Ana Paula Mendes

Would you like to join us in realizing one of the longest biodiversity corridors on Earth? Become one of the First 600 to join our mission of hope and action HERE.

On October 5 this month, we were hit by the consequence of the climate crisis in the heart of our operation in Santana Do Araguaia. Our brand-new nursery was hit by a STORM with extreme winds and rains, causing severe damage to its structure and buildings.

This event didn’t just affect us; the entire municipality is suffering damages and losses. Our thoughts go out to the people of Santana Do Araguaia.

We worked the past 2 years together with the local community to build our largest and state-of-the-art nursery from scratch…. And, we are not giving up, but we can’t do it alone.

While we ar still assessing the damage, to make the first emergency repairs of the indoor and outdoor nursery and buildings, our emergency-budget is €140.000.

Join us in restoring our nursery today! Your support can make a real difference. Let’s rebuild together!

CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR DONATION TODAY!

The month of October marks the beginning of the rainy season in the Araguaia region, and with it, the initial stages of the 2023/2024 planting season. As you may know, ecological restoration is a far more complex process than simply planting trees. It requires careful planning and preparation for everything to go smoothly.

In these early weeks, our field team has started constructing and installing fences, preparing the areas that will be planted in the coming months, and mixing seeds for direct sowing, a technique commonly referred to as “muvuca.” Let’s delve a bit deeper into each of these processes.

Construction and installation of fences

The construction and installation of fences in specific planting areas are essential to protect the seedlings and ensure their proper growth. This is typically required in regions close to pastures to prevent cattle from trampling or grazing on newly germinated seedlings.

Preparation of restoration areas

During this stage, the Black Jaguar field team removes the grass in the planting areas and digs holes for the seedlings. This creates suitable conditions for native species to thrive when they are eventually planted.

Muvuca: mixing seeds for direct sowing

When does the actual planting begin?

During this rainy season, planting seedlings and direct sowing will start in January on our partner rural properties. Until then, we’ll continue to work tirelessly to ensure high-quality ecological restoration in the Araguaia region!

Would you like to join us in realizing one of the longest biodiversity corridors on Earth? Become one of the First 600 to join our mission of hope and action HERE.

We are proud to share that Black Jaguar Foundation was selected, amongst 9 other renowned nature organisations, to present our mission at the symposium of ‘Mega Eco Projects’, at the University of Pennsylvania in the USA. Our initiator, Ben Valks, attended the event and had the opportunity to showcase the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor and exchange experiences with various other environmental organizations from around the world.

Would you like to join us in realizing one of the longest biodiversity corridors on Earth? Become one of the First 600 to join our mission of hope and action HERE.

Exciting news from Santana Do Araguaia! The Araguaia Seed Network has expanded, and to mark this important milestone, we have gathered our dedicated members for a collaborative journey. Together, we are shaping the mission, vision, and values that will define our project’s visual identity and create more engagement in the region and beyond.

The first step is to exchange experiences and opinions about the Network’s purpose. To achieve this, Black Jaguar gathered active members to collectively discuss and construct the mission, vision, and values of the project.

Laís D’Isep, a seedling production analyst and the principal coordinator of the collective, visited all the settlements and groups, creating activities to facilitate the exchange of ideas and reflection on the activities carried out over the past 18 months.

During the meetings, it became evident that the Araguaia Seed Network had already generated both financial impact as an additional source of income for families and social impact through an extended sense of community where people can rely on each other.

More than 70 people participated in the meetings, and the experiences shared will soon form the basis for the creation of the Araguaia Seed Network’s identity.

About the Araguaia Seed Network

Through the purchase and sale of native seeds, the Araguaia Seed Network is an initiative aimed at supplementing the income of those living near the Araguaia River and providing seeds for the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. Currently, the initiative is expanding its scope, and soon there will be a group formed by students in Palmas (TO).

In less than two years of operation, we have already achieved remarkable results, and we hope that in the coming years, the Araguaia Seed Network will continue to grow, reaching more people and generating more socioeconomic impact for local communities.

Would you like to join us in realizing one of the longest biodiversity corridors on Earth? Become one of the First 600 to join our mission of hope and action HERE.

Black Jaguar Foundation is now an official Grant Receiver of the World Wildlife Fund. Together, we are working to strengthen the Araguaia Seed Network, generate even more positive socioeconomic impact for local communities, and ensure quality seeds for the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.

Through this partnership, WWF supports the training, equipment, and seed purchases for network member collectors. These seeds, in turn, will be used for seedling production in our nursery in Santana do Araguaia and for direct sowing in our restoration areas.

Now, we are active in four cities in the Amazonian states: Santana do Araguaia (PA), Caseara (TO), Marianópolis (TO), and Porto Nacional (TO). We are providing a unique opportunity for local communities to participate in the bioeconomy, safeguarding their forests and biodiversity simultaneously.

Araguaia Seed Network: The Beginning

The Seed Network was born from the partnership between Black Jaguar and local communities to collect native seeds for use in our ecological restoration project, the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.

Since last year, the initiative has provided a new source of income for small farmers and settlements. Black Jaguar provides training, technical support, and equipment to enable them to become active members, collecting, processing, storing, and selling their seeds.

Positive Impacts Generated by the Initiative

We aim to strengthen community involvement in forest preservation and the recovery of degraded areas, enhancing their social and environmental benefits, such as:

1. Income generation from forest products (native seeds).
2. Biodiversity restoration.
3. Reduction of the risk of species extinction.
4.  Conservation of water resources.
5.  Mitigation of climate effects.

The goal of this partnership is to plant 500,000 trees using various restoration techniques (seedling planting, direct sowing, and assisted natural regeneration) over two planting seasons—the first conducted from October 2022 to May 2023 and the next, starting in October 2023 and lasting until March 2024.

Would you like to join us in realizing one of the longest biodiversity corridors on Earth? Become one of the First 600 to join our mission of hope and action HERE.

We are extremely honoured to officially welcome to the team, our newest ambassador, Humberto Tan!

Humberto Tan is one of the most well-known TV personalities in the Netherlands. He was born in Suriname, a vast country north of Brazil in South America. Together with his mother, two brothers, and sister, he emigrated to the Netherlands when he was about 4 years old.

In 1991, he finished his Law Master’s at the University of Amsterdam, and started his TV career. From the early start in his TV career, he was the host of the following programs: NOS Studio Sport, NOS Journaal, RTL Late Night, Holland’s Got Talent, and UEFA Champions League, just to name a few. He hosted the daily famous talk show RTL Late Night over 1000 times!

Humberto went on to win many awards in TV and Radio, including: The Zilveren Televizier-Ster (which he won two times), the Sonja Barend Award for best TV interview of the year, and Broadcast personality of the year.

In August 2023, he proudly accepted the invitation to become Ambassador of the Black Jaguar Foundation.

Why did Humberto Tan join BJF’s mission of hope and action?

In 2023, Humberto Tan made a documentary film called “De Jacht op de Jaguar” (The Hunt of The Jaguar) which revolves around the importance, beauty and also the illegal hunt of Jaguars in Suriname.

Like the founder of BJF, Ben Valks, Humberto went on a search for the Jaguar to learn more and try to make a picture of this majestic and iconic animal. As a result, he made a documentary film about his journey in search of the Jaguar and Ben started the Black Jaguar Foundation.

“What we all share in the Foundation is how we want to leave this world, when we’re 105 or maybe older, with nature in a stronger, better and healthier way than it is at the moment. 1,7 billion native trees will help to achieve this goal”, says Humberto Tan.

Next to the Black Jaguar Foundation, he is already an ambassador for the Dutch Red Cross, WWF the Netherlands and the Nationale Postcode Loterij.

Visit Humberto Tan’s profile here!

Would you like to join us in realizing one of the longest biodiversity corridors on Earth? Become one of the First 600 to join our mission of hope and action HERE.

As our field team is ready for the exciting start of another planting season, we’ve taken a moment to reflect on our milestones of the last planting season.

We’re extremely proud of our journey so far. After five planting seasons, including the 2018/2019 pilot project, we can already highlight some excellent achievements:

175 hectares restored and over 437 thousand native trees planted in a single planting season!

The 2022/2023 Planting Season was one of the most challenging for Black Jaguar until now. To achieve our ambitious goal, we have to grow – not only as a team and in number of hectares restored, but also in terms of learning, opportunities and changes.

And the result for the planting season was excellent! In a single rainy season (October through April), our field team carried out ecological restoration on 175 hectares of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor – growing and planting 437 thousand native trees!

More than 300 hectares restored by Black Jaguar Foundation

With the last planting season, we’ve now restored over 300 hectares on partner properties in the Araguaia region. This area equates to approximately 680,000 native trees planted by our team.

All these developing species are already part of the ecological corridor that will contribute to bring back the biodiversity of two of the world’s most vital ecosystems: the Amazon Rainforest and the Cerrado.

Activities on 17 partner rural properties

During the 2022/2023 planting season, Black Jaguar worked on 17 partner properties, engaging in both planting and maintenance activities.

This significant growth strengthens our organization locally, and the consistent success of our work year after year instills confidence in other rural property owners in the region.

Expanding the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor geographically

Black Jaguar is already present in three cities along the Araguaia River: Marianópolis do Tocantins, Caseara (Tocantins), and Santana do Araguaia (Pará) – where are located our main activities and the BJF nursery with a capacity for 500,000 seedlings per year.

Looking ahead to the project’s future, our articulation team continues to work on promoting the organization and the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor in southern Pará. We hope that in the coming years, many more cities can become part of one of the world’s largest restoration projects.

Now is the time to focus on the upcoming planting season, which is just around the corner. How about becoming a part of this mission of hope and action? Support us!

Would you like to join us in realizing one of the longest biodiversity corridors on Earth? Become one of the First 600 to join our mission of hope and action HERE.

The Black Jaguar Foundation was invited by Good to Nature, a non-profit organization based in China, to virtually showcase Black Jaguar Foundation’s work.  During the Tropical Forest Festival, an audience of students, private sector professionals, and civil organizations from China were introduced to our work.

The goal was to introduce the Black Jaguar Foundation and the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, shedding light on the key features of one of the world’s most important tropical forests: the Amazon. The presentation was shared on China’s most popular online platform, with approximately 83.5 million daily active users.

Tropical Forest Festival – Good to Nature

Due to the relatively small distribution of rainforest in the total land area in China, there is limited knowledge about these ecosystems. Hence, Good to Nature decided to host a festival filled with activities and lectures to give the Chinese audience a chance to appreciate the beauty and significance of tropical forests worldwide.

The event’s purpose was to emphasize the importance of biodiversity and the restoration of these ecosystems, particularly promoting projects and activities around the world dedicated to protecting and restoring tropical forests.

Introducing the Amazon Rainforest to the Chinese Audience

During the presentation, Joel Boele, Community Outreach Coordinator, explained where we operate, the unique aspects of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, characteristics of the region’s flora and fauna, and underscored the impact of our project on the environment and the local population.

It was an excellent opportunity to engage with a diverse audience and exchange experiences with other participants at the event.

Audience insights and feedbacks

After the lecture, students applied their newfound knowledge to design exhibition panels. During the preparation, they not only relied on the information shared by Black Jaguar but also conducted further research on the Amazon Rainforest.

One week after the presentation, Good to Nature sought feedback from the students who attended. Here are some testimonials:

“As a city-raised child, I could only learn about the rainforest through documentaries. Participating in this rainforest citizen education program brought me so much joy! I feel that my love for nature has found a home, and my life has become more fulfilling. In the future, I hope not only to promote the importance of the rainforest to others but also to apply the knowledge I learned here to restoration efforts, such as tree planting.”

– XU Xinyu

“As a future guardian of the rainforest, I realized the challenges of this role. Not only are there unexpected incidents to handle, but we also need to respond to unexpected questions from visitors. This taught me to be adaptable. I also learned a lot about the rainforest here and can now share that knowledge with others.”

– LIU Yichen

“Participating in the Future Rainforest Guardian Program made me realize the importance of rainforest conservation, especially in the face of global warming. Rainforest restoration can help mitigate global warming, as the rainforest plays a crucial role in carbon storage. Additionally, rainforest restoration contributes to the recovery of ecosystem services, including climate and water regulation, providing habitats for various plants and animals. When the air and water are cleaner, we can have a better living environment!”

– LI Zhongze

About Good to Nature

Good to Nature is a non-profit organization based in China dedicated to the restoration and protection of ecosystems. The organization is committed to promoting the protection and revitalization of ecosystems in China. They work not only on restoring tropical forests but also on promoting the importance of tropical forests and encouraging the Chinese population to participate in their restoration and protection.

We would like to express our gratitude to Good to Nature for giving us the opportunity to present the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor to an enthusiastic audience committed to building a better tomorrow for all of us. It’s heartwarming to see so many young individuals determined to protect our forests.

Would you like to join us in realizing one of the longest biodiversity corridors on Earth? Become one of the First 600 to join our mission of hope and action HERE.

The Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor is only possible thanks to the rural partnerships we’ve established. Our project aims to help rural property owners along the Araguaia River in regularizing their lands according to the Brazilian Forest Code. It also allows to restore areas with environmental deficits by connecting fragments of native vegetation and creating an ecological corridor.

In recent years, our community of rural partners has grown significantly. There are now more than 20 producers who agree that agricultural production and sustainability can – and should – go hand in hand. Because of this, we would like to introduce them to you!

The first to participate in this series of interviews is Carlos Félix, the owner of Fazenda Bela Vista in Caseara (TO).

Watch Carlos Félix’s video testimonial!

Check out our conversation and discover how this partnership began and continues to grow stronger:

Interview with Carlos Félix, owner of Fazenda Santa Fé

Could you start by telling us where your rural property is located?

CF: I’m based at Fazenda Bela Vista, in the municipality of Caseara (TO), on the banks of the Araguaia River.

Tell us a bit about Fazenda Bela Vista…

CF: Fazenda Bela Vista covers 1,500 hectares. We engage in cattle farming and soybean cultivation. Approximately 51% of the total area is protected, including Legal Reserves and Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs).

What actions and initiatives at Fazenda Bela Vista are related to biodiversity?

CF: Our actions involve complying with the management controls required by Brazilian legislation for the preservation of fauna and flora. In other words, we only work on operations in areas designated for livestock and agricultural production. We do not allow any work in protected areas.

Another action is the partnership with Black Jaguar and their project to revitalize a small Permanent Preservation Area here on the property.

Fazenda Bela Vista has 51% of its total area preserved. 35% is Legal Reserve, as required by the Brazilian Forest Code – and everything is duly documented and registered. There is also a Permanent Preservation Area measuring 1.2 km in length by 500 meters in width along the banks of the Araguaia River. Additionally, we have lakes on the farm with their respective preserved APPs. All this preserved area is condensed into one region, creating a significant ecological corridor.

How did the partnership with Black Jaguar begin?

CF: It began at the end of 2021 when I received a visit from Ben Valks (Initiator) and Marcelle (Articulation Coordinator). They came here to visit and present the project. As soon as the presentation was over, I said, “Ben, you can count on Fazenda Bela Vista; we’re in this project together.”

What are the benefits for you as a rural producer in this partnership with Black Jaguar?

CF: The main benefit is the revitalization of the Permanent Preservation Area we have on the farm. We believe that with this revitalization, we will ensure or even increase the water supply at the farm’s spring.

Another significant benefit is related to legislation. When Black Jaguar, as an organization, comes to rural producers with this project to regularize degraded areas, it’s a huge benefit. Black Jaguar is already taking the lead in solving any issue related to Brazilian Forest Code requirements. When financial institutions start demanding the regularization, we will be ready, and we won’t have difficulty going to the market to seek capital.

So, it’s a great benefit for us, and I can’t see why a rural producer wouldn’t embrace this cause.

What motivates you to work in partnership with Black Jaguar?

CF: I am passionate about the environment. In fact, I have a postgraduate degree in environmental science. I am passionate about preserving both fauna and flora. That’s what gives me pleasure in working with Black Jaguar, knowing that they have a tremendous challenge ahead and are concerned about preserving the banks of the Araguaia River.

What do you think of Black Jaguar’s approach to restoration work?

CF: I believe Black Jaguar is on the right path. They have a well-thought-out plan, a well-structured project, and a down-to-earth approach. In their initial contacts with new rural partners, their professionals are very efficient, respectful, and non-imposing. They come to present the project, and it’s up to us to accept it or not. Additionally, Black Jaguar doesn’t have a goal of expanding at all costs; they grow as they implement their projects.

Do you feel that you are now contributing to ecological restoration?

CF: Yes, and not just me, but other producer partners of Black Jaguar whom I’ve interacted with also feel the same way.

Would you recommend this partnership to other rural producers?

CF: I would not only recommend it but also advocate for this idea. Wherever I go, among the producers I know, I talk a lot about Black Jaguar. When people approach me because Black Jaguar has contacted them, I am an enthusiast. I say, “let’s do this because it’s a project that will succeed”. It’s a very interesting project for rural producers, for Black Jaguar, and even more so for nature. It’s possible to produce and preserve. Production and preservation can very well go hand in hand.

Why is Black Jaguar the best choice for you?

CF: Because they have a group of highly skilled professionals, a serious and well-structured project. Despite the difficulties, they continue to overcome various obstacles. They’ve also formed partnerships here in Brazil. Fazenda Bela Vista received two producers who, after the visit, became partners of Black Jaguar.

Mr. Carlos Félix, thank you very much for the interview! Is there anything else you’d like to add?

CF: I would just like to add that we in agribusiness are often seen as destroyers of the environment. But here in Tocantins, what we’ve noticed is that rural producers are very concerned about the environment and compliance with the law. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be embracing Black Jaguar.

Our deficits happened in the past, and we carry that legacy. In the past, we weren’t held accountable for Legal Reserves and APPs, but today we have this concern about protecting the environment and, at the very least, complying with Brazilian law. About a year ago, we established the Tocantins Sustainable Development Association, in the Araguaia Valley.

This association is committed to sustainable production. More and more producers are joining because they are concerned about environmental issues. We need to produce food; the world needs food. But on the other hand, we also need to contribute to the environment.

Would you like to join us in realizing one of the longest biodiversity corridors on Earth? Become one of the First 600 to join our mission of hope and action HERE.