Investment
cumulative data from 2020 to 2025
+ R$ 372 M
total investment
We have achieved
45%
of our target
Vale’s 2030 Forest Goal is the company’s voluntary commitment to protect and restore 500,000 hectares beyond its legal obligations and operational boundaries by the end of the decade. The initiative is a response to the climate emergency and is aligned with another company target: achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
It is implemented by Fundo Vale, Vale’s Natural Resources and Protected Areas Department and the company’s Climate Change team, with support from the Vale Institute of Technology (ITV) and an extensive network of partners. The initiative involves public-private partnerships, is aligned with national and international sustainability agendas and has the potential to serve as a benchmark model for the private sector in implementing voluntary actions that generate tangible benefits for nature and people on a large scale.
All activities are carried out transparently, based on data and evidence, and designed to ensure that positive impacts endure beyond 2030.
Five years of results and lessons learned
Our 2030 Forest Goal reached its fifth year with steady progress in the restoration and protection of land, as well as in the consolidation of a model built on impact businesses, strategic partnerships and innovative financing arrangements.
+ 225 K
hectares
protected or restored
This progress reflects the evolution of the strategy and the lessons learned regarding risk, scale and the time required for nature-based solutions to improve ecosystems’ health and quality, demonstrating that the results extend beyond the numbers.
The results include:
- Support for sustainable businesses based on agroforestry systems and other restoration solutions;
- Restoration and protection of soil, biodiversity and ecosystem services;
- Carbon sequestration and storage in soil;
- Job and income generation;
- Professional training and skills development;
- Strengthening of bioeconomy value chains;
- Integration of traditional and scientific knowledge;
- Knowledge generation and innovation aimed at supporting sustainability for future generations.
Watch the video and learn more about this journey
We have prepared a special video highlighting the progress of our 2030 Forest Goal and showcasing the collaboration of key partners that have helped advance the initiative. The video highlights the main results achieved over the past five years and underscores the importance of this commitment to our sustainability agenda.
100,000-hectare restoration goal | Strategy
Jobs created
data from 2021 to 2025
+ 350
Jobs created per year from 2021 to 2024
Hectares restored
cumulative data from 2020 to 2025
Total hectares restored
+ 25.360
Hectares restored per year
Hectares restored by state
Hectares restored by biome
Supporting the impact ecosystem
Beyond restoring land, we invest in the sustainability of value chains associated with productive restoration, focusing on capacity building, the establishment of pilot planting areas and benchmark production systems. We also support research, knowledge dissemination and innovation applied to social and environmental safeguards.
- Since 2023, we have partnered with the Brazilian government’s agricultural research agency, Embrapa, to identify and monitor leading agroforestry technologies aimed at mitigating hunger and climate change.
- We have been working with Imaflora and CocoaAction Brasil since 2023 to restore degraded land through sustainable cocoa production, with a focus on strengthening the value chain.
- We have partnered with InPacto and CocoaAction Brasil to develop the InPACTO Vulnerability Index for the Cocoa Sector, a sector-specific version of the index focused on Brazil’s cocoa value chain.
2030 Forest Goal’s Theory of Change
Mapping, selecting and supporting impact businesses
Define the initiative’s portfolio and strategies for supporting business development
Engagement with investors
Enable blended finance, reducing investment risk through the combination of philanthropy and impact investing
- Related to Fundo Vale’s 5Cs strategy: “invest and unlock financial capital”
Engagement with offtakers
Enable strategic agreements based on value chains (product purchase guarantees, revenue prepayments, etc.)
- Related to Fundo Vale’s 5Cs strategy: “work in coalitions”
Strengthened and sustainable impact businesses
Strengthen organizations so they can expand their capacity to deliver financial as well as social and environmental impact result
Indicators
- Improved financial performance
- Change in size of productive area of each business
- Product diversity
- Value produced per hectare (R$)
- Farmers’ satisfaction
- Business productivity
Business strategies
- Technical assistance and rural extension services
- Innovative production financing solutions
- Support for product commercialization
- Community engagement
Knowledge generation and innovation in sustainable production systems
Knowledge and innovation in products and services, including documented, published and disseminated experiences for target audiences
Indicators
- Number and type of publications
- Number of publication citations
- Development of new technologies
- New products developed and commercialized
- Outreach events
- Hours of training
Financial resources mobilized
Resources from third parties (other than Fundo Vale) mobilized directly from partner investors and offtakers, including resources raised by businesses as a result of Fundo Vale’s investment
Indicators
- Amount of financial resources mobilized
- Business valuation
Socioeconomic
Job creation
- Jobs created (permanent, temporary, partner and family positions)
- Number of months worked
Increased income for families and workers
- Families with increased income
- 2030 Forest Goal’s contribution to household income
- Average hourly wage
Financial returns for partner businesses
- Net Present Value (NPV) per hectare
Fair distribution of enterprises’ financial benefits
- Ratio between the contribution to increased household income and each enterprise’s financial returns
Ecosystem services
Carbon balance
- Difference between carbon emissions and carbon sequestration
Increased vegetation cover
- Plant species richness
- Percentage of native species present in the system
- Plant species diversity
- Vegetation cover
Protected and restored soil
- Soil Quality Index score
Land restored
100,000 hectares of land restored
- Restored area
- Geographic distribution of restored areas
Investors
Responsible for providing the financial resources needed to enable the initiative
- Vale
- Fundo Vale
Asset managers
Responsible for managing invested financial resources
- Impact investment fund managers
Strategic partners
Responsible for implementing the 2030 Forest Goal initiative
- Social and environmental impact businesses
- Offtakers
Institutional partners
Responsible for research, knowledge generation, innovation, consulting services and similar activities that support the development of the initiative
- Consulting firms
- NGOs
- Research agencies
Final beneficiaries
Groups that the 2030 Forest Goal initiative aims to impact directly
- Farmers
- Medium-sized agricultural producers
- Rural workers
Impacts
Environmental
- Increased carbon sequestration
- Increased vegetation cover
- Protected and restored soil
- Establishment of native species
- Biodiversity protection and restoration
Socioeconomic
- Job creation and increased household income in local communities
- Financial returns for partner businesses
- Positive Net Present Value (NPV) per hectare
- Fair distribution of benefits
Strengthened value chains
-
Sustainably managed timber
-
Cocoa
-
Oranges
-
Sustainable beef
-
Macaúba
-
Açaí
-
Bananas
Portfolio
We have a diverse portfolio of businesses:
Supported business portfolio:
Businesses supported through proofs of concept:
Forest fund:
Partners
To maximize our impact, we work with:
400,000-hectare protection goal | Strategy
Managed by the Vale Natural Reserve and Vale’s Nature-Based Solutions Department, the strategy to protect 400,000 hectares by 2030 involves partnerships with environmental agencies to support conservation areas in high-priority regions, selected based on social, environmental and economic criteria. This integrated approach makes it possible to:
- Protect critical habitats;
- Monitor biodiversity;
- Strengthen participatory management;
- Generate sustainable income opportunities for surrounding communities.
The strategy directly contributes to achieving the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to protect 30% of natural areas by 2030.
Protected areas
1.424
hectares
Goytacazes National Forest (administered by ICMBio)
Linhares, Espírito Santo
10.459
hectares
Serra das Torres State Natural Monument (administered by IEMA)
Atílio Vivácqua, Mimoso do Sul and Muqui, Espírito Santo
3.000
hectares
Duas Bocas Biological Reserve (administered by IEMA)
Cariacica, Viana and Santa Leopoldina, Espírito Santo
38.053
hectares
Cunhambebe State Park (administered by INEA)
Angra dos Reis, Mangaratiba, Rio Claro and Itaguaí, Rio de Janeiro
3.598
hectares
Augusto Ruschi Biological Reserve (administered by ICMBio)
Santa Teresa, Espírito Santo
50.892
hectares
Mata Escura Biological Reserve (administered by ICMBio)
Jequitinhonha and Almenara, Minas Gerais
7.757
hectares
União Biological Reserve (administered by ICMBio)
Casimiro de Abreu, Macaé and Rio das Ostras, Rio de Janeiro
115 K
hectares
Total area protected through partnerships with conservation areas
85 K
hectares
Total area protected through REDD+ projects
2030 Forest Goal’s contribution to national targets and global agreements
Impact carbon
The impact carbon credit generation strategy for Vale’s 2030 Forest Goal integrates environmental conservation and social development, promoting forest protection with direct benefits for local communities.
Through this approach, Fundo Vale established a partnership with the Algar Group for the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) project carried out at Fazenda Pacajá, a property in northern Pará. The project is dual-certified for carbon credit generation under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), an international benchmark for carbon measurement quality, and the Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standards. These certifications require projects to demonstrate social and environmental impact, including fair sharing of benefits, respect for human rights and recognition of neighboring communities. The project also holds Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management Certification, which recognizes responsible forest management practices, as well as Jaguar Certification, awarded to initiatives that implement practices aimed at conserving jaguars and their habitats.
