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Meet our valued BJF Sponsor and Friend: Sumthing!

By News Home

We are very excited to introduce you to Sumthing: a platform that is working hard to create a visibly nature positive world. Sumthing has been providing full visibility of the results of our project and helping the Black Jaguar Foundation to make a real, tangible impact. Together, we are growing the BJF community and showing that anyone can make a difference – it’s too late to be a pessimist! 

About Sumthing

Sumthing brings transparency to environmental action by providing real-world proof for each contribution. Planting a tree or building a coral reef to doesn’t happen overnight and that’s why they transparently share the status of each contribution until after the project has been completed.  

How is Sumthing helping us increase visibility of the realisation of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor?

Black Jaguar foundation has been a long-time & valued partner of Sumthing, and features prominently in it! Mike Odenhoven, CEO of Sumthing said: “Our work revolves all around showcasing the great things our partners do in the field, and our website and platform need to reflect that. Our philosophy is that if we do what we do best with technology in the cloud, they can do what they do best for nature on the ground. This new website is a testament to that mentality, and a celebration of the great work organisations like BJF do every day.”

Sumthing has created several different tools that are helping us showcase the progress of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. Their platform shows where our partner’s trees are located, and how their tree looks at this stage.

Further, they showcase tangible measurements of how our project of ecological restoration and emphasise that almost half of the cost of planting a tree will go towards maintaining it and ensuring its growth. At the Black Jaguar Foundation, we carry out 17 steps to safeguard healthy forests.

Growing the BJF community together

By providing us with exciting new widgets and tools to showcase our results, Sumthing is also helping us grow our existing community of sponsor partners.

At the moment, some of our Sumthing x BJF donors include:

  • Green Gear Supply: a company that aims to inspire a more sustainable and equitable world through innovative products – starting with their rain poncho. Their reusable and recyclable poncho is made from responsibly sourced materials and perfect for outdoor activities!
  • Mutsy: a brand that creates beautiful strollers with our future generations in mind!
  • Many individual donors which are showcased on their impact page.

Sumthing’s new website is out in the wild!

Over the past period, they worked hard on simplifying the story, updating the designs and making the website fully accessible with the help of their partner DEPT®

Check out Sumthing’s new website here!

Can you see how easy it is for anyone, anywhere, to make a positive difference for the planet? Join us today by clicking HERE or send an email to info@black-jaguar.org to find out more!.

British School Brasília is the newest partner of Black Jaguar Foundation

By News Home

We’re thrilled to introduce the British School of Brasília, one of our newest partners at Black Jaguar Foundation! Every year, the school selects a non-profit organization to learn about and support. For this year, the institution’s students chose the Black Jaguar Foundation! 

As a school in Brazil, students and teachers are aware of the importance of preserving the Amazon Rainforest and the Cerrado savanna, for Brazil and for the entire world. The British School of Brasilia plans to create more fundraising opportunities to further support the Black Jaguar Foundation. To celebrate the donation, our initiator, Ben Valks, has prepared a thank you video. Check it out: 

About the British School of Brasília

As part of The British Schools Foundation, one of the leading educational foundations in the world, British School Brasília offers one of the best school experiences in the city. Founded in 2016, the school has grown exponentially and now provides top-notch education for students from early years (Early Childhood Education), Elementary School I and II, and High School at our campus in Lago Sul. 

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.

De Heus Animal Nutrition visits corridor and strengthens partnership with rural producers

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Last month our long-term partner De Heus represented by Rinus Donkers (LATAM director) and Ademir Pereira (Business Manager at De Heus Brasil), visited the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor and had the opportunity to witness firsthand the environmental restoration preservation impact and the results of joint efforts between De Heus, Black Jaguar Foundation, and local farmers!

Watch Rinus Donkers (Latin America Director) about the long-term partnership between De Heus, Black Jaguar Foundation & local communities in the Araguaia region:

During his first visit to the project, Rinus Donkers emphasized the importance of building trust between Black Jaguar Foundation, local communities, rural landowners, and members of Ressemear (Araguaia Seed Network).  

“During the gathering, organized by Black Jaguar to introduce us to producers and government authorities in the region, it became evident that it’s possible to reconcile production with preservation, which pleasantly surprises us. After all, what we are doing together is leaving a legacy for future generations, making it possible to achieve a more sustainable production model. It was gratifying to witness the progress made and the potential of this partnership between Black Jaguar, De Heus, and producers, which has proven beneficial for all involved!” he declared. 

While visiting the restoration areas, Rinus highlighted that “even the most skeptical producers now support the organization and are open to receiving people to show this. It’s truly impressive to see how reforested riparian areas, planted around a year and a half to four years ago, have transformed into real forests, with a biodiversity of at least thirty to seventy different species.” 

In addition to the restoration areas, we also visited the Black Jaguar seedling nursery and talked with members of Ressemear, initiatives directly supported by De Heus. 

To conclude the visit, we took the chance to exchange experiences and socialize with the project’s partner rural landowners. 

READ: DE HEUS VISITS BLACK JAGUAR FOUNDATION’S ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION AREAS IN PARÁ

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.

World Water Day: The Importance of Spring Preservation

By News Home

March 22nd marks World Water Day! This year, we want to underscore the importance of preserving springs for the balance of aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity restoration and natural resource preservation—as well as for sustainable development and the quality of life of communities depending on these water sources. 

Water is a fundamental resource for life, for both humans and ecosystems. Preserving springs is crucial for ensuring the supply of drinking water and maintaining the balance of aquatic ecosystems. 

Therefore, seeking ways to preserve these springs is vital. Small actions, such as avoiding deforestation in areas near springs, promoting the restoration of riparian forests, and adopting sustainable water use practices, can make a significant difference. 

With this purpose in mind, the Black Jaguar Foundation develops actions that promote ecological restoration, thus conserving watercourses and their respective springs. 

Check out the image below of a small spring identified during field validation work by our validation analyst, Matheus Fonseca, which will soon have its surroundings restored: 

Matheus Fonseca also prepared content directly from one of our partner rural properties to demonstrate how simple actions can preserve springs and ensure a healthy ecosystem: 

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.

Laís D’Isep, seed production analyst at BJF, is featured in the #SheRestors campaign by Restor.eco!

By News Home

On International Women’s Day, Restor.eco launched a campaign to share stories of women dedicated to the conservation and restoration of natureand guess what? Laís D’Isep, our seed production analyst and responsible for mobilizing Ressemear (Araguaia Seed Network), was one of the highlights in the community leadership category! 

Among over 18,000 stories within the Restor Community, there are countless brilliant and resilient women dedicating their days to making a positive impact on nature and local populations. 

Given so many inspiring examples, we’re proud that Laís’ work in leading Ressemear was one of the five highlights selected to feature in the #SheRestors campaign. It’s a fantastic opportunity for more people to learn about this initiative that generates income and employment for local communities 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.

Black Jaguar & UvA-Orkest J.Pzn Sweelinck Orchestra: benefit concert for the planet

By News Home

Last Friday March 1st, we had the opportunity to host, together with the J.Pzn Sweelinck UvA Orchestra (University of Amsterdam), a benefit concert to raise funds for the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.

The concert was hold in a special venue in Amsterdam, in an old church in the center of Amsterdam, which allows for an amazing place for a (classical) concert as well as for us to (re)present Black Jaguar Foundation.

Our initiator, Ben Valks, presented Black Jaguar Foundation and after the amazing concert we had the opportunity to socialize with all the supporters. We celebrated a GREAT evening together with partners, family, friends, and potential partners.

We would like to happily share some images of the event and thank all of you for the continuous support. Together we are realizing one of the biggest ecological restoration projects on Earth and creating a better world for the future generations!

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.

Join us on the 1st of March in Amsterdam: BJF & J.Pzn Sweelinck Benefit Concert for the planet

By News Home

Join us on the 1st of March in Amsterdam for a special Benefit Concert for the Planet. A special collaboration between UvA-Orkest J.Pzn Sweelinck and Black Jaguar Foundation.

You can buy a ticket for a normal price of €35,00 or donate an extra amount to the BJF! If you want to become a BJF Friend you can purchase a ticket to the concert and directly join our BJF Community!

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 is officially nominated for the Earthshot Prize by Restor.eco

By News Home

We are extremely happy to announce that, after being nominated by Restor.eco, the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor is officially competing for the 2024 Earthshot Prize!

THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE

Launched by HRH Prince William, the Earthshot Prize exists to discover, spotlight and help grow innovative solutions that are working to restore and regenerate our planet.

Its name refers to the President Kennedy’s plan in the 1960s to send a man to the Moon within a decade.

The goal is that until 2030, 5 awards of £1 million each will be distributed annually to the winners of each of the categories:

  • Protecting and restoring nature
  • Cleaning our air
  • Reviving our oceans
  • Building a litter-free world
  • Fixing our climate

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Restor.eco, responsible for the nomination, for supporting the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. We are looking forward to the next stages of the selection, which should only be completed by the end of 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.

CAIXA Federal Bank visits the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor

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Our partners are visiting the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor! This time, we had the honor of receiving the technical team from CAIXA Federal Bank, who, through the Socio-Environmental Fund, will support our project in planting 1 million native trees in the coming years.

During the first project verification visit, which occurs after reaching 20% of the implementation goal, we had the opportunity to present the activities in the field and promote contact between partners and project beneficiaries.

We were also able to demonstrate in more depth the structure implemented by the Black Jaguar Foundation in the region, such as:

  • The forest nursery built and operated in Santana do Araguaia, with the capacity to produce more than 500 thousand seedlings per year, and currently already functions as a hub of environmental education activities in the region.
  • Donation of training and equipment to municipal fire brigades in the cities of Santana do Araguaia (PA) and Caseara (TO).
  • The Araguaia Seed Network, which was made viable and trained by the Black Jaguar Foundation and currently has an extensive local network of seed collectors.
BLACK JAGUAR IS HIGHLIGHTED ON CAIXA’S SOCIAL MEDIA

And after four days of visit, we were featured on CAIXA’s social media, with an emotional video full of testimonials from some of those directly benefited by the project.

Check out the video produced by CAIXA about the partnership with the Black Jaguar Foundation.

It is supporters like these who make our project possible. Therefore, we want to thank the support of all our long-time partners and hope this is just the beginning of a long journey in building a greener planet for future generations.

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 Seed Network: Ressemear

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The Araguaia Seed Network has been growing! And now our collective has a visual branding, its own mission, vision, and values, and even a new name: Ressemear – which means reseeding in Portuguese.

Since last year, our team has held meetings with the collectors so that, together, they could discuss and collectively build the project’s mission, vision, and values.

And now we share with you the results of these experiences:

MISSION:

Our mission is to contribute to the ecological restoration of the Amazon and Cerrado through the collection of native seeds, improving the quality of life for current and future human generations and allowing the conservation of the region’s biodiversity and natural resources.

VISION:

Our vision is to be a Seed Network reference in quality and group work, capable of inspiring everyone to act for the conservation and ecological restoration, generate income and opportunities for local seed collectors, and inspire humanity to thrive in balance with nature.

VALUES:

  • Responsibility: We are responsible for seed collection activity and biodiversity preservation, recognizing the fundamental role of seeds and their matrices in the cycle of life.
  • Fellowship: We put people and communities at the center of our actions, promoting group work as an agent of positive change towards the environment.
  • Respect for the environment: Our commitment to sustainability is unshakable, promoting practices that ensure a greener and more prosperous future.
  • Commitment: We are a group committed to deliveries, to our colleagues, and to our mission.
  • Enthusiasm: We love working with seeds, and always remember that this work will restore our forests.
2024 CALENDAR DELIVERY TO COLLECTORS

And to celebrate so many achievements, we produced a calendar for the year 2024, which includes images of trees, flowers, and fruits of native species from the region.

The calendars were distributed among Reseeding members, who were extremely happy with the result of such a rewarding job. Check out some pictures:

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.