|
|
Newsletter in English, click here |
|
|
|
Deforestation declines, but the forest economy needs to move forward |
This month, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) brought us good news: deforestation in the Amazon and the Cerrado reached its lowest levels on record. Between August 2025 and July 2026, deforestation fell by 41.8% in the Amazon. In the Cerrado, it declined by 23.8%, reaching its lowest rate since 2011. From an economic perspective, a study by Fundação Getulio Vargas Brazilian Institute of Economics (FGV IBRE) indicates that the 71% drop in deforestation in the Amazon between 2022 and 2026 avoided around 1.5 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to R$1.16 trillion in avoided global climate damage.
However, the climate crisis shows that reducing deforestation is only part of the challenge. The drought in the Amazon, exacerbated by El Niño, requires attention. According to ClimaInfo, citing INPE data, the Amazon recorded around 15,000 hotspots between September 13 and October 12, 2026—2.4 times the number observed during the same period in 2025. Looking at a different period and geographic scope, INPE monitoring data shows a 74.3% decline in hotspots in areas protected by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) in the state of Amazonas between January and mid-October compared to the same period in 2025.
In this edition, bulletins from the Vale Institute of Technology show how climate knowledge is helping businesses involved in land restoration as part of Vale’s 2030 Forest Goal anticipate risks and make better decisions. We also feature a story highlighting experiences in entrepreneurship training and strengthening of local networks, together with support for business management and planning. On the financing front, we present the Banzeiro Fund: Strategic Capital for Impact, developed in partnership with Din4mo to combine catalytic capital with nonfinancial support for impact-driven businesses.
Combining financing with business support raises an important question: how can we ensure that resources address the priorities of each geographical area? An article published in the Brazilian edition of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, co-authored by Márcia Soares, Fundo Vale’s Amazon and partnerships manager, explores this issue in greater depth. The article proposes rethinking how investment decisions are made. This means adapting timelines, criteria and indicators to local realities, strengthening organizations’ management capacity and ensuring their participation in decisions about how resources are allocated.
Finally, all these themes will come together at the fourth edition of FIINSA, to be held in Manaus from November 3 to 5. We have supported the festival since its inception and will take part in discussions on business development, sociobiodiversity value chains financing and land restoration. We invite you to join us at this forum for sharing experiences, where common challenges give rise to new partnerships and viable solutions for local communities.
We hope you enjoy this edition.
Patrícia Daros
Director, Fundo Vale |
|
|
Agroforestry Solutions Forum |
|
|
|
The event will take place on November 16 at the Amazon Bioeconomy and Innovation Park in Belém, Pará, bringing together producers, companies, investors, researchers and organizations to strengthen agroforestry systems |
|
|
|
|
Fundo Vale and Din4mo launch Banzeiro strategic philanthropy fund |
The third Go!Blended Journey Routes Meeting presents lessons learned from the development of the fund, co-created by Fundo Vale and Din4mo Lab to mobilize resources for social and environmental impact solutions |
|
|
|
|
EcoAm expands its presence in the Amazon |
A program developed by Impact Hub Manaus with support from Fundo Vale to strengthen local capacities for the bioeconomy is expanding into new municipalities |
|
|
|
|
El Niño and Vale’s 2030 Forest Goal |
Seasonal climate forecast bulletins from the Vale Institute of Technology (ITV) highlight risks related to water availability and irregular rainfall, informing planting and crop management in the regions where restoration initiatives are underway |
|
|
|
|
President of the Amazon Socio-Bioeconomy Business Association (ASSOBIO)
|
|
|
|
1. What is ASSOBIO’s purpose and what does its new governance structure, with an all-female board, represent?
|
ASSOBIO was created to strengthen businesses that combine economic development, biodiversity conservation and recognition of local communities, promoting the Amazonian socio-bioeconomy while keeping the forest standing and placing people at the center of opportunities.The association’s all-female board is a natural reflection of the significant presence of women in leadership positions in these businesses and demonstrates their leading role in building a new economy for the Amazon. Our mission goes beyond visibility: we want to create the conditions for businesses to g, access markets, add value to biodiversity and generate income in local communities through participatory governance, reflecting the diversity of businesses and realities across the Amazon.
|
|
|
|
2. What have been the association’s main results and key lessons since it began operating, and how important has Fundo Vale’s support been during this period? |
In 2025, we had 126 members, generating more than R$52 million in annual income, providing 1,000 direct jobs and impacting 70,000 people.Today, we represent 165 businesses that purchase more than R$97 million in socio-bioeconomy inputs, impact over 90,000 people and generate around 1,200 direct jobs. Fundo Vale has been instrumental in expanding our presence at events and in markets and promoting initiatives related to COP30, such as the Aqui Tem Bioeconomia (Bioeconomy Here) label, which is expanding from Belém to a nationwide rollout, and a survey on perceptions of the bioeconomy and the Amazon, which paved the way for a national campaign. We have learned that visibility, collaboration and market access must go hand in hand to turn the sector’s potential into sustainable businesses, income and regional development.
|
|
|
|
3. What are your priorities, challenges and expectations for the next cycle?
|
Our priority is to strengthen ASSOBIO and the sustainability of our member businesses based on three pillars: market access, strengthening Amazonian communities, and advocacy. This means expanding business opportunities, local value creation, partnerships and influence on public policy. Together with Fundo Vale, we aim to expand the Aqui Tem Bioeconomia label nationwide, strengthen our institutional presence in Amazonian communities and set up a One-Stop Shop for the Socio-Bioeconomy at the Amazon Bioeconomy and Innovation Park in Belém. The challenge is to turn the Amazon’s visibility into contracts, markets and income for small and medium-sized businesses. We hope to consolidate this legacy and strengthen Amazonian leadership, because the forest needs to represent a viable economy for the people who depend on it and keep it standing.
|
|
|
|
The babassu palm guardian |
In São Bento, a municipality in the state of Tocantins, babassu palm groves are a source of income for local communities. With support from Fundo Vale as part of Vale’s 2030 Forest Goal, Caaporã Agrossilvipastoril combines the preservation of native palm trees with the planting of other forest species and cattle ranching. The aim is to provide shade and shelter for the animals and consequently increase livestock productivity and generate carbon credits. In this video, Zé Neto explains why he has always stood up for the babassu palms.
|
|
|
|
Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives for the Ecological Transition
|
Developed by Sense-Lab with support from Fundo Vale, this study maps how multi-stakeholder initiatives are organized and operate in practice, revealing patterns, strategies and roles that bring together agendas related to climate, biodiversity, the bioeconomy and regional development. The publication highlights geographical diversity by analyzing different biomes and scales, identifying areas of concentration and gaps. It maps networks, coalitions and alliances, shedding light on the dynamics of social and environmental collaboration. It also provides inputs to help organizations, funders and policymakers define strategies, allocate resources and develop new initiatives that are better coordinated and more effective in advancing the ecological transition.
|
|
|
|
|
Fundo Vale’s priority is to ensure the protection and privacy of our data, so we have reinforced our commitments regarding the collection, storage, treatment and sharing of our personal data, in accordance with Brazil’s General Data Protection Law. |
|
|
|
|
|
Sent by Fundo Vale
If you wish to unsubscribe, please, unsubscribe. |
|
|
|
|
