and supported by the new federal government in its attempt to reach the best possible cooperation.It is urgent to overcome the asymmetry between the legal responsibilities assumed by subnational units and their precarious structural and financial capacities. This contradiction hinders the presence and effectiveness of our actions in the territory, derived, in large part, from the historical centralization and distancing of the federal entity in relation to the Amazon reality. In the context of this collaboration, we propose a joint effort that allows greater speed in the processing of international support, particularly in the financial area, in order to transform the reality of the forest and local communities in a shorter period of time.We need a living forest, that is, one that is capable of providing environmental services and generating remuneration for them and for the products derived from them. This notion of life" is the framework that will allow us to monetize the forest as a new "commodity" in the market of environmental goods and services.The position of leading a vast, complex and essential region for the development of Brazil and the maintenance of the factors that determine human existence on this planet, as is the Amazon, requires from each Governor a high sense of public responsibility in this Consortium. This same commitment we expect from the high authorities of the Federal Executive and the members of the National Congress in the appreciation and treatment of matters of interest to the region.It is necessary to leverage the means for the promotion of sustainable development in the region, particularly with emphasis on innovation, on the strengthening of the aggregation of value to forest and biodiversity products, by means of the bio-economy. Making this a reality requires improving human and institutional capacities and mobilizing entrepreneurial action. At the same time, it is necessary to combine technical and ancestral knowledge so that the productive potential of the Amazon can be expressed through the rational use of the Region's vocations and with a fair and equitable return for the local populations. These efforts - at the domestic and international levels - must be based on practical solutions aimed at giving greater dignity to the 29.6 million inhabitants of a region that is key to the conservation of the planet's biodiversity and climate stability.The way out for the adequacy of the Brazilian economy in the post-pandemic period is necessarily through Amazonia. There can be no truly developed Brazil living with an Amazon region in which the majority of the population remains in conditions that threaten its dignity, due to the lack of sanitation, malnutrition and deficiencies in the areas of health, education and infrastructure.A developed Brazil necessarily requires a living, pulsating and conserved Amazon, capable of expressing its potentialities to the world. It is still possible, but the Amazon we want needs to happen now.Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, November 16, 2022.CONSORTIUM OF GOVERNORS OF THE LEGAL AMAZON<a href="https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/COP_27_Carta_Governadores_da_Amazonia_808793fd12.pdf?updated_at=2022-11-16T12:20:46.685Z">Clique here to read the original text, in Portuguese</a> &nbsp;

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Document was read by the governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, at the booth of the Interstate Forum of Legal Amazon

Read the full letter from the Amazon delivered by the governors to President-elect Lula, at COP 27

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Forest suffers from constant high temperatures, prolonged dry season and rampant fires and is gradually ceasing to spread moisture into the atmosphere. Situation worsens in the south of the Amazon region. In forest and cities it is increasingly difficult to breathe.


Ecological balance threatened

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Insects represent 70% of animal species on the planet. Even small in size, they play a major role in plant pollination and decomposition of organic matter, in addition to serving as food for other animals and, in some cases, even generating income for communities.


Small protectors of the forest

Liberal Amazon

President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with indigenous people from all continents of the world on November 17, and the message given by the peoples represented there was one: Lula must be their ally and take their demands to the international level, whether in bilateral meetings or global meetings with other governments.This was Lula's last public appointment at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27. The president-elect was welcomed with indigenous songs and arrived arm in arm with the indigenous politicians and leaders Sônia Guajajara, Joênia Wapichana and Célia Xakriabá. "Taking the responsibility of representing the indigenous peoples is something I am not big enough for, but I have the will and the commitment," Lula said.In his point of view, the rights of indigenous peoples are not a subject brought to the discussion table as it should be. "We have to change our understanding of the world. People who govern look under a totally different logic than you (indigenous people). Indigenous peoples and poor people are not treated as human beings, they are treated as numbers," he noted.As has been his speech at COP 27, Lula called for greater international investment for the protection of traditional peoples. "How many trillions of dollars are spent on war, on weapons?", he questioned, saying that this money could be used to invest in socio-environmental agendas.<blockquote>&nbsp;I have never held a meeting as significant as this one that I am holding today. I am a grain of sand compared to the importance you have to the world. A grain of sand alone makes nothing, but a million grains of sand make a beach" - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva</blockquote>Jennifer Lasimbang, representative of the Indigenous Peoples of Asia, was the first to make clear the role she expects Lula to play when he becomes president of Brazil: "I hope that you can stimulate our presidents as well. We count on your strong leadership.Chief Terry Teegee, representing Indigenous Peoples of North America, asked Lula to show Joe Biden, president of the United States, and Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, the importance of taking this leadership role to recognize indigenous peoples around the world. "We need resources and we need to be part of the discussions," the indigenous man added.It was what Lula promised: "I want to make governance an example for the world. If I can, I will represent you at some international event, taking your letters and your demands with me.Rodion Sulyandziga, representative of the Indigenous Peoples of Western Europe and Russia, said that peoples of the whole world need Lula's solidarity "and his efforts to minimize the effects of the climate crisis.Lula said he takes the demand of indigenous peoples seriously and responsibly. "I have already held a meeting with the Queen [of England], but I have never held a meeting as significant as this one that I am holding today. I am a grain of sand compared to the importance you have to the world. A grain of sand alone makes nothing, but a million grains of sand make a beach," Lula declared.In addition to the creation of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, during the meeting Lula committed himself to resuming the National Council of Indigenous Policy, at the request of Sonia Guajajara, and defended that the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) be headed by an indigenous person. &nbsp;

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The president-elect met representatives of the International Forum of Indigenous Peoples in his last public agenda at COP27


Indigenous Peoples expect Lula to represent them on the international stage 

The virtual exhibition "Amazonian Eye” brings a compilation of 15 images portraying the work in the region's mines. The work is authored by Paulo Santos, who specializes in photojournalism with a focus on socio-environmental issues.According to MapBiomas,&nbsp;garimpo, unlike industrial mining, predominantly concentrates on gold extraction and is based on simpler techniques, such as excavators and suction pumps. Today, according to the project, more than 91% of the garimpo area is in the Amazon.Paulo Santos' photos portray the activity in Serra Pelada (PA) and Juma (AM), in several years, such as 1984, 1992 and 2009. "The most impactful thing in doing this series of coverage over the years is to see how much the devastation of the forest has grown, in an overwhelming way. Besides exposing the mining scenario, my intention is to alert about the importance of protecting the Amazon", contextualizes the photographer.Click on the photo below to see the virtual exhibition:&nbsp;<figure class="image"><a href="https://www.liberalamazon.com/virtualexhibition"><img src="https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/Ouro_Verde_Garimpo_03_GA_090020_PS_d3c0375557.jpg" alt="Ouro Verde Garimpo 03GA090020 ©PS.jpg" srcset="https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Ouro_Verde_Garimpo_03_GA_090020_PS_d3c0375557.jpg 235w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Ouro_Verde_Garimpo_03_GA_090020_PS_d3c0375557.jpg 500w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_Ouro_Verde_Garimpo_03_GA_090020_PS_d3c0375557.jpg 750w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/large_Ouro_Verde_Garimpo_03_GA_090020_PS_d3c0375557.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw"></a><figcaption>Photo Paulo Santos</figcaption></figure>Among the coverage he has done during his career, the photographer also highlights moments such as the case of Dorothy Stang's death, in 2005, and Operation Arco de Fogo, a major action in 2008 to contain deforestation in the Amazon. "For me, the greatest challenge of photojournalism is to combine information with aesthetics. You need to convey the density of the news through the image and, as shocking as the situation may be, the photo must also be attractive to the public," he points out.The Virtual Exhibition is a dedicated space on the site of the Liberal Amazon project which aims to give more visibility to the photographic production of professionals who portray the region. Besides the images, the reader can also see a brief profile of the author and have access to the artist's contacts.Previous exhibitions - The debut exhibition, published in July on liberalamazon.com, was by award-winning photographer Luiz Braga, who opted to present works in black and white. "[Black and white production] is still being done, but in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, it was a constant part of my work. So I chose, after the invitation, to make a cut of this material. It is all made with film, as we say today, analog," he explains.&nbsp;In August, the exhibition was of João Ramid, from Para, with the objective of portraying the different aspects of his career, which goes through many segments (photojournalism, publicity, architecture, and art). "Something I am very dedicated to is respecting the culture of the places I photograph. I can't go to a new place for work without doing some research, because I believe that photography is visual information and, for this reason, I always try to deliver content through images", he highlights. &nbsp;PHOTOGRAPHER'S CONTACTSE-mail: contato@panamazonica.info Site: www.acervoh.com

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Photos taken at different times, since the 1980s, were selected by the photographer Paulo Santos for the "Virtual Exhibition" section of the Liberal Amazon project, as a way of raising awareness about the importance of protecting the environment

The impact of mining in the Amazon is the theme of virtual exhibition

Brazil, Indonesia and Congo signed on Monday (14) a trilateral agreement that formalizes the creation of the "Alliance of Forests", which seeks to deepen cooperation on the environmental agenda and the protection of tropical forests. In practice, the new alliance should work to put into effect mechanisms for payments from countries and companies to countries and states that have results in reducing deforestation and protecting forests.Together, the three countries hold 52% of the world's native tropical forests, and are, therefore, defined by experts as crucial to the climate crisis, the main theme of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 27, held in Sharm el-Sheikh.Present at the COP 27, the Minister of the Environment, Joaquim Leite, highlighted in an interview to the O Liberal Group the initiative as a landmark to advance in the definition of values and regulation of the carbon market."It is an agreement between Congo, Indonesia and Brazil, which are holders of the main tropical forests in the world. This agreement foresees several actions towards the protection of these areas of native forests, but also to encourage criteria to value these areas. We need to monetize these areas, which have to have economic value. Brazil is in the vanguard on this issue. At the last G20 meeting I had the opportunity to talk to the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and they were very interested in accelerating this process and taking the native forests framework that we have done in Brazil", he said.According to the Minister, this is one of the initiatives that has been addressed by Brazil and will now act in an articulated manner with the other two countries. "There are several actions, which started iin 2019 and now we have the native forest carbon credit, in addition to the environmental asset. This is what we designed and we will transfer this technology, this public policy that we, from the federal government, have built with the states - now to countries like Indonesia and Congo - and guarantee that we have minimum criteria and can value these areas and remunerate those who take care of them", argued Joaquim Leite.Also according to the minister, the Amazon States will benefit the most from the new initiative. "The Amazon has a great benefit that is the carbon credit from native forest, which the other biomes have less, but the Amazon specifically will benefit from this market. We created last year for the global market, for this year the regulated market and certainly Amazon will take advantage of this opportunity to make a standing forest have economic value, be recognized and remunerated", he highlighted.&nbsp; &nbsp;

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Minister of Environment, Joaquim Leite, highlighted the initiative during the COP 27, in Sharm el-Sheik

Brazil, Congo and Indonesia create Alliance of Forests

In his first engagement at the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP 27), President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) visited the stand of the Interstate Forum of the Legal Amazon on Wednesday (16). On the occasion, as already anticipated by Grupo Liberal, he emphasized his interest in making the country a protagonist in some of the main global issues and bringing COP 30, in 2025, to the country. According to Lula, the goal is for the event to be held in a state in the Amazon."Brazil is back in the world. Brazil is coming out of the cocoon to which it has been subjected during the last four years. Brazil was not born to be an isolated country, it is a very big country, it has an extraordinary culture, it is a megadiverse country, and the result of an extraordinary miscegenation and it cannot remain isolated as we have been for the last four years," said. "Brazil did not travel to any country and no country traveled to Brazil. It was as if we had suffered a blockade, and it wasn't an economic blockade, it wasn't a political blockade, it was simply a blockade against antidemocracy, against negationism, against a government that made no effort to talk to the world," Lula declared.He reaffirmed that he intends to talk to the UN Secretary General to ask that the 2025 COP be held in Brazil, preferably in the Amazon region. "And in the Amazon there are two states able to host any international conference: the state of Amazonas and the state of Pará. Then you will have to discuss among yourselves who has more to offer in terms of infrastructure to receive the thousands of people who will come to the state," said Lula, next to the governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho. "I think it's very important that it be in the Amazon, so that people can get a close look at what that region is," he added.&nbsp;

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President-elect said he will request the UN Secretary-General to host the event in 2025

Lula proposes COP 30 in the Amazon and suggests Pará or Amazonas as possible host

Five of the nine governors that make up the Interstate Consortium for the Legal Amazon are already participating in the programs of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 27. On Monday morning (14), the governors of Pará, Helder Barbalho; Acre, Gladson Cameli; Tocantins, Wanderlei Barbosa; Mato Grosso, Mauro Mendes and Marcos Rocha, from Rondônia, participated in the panel "Climate finance: the role of international cooperation for low emission development in the Amazon" and then held a brief press conference.The governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, was designated to represent the current president of the Consortium, governor Waldez Goes, who will not attend to the event. In his first speech at the conference, Helder highlighted the need for greater speed and progress so that there is, effectively, greater regulation so that the states and owners of preserved areas can receive compensation for environmental services, through the carbon market."I have been to the last UN conferences on climate and the discussions show that the world's environmental challenge, faced with climate change, is increasing. What was discussed in Madrid (COP 25) is no longer what is being discussed here, in Egypt, at COP 27. It is already being said that zero emissions are no longer enough, that we now need to compensate more, in addition to zero emissions. But we are not managing to advance with the same energy to speed up the regulation of the carbon market, so that the standing and living forest can be more valued and monetized, so that it is, in fact, a commodity with a price and that those who have it, like the Amazon, can receive for it", he highlighted.<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtu.be/2Q4Z3cmrvSM"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2Q4Z3cmrvSM" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure>Bio-economy plan - Helder said that, during the COP, Pará will present the state bio-economy plan, the REDD+ system, and move forward on the legal and juridical issue so that the work done in carbon sequestration can be valued. "We have areas that have already been anthropized, altered by man, and that we need to change to a more intensive use system, to increase production in these spaces without advancing in the forest. And, where we have standing forest, we must work steadfastly to preserve it and ensure due compensation for this", he said.<img src="https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/foto_tarso_sarraf_2_899166cedf.jpg" alt="foto tarso sarraf (2).jpg" srcset="https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_foto_tarso_sarraf_2_899166cedf.jpg 245w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/small_foto_tarso_sarraf_2_899166cedf.jpg 500w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_foto_tarso_sarraf_2_899166cedf.jpg 750w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/large_foto_tarso_sarraf_2_899166cedf.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">Respect - For the governor of Mato Grosso, Mauro Mendes, the positioning of the Amazon states will be to demand more respect and not look at the Amazon people as a villain. "There is a climate change process that is happening. Low carbon is the watchword and talking about the Amazon is very easy, but this issue needs to be taken more seriously. More than the money from other countries, what we want is respect. Today Mato Grosso preserves more than 60% of its territory and is the largest food producer in the country. We want great resources, not crumbs. We do have to help save the planet, but the world has to understand that we also produce food and can save the world from a hunger pandemic, caused by lack of food," he said.The same tone was adopted by Governor Marcos Rocha, from Rondônia. "We are here to reaffirm our commitment to the environment, all goals will be met. But, also, to make it clear that we cannot forget the people who live in the Amazon and need to work to survive, with alternative ways of production. Yes, we are looking for partnerships, but here we represent the entire population", he pointed out.Talk less, act more - For the governor of Acre, Gladson Cameli, the expectation with COP 27 is that it will indeed be the "COP of implementation", as it has been called. "It's past time to talk less and act more. And it's time to understand that the concern and the discourse about the environment is not of the left and agribusiness is something of the right. This has to stop, because we are all together and we have to unite at once to guarantee preservation, but also to produce where there is room for it", he affirmed.The governor of Tocantins, Wanderlei Barbosa, reminded that the carbon market issue is still a distant reality that needs to be put into practice. "We know that it is still something distant from our reality, but it is in moments like this that we can approach to make something close and real. We have to position ourselves and make it clear that we have to be compensated for the green we have and for holding back the pressure to advance in new areas for production, since many countries have already destroyed what they had. The logic is simple, because we need to have compensation for preserving an area that could be used for production, but that is there protected and untouched, but that has to be paid for, to have alternatives for generating jobs and income for the population that needs to have a dignified life," he said.&nbsp;

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At COP 27, five of the nine governors of the Brazilian Amazon defend the standing forest as an economic asset to be turned to the benefit of the population


Governors defend compensation for preserving the Amazon

The United Nations Organization (UN) in Brazil signed on Tuesday (15) with the Interstate Consortium of the Legal Amazon a fund to receive contributions of resources in the order of U$ 300 million that can be applied in sustainable development projects in the Amazon region.The document was signed during COP 27, by Silvia Rucks, resident coordinator of the UN System in Brazil; Maria Helena Semedo, deputy director-general of FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the director of the Ecosystems Division of the United Nations Environment Programme (PNUMA), Susan Gardner. Governors Helder Barbalho, from Pará, and Mauro Mendes, from Mato Grosso, signed on behalf of the Legal Amazon Consortium.As stated in the document, the fund constitutes a "programmatic financial mechanism to support the development of the Amazon in an integrated and cooperative way between the UN and the Consortium".According to Silvia Rucks, the mechanism is a fund that will receive contributions to support initiatives in the region, in conjunction with the United Nations and the Consortium of States. "Today is a historical day for the United Nations in Brazil, but also for the Consortium of the Legal Amazon. The mechanism signed will receive proposals for programs, projects for the sustainable development of the Amazon. Social, environmental, and economic proposals that will lead to the preservation of the Amazon, but, what is very important for all of us, is to look at the people who live and inhabit the Amazon region. Projects that can improve people's lives, with health, education, employment, and income for those who live in the cities and rural areas of the Amazon", Silvia highlighted.For Helder Barbalho, governor of Pará, the partnership comes in the sense of supporting initiatives to help the inspection, but, especially, to develop new economic activities with more sustainability. "It is very important through this fund, which has already contributed 300 million dollars, that the UN comes forward to build together with the states of the Brazilian Amazon the climate financing, the fight against illegal deforestation, the policy of monetization of the living forest, with bio-economy and biodiversity, together with the communities and building the conditions so that we can have this model of sustainable and social development in our region", said Helder.<figure class="image"><img src="https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/Paradoxo_Amazonico_Foto_tarso_Sarraf_21_c1bdfe15e2.jpg" alt="Paradoxo Amazonico Foto tarso Sarraf (21).jpg" srcset="https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Paradoxo_Amazonico_Foto_tarso_Sarraf_21_c1bdfe15e2.jpg 234w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Paradoxo_Amazonico_Foto_tarso_Sarraf_21_c1bdfe15e2.jpg 500w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_Paradoxo_Amazonico_Foto_tarso_Sarraf_21_c1bdfe15e2.jpg 750w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/large_Paradoxo_Amazonico_Foto_tarso_Sarraf_21_c1bdfe15e2.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw"><figcaption>Partnership focus on support Amazon sustainable development - Photo: Tarso Sarraf</figcaption></figure><h1>Thirteen institutions are already interested in learning more about the fund&nbsp;</h1>Currently, according to Silvia Rucks, the United Nations System in Brazil has 34 agencies with programs and all of them will be available to cooperate with the initiative. In addition, there are already thirteen institutions interested in learning more about the fund and contributing to development programs in the region.&nbsp;"To execute these initiatives, which are words, and transform them into actions, we need resources. And today we have also opened funds to receive donations from countries, from organizations and different kinds of donors who are interested in supporting sustainable development in the region. Today we signed and there are already thirteen countries and organizations that have expressed their interest in contributing to the fund of the United Nations and the Consortium, and this generates a very high expectation", she stated.For her, the resources will be applied to promote economic alternatives and projects that seek to develop the region and reduce poverty indexes. "We are going to work on economic and inclusive alternatives that allow people to have a dignified life. The Legal Amazon has almost 30 million people, the greatest wealth in the world, but concentrates the worst poverty rates and human development index and the highest food insecurity rate in the country. It is unacceptable that people live in the area of greatest wealth in the world and live with so much material poverty", stated Silvia.

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"It is unacceptable that people live in the area of greatest wealth in the world and live with so much material poverty," says UN's Silvia Rucks.


UN and Amazon Consortium create U$300 million fund to support sustainable development 

Environmental benefits provided by native forests offer great contribution to curbing the effects of climate change on the planet. Therefore, the conservation of these places is considered strategic and constitutes the set of proposals for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an agenda of commitments presented by the United Nations (UN) which aims to combat the main global challenges regarding social, economic, educational and environmental issues by 2030.In line with these goals, governments and companies have implemented their own initiatives to address these issues. Vale is one of these examples. It maintains projects for the conservation and preservation of biodiversity in threatened areas, along with the promotion of the productive and social development of the communities involved.Currently, the mining company helps to protect one million hectares in the Amazon and Atlantic Forest and has established a forest goal of over 500 thousand hectares by 2030. Of this total, 400 thousand hectares will be enabled by way of partnerships with federal, state or municipal conservation units or with the Vale Fund support to projects for Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation&nbsp;(REDD+), which focus on the generation of carbon credits and positive socio-environmental impact, aiming at reducing deforestation rates, for example.<figure class="image"><img src="https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/Camta_5_2de0ccca02.jpeg" alt="Camta (5).jpeg" srcset="https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Camta_5_2de0ccca02.jpeg 208w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Camta_5_2de0ccca02.jpeg 500w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_Camta_5_2de0ccca02.jpeg 750w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/large_Camta_5_2de0ccca02.jpeg 1000w," sizes="100vw"><figcaption>Vale will support the protection of over 500,000 hectares of forest by 2030. Of this total, 100,000 hectares will be in businesses with a socio-environmental impact. (Release / CAMTA)</figcaption></figure>The protection of the other 100,000 hectares must be carried out by encouraging regenerative businesses. For this purpose, the company carried out an agroforestry businesses mapping in Brazil in search of solutions with a positive impact, which reveals the growth potential of sustainable production chains, the expansion of opportunities for generating employment and income and contributing to the recovery of biomes.In total, 69 projects were registered and three proposals were pre-selected to be integrated into the Meta Florestal Vale portfolio. Namely:&nbsp;Cooperativa Agrícola Mista de Tomé-Açu (CAMTA) [Joint Agricultural Cooperative of Tomé-Açu], an enterprise for the commercialization of regional fruit pulp and derivatives; Futuro Florestal, a company that operates in the implementation, management, consultancy and assistance of reforestation for the production of noble wood in a sustainable way; and Radix, a Greentech enterprise focused on offering green investment options.<figure class="image image_resized image-style-side" style="width:25%;"><img src="https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/Juliana_Vilhena_Fundo_Vale_70af3016ff.jpg" alt="Juliana Vilhena Fundo Vale.jpg" srcset="https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Juliana_Vilhena_Fundo_Vale_70af3016ff.jpg 115w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Juliana_Vilhena_Fundo_Vale_70af3016ff.jpg 370w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_Juliana_Vilhena_Fundo_Vale_70af3016ff.jpg 555w,https://amazon-vx.s3.amazonaws.com/large_Juliana_Vilhena_Fundo_Vale_70af3016ff.jpg 740w," sizes="100vw"><figcaption>Juliana Vilhena highlights the contribution agroforestry systems can bring to Vale 2030 Forest Goal.</figcaption></figure>“CAMTA, for example, presented great potential for social impact, Radix for being a model combining technology and forest management for the restoration of degraded areas and Futuro Florestal for focusing on silviculture with a greater variety of species for reforestation, including native ones”, comments Juliana Vilhena, leader at Fundo Vale for impact management and socio-environmental innovation.The manager points out that, after the pre-selection, the growth potential and expansion capacity of reforestation areas will be analyzed in a new stage, which must define the amount to be invested according to the operational capacity of each business. “The idea is to carry out a model test stage with an expansion between 30 and 100 hectares, which we call&nbsp;Prova de Conceito [Proof of Concept]. The evaluation process of the new business is composed of several stages – from compliance to financial analysis, passing through technical and business management issues. It is carried out by a committee composed of professionals from Vale and Fundo Vale partners”, adds Juliana Vilhena.In the municipality of Tomé-Açu, northeast of Pará, agroforestry systems (AFS) have already been adopted by local farmers. In this process, agricultural species can be intercropped with trees of both logging and nutritional interest, offering an efficient strategy for food production, soil protection and environmental recovery.“We have mastered this technology for about 30 years. We have, for example, a seedling nursery, where we are about to reach our production capacity of 500,000 seedlings. They bet on the restoration of degraded areas and have a very interesting and robust proposal. We intend to advance with the AFS in 100 hectares and increase year by year, initially serving 10 producers”, says Vicente Moraes, agronomist at CAMTA.In his view, the opportunity to integrate the list of selected projects points to good prospects for strengthening an experience with proven success in economic, social and environmental spheres. “In every five hectares with AFS, one person is employed, so there is a very meaningful social gain. We also have a processing industry which sends a pre-processed product to the market and this also generates more job opportunities in the city. Besides and concerning the environmental aspect, there is the additional benefit that trees can stay for 30 to 40 years sequestering carbon”, highlights Moraes on the advantages of the procedure.The three pre-selected projects in the mapping of agroforestry businesses can be added to the other five already sponsored via Meta Florestal Vale 2030. The company ended the year 2021 with 6,178 hectares of planting area by means of the support provided to Inocas, Belterra, Caaporã, ReGenera and Bioenergia. And, this year, new investments are being made with the aim of accelerating, maturing and growing based on the specific needs of each project.&nbsp;<blockquote>“In the long term, we seek to articulate new investment arrangements with investors, such as blended finance to reduce investment risk, and also with off takers to enable the arrangement of strategic agreements based on the value chain, such as guaranteeing the purchase of products, the anticipation of income, among other benefits”, emphasizes Juliana Vilhena.</blockquote>

Fotógrafa: Bia Marchiori - Viveiro Camta

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Vale Financial Fund invests in the selection and acceleration of agroforestry businesses with potential to increase social, economic and environmental gains


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