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At Fazenda Dois Irmãos, in southern Pará, Mr. Celso Rodrigues looks at the landscape around him and remembers his childhood, which he spent in Gaúcha do Norte, Mato Grosso. 

It was from there that he and his family left in search of new opportunities and a life closer to their relatives. Today, in Pará, cattle ranching is the main productive activity on his property. But over the years, Mr. Celso has also noticed changes in the landscape he knows so well. 

“It used to rain much more, with more rainy days, and over the past few years things have been changing, with less and less rainfall and lower volumes of rain. Today, the heat is very different, and the forest is gradually decreasing.” 

Today, Fazenda Dois Irmãos is part of the Floresta para o Bem-Estar project, through which the Black Jaguar Foundation will support the restoration of 150 hectares on small rural properties in southern Pará. Before the rainy season begins and the first seedlings reach the ground, our team has already mapped the property and conducted a field assessment, identifying the level of degradation and the main factors affecting the area. 

As cattle ranching is the main productive activity and the main degradation factor identified, the restoration plan takes the reality of the property into account and seeks to integrate the recovery of the area with its productive activity. 

The team is also finalizing the selection of the species to be used, taking into account the native vegetation that still exists on the property and the characteristics of the area, including periods when part of the land is subject to flooding. Planting is expected to begin as soon as the rains arrive. 

For Mr. Celso, restoring this area is a choice that looks to the future. And for him, this transformation needs to be collective: 

“If everyone contributes to these areas, we will have a better planet, with more moisture, and we will have more oxygen, which will be part of all nature.” 

Watch the interview with Mr. Celso:

This initiative is part of the Floresta para o Bem-Estar project, implemented by Conservation International (CI-Brazil) in partnership with local organizations and funded by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) through resources from the Amazon Fund. The project supports the restoration of degraded areas and the strengthening of the native seedling and seed supply chain in the states of Acre, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, and Pará, while also promoting greater engagement with the restoration agenda. 

Restoring the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor is only possible through the strength of partnerships. Every tree planted, every hectare restored and every community involved begins with people and organizations choosing to invest in a more balanced future for nature and people. 

As we look towards the next stage of this journey, we are very happy to welcome Carlijn Neelissen, Mariken van den Boogaard and Gala Dahlet, three women joining us to strengthen our work in strategic partnerships and fundraising. 

Carlijn Neelissen

In Europe, Carlijn Neelissen joins our team to expand relationships with philanthropists, companies and institutional partners. Her experience in philanthropy, business development and building strategic alliances will contribute to expanding the support network for the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. 

Mariken van den Boogaard

Also based in Europe, and with more than a decade of experience in business development, international marketing, fundraising and landscape restoration, Mariken van den Boogaard will help strengthen and develop new long-term partnerships for the Black Jaguar Foundation. 

Gala Dahlet

In Brazil, Gala Dahlet joins us as Corporate and Philanthropic Partnerships Consultant. With more than 15 years of experience working with the United Nations, government and civil society, Gala brings a strong background in international development, climate resilience and social protection to strengthen our connections with companies and philanthropic investors. 

The arrival of Carlijn, Mariken and Gala represents an important step in expanding our capacity to mobilize the resources needed to restore the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor at scale. Together, they will help us build new alliances and bring even more partners closer to our mission of planting 10 million native trees by 2030. 

Welcome to the Black Jaguar Foundation! 

Some achievements deserve to be celebrated as milestones. This is one of them. 

After four years of joint work, the Black Jaguar Foundation and the CAIXA Socio-Environmental Fund have reached the goal established at the beginning of the partnership: 1 million native trees planted in the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. 

Since 2022, this partnership has made it possible to restore priority areas for connectivity between the Amazon and the Cerrado, turning resources into concrete actions for ecological restoration, water resource protection and environmental education. 

The results of this stage are significant: 510 hectares undergoing restoration, 69 springs protected and a broad network of people involved in restoring the landscape. 

Throughout the partnership, 4,745 people have directly benefited, including nursery workers, seed collectors, rural producers, public managers and thousands of students who participated in environmental education and awareness activities about the importance of restoration. 

Reaching the milestone of 1 million trees, however, does not mean the work is over. Restoration is a long-term process, and restored areas continue to receive three years of maintenance and ongoing monitoring, essential steps to track the development of native species and support the long-term success of restoration. 

This journey has also received national recognition. In 2026, the partnership received the Gold Medal at the ESG Award, recognizing the social and environmental results achieved over these four years of collaboration. 

We celebrate this first million trees planted through the partnership with the certainty that it represents much more than a number. It represents a long-term partnership, hundreds of people working towards restoration and a legacy that will continue to grow in the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor for many years to come. 

The UBS Optimus Foundation, a partner of the Black Jaguar Foundation in restoring the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, marked an important milestone with the inauguration of its first office in Brazil and its first presence in South America. 

For the Black Jaguar Foundation, being part of this moment was especially meaningful. Among the partner organizations present, we were one of three organizations selected to take part in the event’s main panel, alongside Fundação Lemann and Onçafari. 

Representing BJF, Ben Valks presented the organization’s mission and the impact of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, sharing how large-scale restoration depends on building long-term partnerships and bringing together different sources of funding that can work in complementary ways. 

The panel also featured Tom Hall, Global Head of Social Impact and Philanthropy at UBS, as well as leaders from the UBS Optimus Foundation and UBS Brazil, creating a space to discuss how philanthropy can accelerate solutions with social and environmental impact. 

For the Black Jaguar Foundation, being among the event’s main guests was an important opportunity to present the work being carried out in the Araguaia to UBS teams in Brazil, Europe and the United States, while also strengthening connections with clients and philanthropic advisors interested in supporting impact initiatives. 

The opening of the UBS Optimus Foundation’s office in Brazil also represents an important step forward for the future of our partnership. From now on, UBS clients in Brazil can support the Black Jaguar Foundation directly in Brazilian reais, making the donation process simpler and creating new opportunities to connect philanthropic supporters with the restoration of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. 

A little over 100 days ago, Esther Lapere and Adriana took their first steps of Hike4Nature in Vondelpark, Amsterdam. 

They set out on an ambitious mission: to walk 2,600 kilometers from Amsterdam to Lisbon. Not by coincidence, 2,600 kilometers is also the length of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. The goal was to turn every kilometer walked into more people engaged, more companies involved and more resources for restoration in the Araguaia. 

One hundred days later, this journey has already grown into a collective movement. 

More than three months of impact

Over these 100 days, Hike4Nature has crossed four countries, covered more than 2,000 kilometers and raised €69,567 towards the €100,000 goal to support the restoration of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. 

Much more than a fundraising campaign, Hike4Nature has been connecting people from different places around a shared purpose: showing that nature restoration happens when we come together. 

Kilometer by kilometer

The journey began in the Netherlands and continued through Belgium, France and Spain. Along the way, there have been rainy days, intense heat, ferry crossings, blisters, challenging climbs and route changes, including a detour in the Bordeaux region due to wildfires near the route. 

In Spain, Esther and Adriana followed part of the Camino del Norte, along the country’s northern coast, passing through historic towns, mountains and coastal landscapes and often walking more than 30 kilometers in a single day. 

Each stage brought new challenges, but also new encounters. 

A journey that brought a community together

Over these more than three months, friends and family have walked alongside Esther and Adriana on different sections of the route. Partners have helped expand the campaign, companies have supported the initiative, and hundreds of people have followed the journey and contributed to restoration in the Araguaia. 

This has always been at the heart of Hike4Nature: inspiring people to become part of a cause that connects two continents through nature. 

The walk is taking place in Europe, while restoration is happening in Brazil — but the journey shows how people in different parts of the world can contribute to the same shared purpose. 

The journey continues

Day 100 was celebrated in Gijón, Spain, with more than 2,000 kilometers completed. Hike4Nature is now continuing towards Portugal, approaching both the final stretch of the journey and its fundraising goal. 

A little over €30,000 is still needed to reach the €100,000 goal that will support the restoration of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. 

Every new kilometer is an invitation for more people, companies and partners to walk alongside this mission. 

Follow Hike4Nature’s next steps and be part of this journey to restore nature. 

[Polarsteps — Hike4Nature]

The Black Jaguar Foundation welcomed representatives from Rabobank for an immersive journey through the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, offering a closer look at the partnerships, people, and landscapes driving large-scale ecological restoration. 

The visit began in Lagoa da Confusão (Tocantins), where the group explored the site of BJF’s future second restoration hub. They also visited farms and strategic restoration areas while meeting with local stakeholders to discuss opportunities for expanding restoration efforts across the region. 

The following day, the delegation traveled to Santana do Araguaia (Pará) to meet members of the BJF Araguaia Seed Network. The conversations offered a firsthand perspective on the vital role seed collectors play in restoring ecosystems while creating new income opportunities for local communities. 

The itinerary also included visits to the Black Jaguar Foundation’s forest nursery and operational warehouse, where guests followed the journey from seed collection to seedling production and gained insight into the logistics behind large-scale restoration. The group then visited restored areas in the field, seeing firsthand how native vegetation is returning and ecological connectivity is being rebuilt across the landscape. 

The itinerary also included visits to the Black Jaguar Foundation’s forest nursery and operational warehouse, where guests followed the journey from seed collection to seedling production and gained insight into the logistics behind large-scale restoration. The group then visited restored areas in the field, seeing firsthand how native vegetation is returning and ecological connectivity is being rebuilt across the landscape. 

The visit concluded with a look ahead at the Black Jaguar Foundation’s next milestones, including the expansion of restoration activities and the development of the second restoration hub in Lagoa da Confusão. By the end of the week, participants had experienced firsthand how collaboration, local engagement, and long-term commitment are helping reconnect the Amazon and Cerrado through large-scale ecological restoration. 

As the rainy season between October and April comes to an end, so does another planting season at the Black Jaguar Foundation. With the arrival of the dry season, a new and essential phase of ecological restoration begins: monitoring and maintaining the areas restored over the past several months. 

Even in this early stage, the transformation is already visible. Native seeds and seedlings are establishing themselves, vegetation cover is gradually returning to the soil, and previously degraded land is beginning to recover life, structure, and biodiversity. 

Field records and images captured across the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor reveal the first stages of this regeneration process. Areas that were once degraded are slowly developing into young forests, helping reconnect the Amazon and Cerrado while supporting the recovery of ecosystems and biodiversity throughout the region. 

Over the coming months, our field teams will continue monitoring these areas closely, carrying out maintenance activities and tracking the development of native species as the restored landscape continues to evolve. 

Ecological restoration goes far beyond planting trees. It is a long-term process of regenerating ecosystems, rebuilding connections, and creating the conditions for nature to thrive once again.