Brazil Firm Restores 850 Acres, Wins Global Prize

Where cattle once grazed on sandy, lifeless pasture near Eunápolis, Brazil, a thriving forest now stands with 60 native species and trees towering 13 feet high. This transformation happened in just two years.

The project is the work of re.green, a Brazilian company founded in 2021 that's pioneering a new way to bring forests back. They restore degraded land and fund the work by selling carbon credits to companies looking to offset their emissions.

The model is gaining attention because it tackles a massive problem. Between 11% and 25% of Brazil's native vegetation is degraded from deforestation, with an estimated 52 million acres of private land needing restoration. The government has committed to restoring 30 million acres by 2030, but experts say they can't do it alone.

Re.green uses artificial intelligence, drones, and satellite imagery to identify the best restoration opportunities. They calculate each project's potential for carbon capture, then design a restoration plan using native species suited to the local soil and climate.

At their Ouro Verde farm in Bahia, 850 acres of Atlantic Forest have already been restored. The company is now working on projects spanning 84,000 acres across five Brazilian states, with plans to reach 617,000 acres by 2030.

Miguel Moraes, the company's projects director, says they plant fast-growing native trees first to create conditions for more fragile species later. They use a mix of seedlings, seeds, and assisted natural regeneration, learning and adjusting their methods as they go.

The approach delivers benefits beyond carbon capture. Restored forests regulate water, provide wildlife corridors, and create jobs in local communities where re.green partners with residents throughout the process.

The Ripple Effect

Last November, re.green won the EarthShot Prize, a global award recognizing solutions to environmental challenges. The recognition validates what could become a blueprint for forest restoration worldwide.

Ana Cristina Moeri from Instituto Ekos Brasil, an environmental nonprofit, says private companies like re.green are essential partners. The scale of degraded land is too vast for governments and nonprofits to handle alone.

The carbon credit market makes the math work. By selling credits to fund ongoing restoration, companies can turn environmental recovery into a sustainable business while generating profits that fuel even more planting.

Forest restoration takes time and patience, but the Ouro Verde project shows what's possible. In two years, barren pasture became a functioning ecosystem with dozens of species and trees tall enough to create a forest canopy.

Re.green aims to restore 2.5 million acres of tropical forest across Brazil's Amazon and Atlantic Forest regions. If their model succeeds, it could inspire similar efforts across degraded landscapes worldwide.