Floresta Viva and Energisa announce selected projects for the restoration of the Xingu River Basin.

The Floresta Viva program, conceived by BNDES and implemented in partnership with Energisa, Norte Energia, and Fundo Vale, has just announced the selection of four projects focused on the ecological restoration of the Xingu River Basin. With an investment of R$ 20.3 million, the projects aim to regenerate the Amazon ecosystem, strengthen sustainable supply chains, and promote the socio-economic inclusion of local communities.

The Xingu River Basin covers approximately 53 million hectares and spans 50 municipalities in the states of Pará and Mato Grosso. The river flows through protected areas, such as indigenous lands and conservation units, creating a sociobiodiversity corridor that connects biomes, but faces deforestation, having lost 730,000 hectares between 2019 and 2022.

Restoring an area of 700 hectares in the Xingu Basin is an action taken today to ensure a sustainable and viable future for the people of the Amazon and all of Brazil. “What happens in the Amazon resonates throughout the country,” says Manoel Serrão, Program Superintendent at FUNBIO.

Each project was chosen for its environmental impact and potential to generate income for the region, covering the Lower, Middle, and Upper Xingu areas. The initiatives include actions that encourage direct involvement from local communities in activities such as seed collection, nursery establishment, and sustainable crop management.

“We recognize the importance of these projects in the biomes where we operate, as they not only restore valuable ecosystems but also contribute to our ambition of mitigating our GHG emissions towards neutrality by 2050. In addition to investing in technological solutions, Energisa Group is focused on promoting nature-based solutions, understanding that the combination of technological innovation with the power of nature is key to a sustainable and resilient future,” says Michelle Almeida, Coordinator of Management and Sustainability at Energisa Group.

Learn about the selected projects:

• Na trilha da Floresta Viva: Socioproductive Ecological Restoration in the Xingu River Basin, by Associação Rede de Sementes do Xingu (ARSX)
  This project aims to restore 200 hectares of degraded land through the planting of native species, in addition to supporting the training of seed collector groups and strengthening networks with local agents and strategic partners.
• Xingu Sustentável: Organic Cocoa Generating Income and Promoting Ecological Restoration in the Médio Xingu, by Cooperativa Central de Produção Orgânica da Transamazônica e Xingu (CEPOTX)
  Focused on organic cocoa production, this initiative combines environmental restoration with income generation by creating a local agroindustry for cocoa processing. The goal is to regenerate 150 hectares of degraded land with a sustainable production system, encouraging the participation of women and youth.
• Sempre Vivas, Sempre Verdes: Ecological Restoration and Socio-productive Inclusion in the RESEX Verde para Sempre, by Instituto Internacional de Educação do Brasil (IEB)
  The project proposes the restoration of 200 hectares within the Verde para Sempre Extractive Reserve in Pará, one of the largest in Brazil. The initiative aims not only to restore vegetation but also to promote training and socio-economic inclusion for women by establishing a seed collection and marketing network focused on the restoration supply chain.
• Resset Assurini, by Guamá Foundation for Science, Technology, Innovation, and Sustainable Development
  Focused on the recovery of 150 hectares of land classified as priorities by the state government in Altamira (PA), this project combines ecological restoration with the development of productive activities. The project foresees the creation of nurseries and the collection of native seeds, bringing together public authorities, community associations, and researchers from local universities.

Photo: Tui Anandi/Instituto Socioambiental (ISA)