Much has been said about the importance of preserving the Amazon rainforest to conserve biodiversity, combat global warming, and maintain the many ecosystem services it provides, such as improving water, air, and soil quality, as well as promoting pollination, among countless others. However, for those living in urban areas, it can be challenging to find a direct way to contribute to keeping the forest standing. A project created in Belém aims to connect those who wish to help with those working on preservation efforts.

The “Adote uma Árvore” [“Adopt a Tree”] initiative, developed by the Instituto Terra Verde Brasil in partnership with the Associação da Cadeia Produtiva Florestal (Unifloresta), seeks to ensure the preservation of approximately 13,000 trees in western Pará through financial contributions from donors at R$ 60 per year per tree. These funds are used to monitor and protect the trees.

The area, a vast forest with rich biodiversity, is located in the Faveira community in the municipality of Mojuí dos Campos, approximately 130 kilometers from Santarém. Preservation will be ensured through monitoring by satellite and drones, as well as by local residents, who will receive financial compensation for maintaining the forest.

INCOME

Fernando Albuquerque, legal advisor for Instituto Terra Verde Brasil, explains that the project emerged when a team from the institution was working on the regularization of rural settlements in Mojuí dos Campos. “There, it became clear that it was necessary to compensate the community for the services provided by the standing forest, even in a system integrated with other crops,” he recalls.

Albuquerque emphasizes that sustainability must be based not only on environmental preservation but also on economic growth and social development. “We must indeed fight to maintain the ecosystem services provided by the forest, which serve a purpose in that environment. But it is essential that the benefits also reach, in a broad sense, human beings. That is our main challenge,” he states.

“We observed that the needs of the population often led to illegal deforestation because they were seeking immediate resources. But when the population understands that it is possible to change the economic model, to generate income by combining knowledge and integrating the forest with other crops, they realize that a standing tree can bring benefits to the community,” the lawyer explains.

Families will be compensated

The project is expected to benefit around 30 families associated with the Associação Comunitária de Agricultores e Produtores Rurais da Comunidade Faveira [Community Association of Farmers and Rural Producers of the Faveira Community], across 15 plots in the Moju I and II settlements in Mojuí dos Campos. These families will be financially rewarded for maintaining and monitoring the adopted trees. However, the funds collected from donors will go further, also serving to provide knowledge to the local population.

“We will provide technical assistance, offering courses and workshops so we can identify the needs of that community and support them in transforming their income generation,” explains legal advisor Fernando Albuquerque. “In other words, the R$ 60 will be used not only for maintaining the trees but also to guide sustainable extractivism or propose new types of integrated cultivation, such as with fruit trees or even other crops in areas where this is feasible,” he elaborates.

Forest inventory and adoption certificate

To offer the trees for adoption, the first step of the project was to create a forest inventory, identifying all the vegetation within the area. “Through this process, each tree will have a designated point within the rural settlement and a specific geographic coordinate. This allows us to generate a certificate in the name of the adopter, confirming that their donation corresponds to the selected tree, ensuring transparency for the adopter,” explains Albuquerque.

The adoption process, which can be carried out through the website www.adoteumaarvore.org or the project’s social media platforms on Instagram or Facebook, allows participants to select their tree by species. For instance, it will be possible to specifically adopt a Brazil nut tree. The project plans to document the monitoring of the trees through videos, enabling adopters to follow their growth and maintenance. Initially, however, the work will be conducted through periodic visits by rural producers from the participating settlements, who will check on the trees in person. “This approach will also raise awareness among the local producers themselves, who will ultimately adopt the tree as their own,” adds the legal advisor.

Francisca Silva, a farmer from the Faveira community, eagerly anticipates the project’s development. “Here, people often think about cutting down the trees. We need to show them that they can make a living without deforestation—that it’s necessary to change the economy without destroying the forest. But for that, we need support. So, the resources from this project will be very welcome for the community, helping to transform our current situation and enabling people to earn a living with the trees standing. I hope the implementation of this project doesn’t take too long,” she yearns.

Next destination: Prainha

In addition to the project in Mojuí dos Campos, the “Adote uma árvore” [“Adopt a Tree”] initiative is planning a new area of operation. Instead of focusing on the preservation of native forests to prevent deforestation, the idea is to reforest a previously degraded area.

The chosen location for this effort is a private rural property in the municipality of Prainha, also in western Pará, where the project identified a deficit in vegetation cover. “We’re entering this new phase, seeking properties that have experienced illegal deforestation and can now be reforested, capturing carbon from the atmosphere while also generating income, regularization, and awareness,” explains Fernando Albuquerque. 

At the selected farm, the project is currently conducting a forest inventory, which will then be followed by the planting of new trees in collaboration with the property owner. However, as in the Faveira community, the goal is also to benefit the surrounding community.

“In discussions with local rural associations, we’ve identified approximately 20 families living near the farm, to whom we’ll provide courses and training. In that region, the impact of deforestation is very pronounced. Therefore, we aim to raise awareness so these communities also adopt the trees, understanding that it isn’t necessary to cut them down and resort to illegal sales. They will learn that it’s possible to keep the trees standing while generating income,” Albuquerque emphasizes.

FINANCING

The project is currently seeking sponsors to adopt the trees. “The moment we are experiencing, especially with global attention on the Amazon and the upcoming COP 30 (United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2025), presents an exponential opportunity to change this mindset. Today, the project needs more support and greater visibility. We aim to demonstrate its feasibility and encourage companies and the government itself to contribute so that communities receive these incentives to shift their economic model,” evaluates Albuquerque.

The specialist suggests tapping into environmental funds, such as the Fundo Amazônia [Amazon Fund] and the Fundo Amazônia Oriental [Eastern Amazon Fund], to support the project. At the same time, efforts are being made to provide benefits for adopters. “We want those who contribute to have tax incentives, such as income tax deductions. We are currently in the legal analysis phase of this matter,” he reveals.

Focus on socio-environmental responsibility

According to Fernando Albuquerque, the project aims to attract companies interested in socio-environmental responsibility initiatives. “We want to demonstrate that companies can engage with the project and positively promote green marketing, showing that it is possible to balance their greenhouse gas emissions,” he notes.

For Glorgia Farias, an environmental scientist and professor at the Instituto Federal do Pará [Federal Institute of Pará], companies must be held accountable and encouraged to develop such actions.

“Initiatives aimed at environmental preservation and the recovery of degraded areas are essential in the face of the climate crisis we are experiencing. Numerous studies show that acting at the local level is necessary to achieve the desired environmental quality and sustainability. Promoting monitoring and recovery activities while financially compensating local residents fosters greater commitment, engagement, and a (re)connection between the local community and the natural environment. Recovering degraded areas and keeping the forest standing must be understood as essential not only for promoting development and income generation but, above all, for the preservation of life,” the researcher emphasizes.

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIP
The production of Liberal Amazon is one of the initiatives of the Technical Cooperation Agreement between the Liberal Group and the Federal University of Pará. The articles involving research from UFPA are revised by professionals from the academy. The translation of the content is also provided by the agreement, through the research project ET-Multi: Translation Studies: multifaces and multisemiotics.