30,000 hectares of Amazonia to be restored

In the next six years, a major initiative will restore 30,000 hectares and approximately 73 million trees in the Brazilian Amazon River basin. The project is a result of a partnership between the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment (MMA), Global Environment Facility (GEF), World Bank, Brazilian Fund for Biodiversity (Fundo Brasileiro para a Biodiversidade - Funbio), Conservation International (CI - Brasil), Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) and the socio-environmental initiative of Rock in Rio, Amazonia Live. Spanning 300 square kilometers, equal to the size of 30,000 soccer fields and nearly 70,000 acres, the project is the largest tropical forest restoration in the world.

Of the 73 million trees to be restored, 3 million trees and 1,200 hectares were already guaranteed through a contribution by Rock in Rio and CI-Brazil, with additional donations from other festival sponsors, partners and public. The additional 70 million trees are part of the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Project in Brazil, a joint effort with MMA, GEF, World Bank, Funbio and CI-Brazil. The Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Project will recover 28,000 hectares of degraded areas through enriching the secondary forest areas, sowing selected native species, promoting natural regeneration, and, if necessary, the direct planting of native species. The priority areas chosen for restoration are southern Amazonas, Rondônia, Acre and Pará.

Amazonia Live originated in 2016 from the Rock in Rio commitment to plant 1 million trees in the Amazon River basin, in partnership with Funbio and ISA. The organizations raise awareness about preserving the Amazon for the Earth's balance.

This platform grew quickly when CI-Brasil came on board as a strategic partner, with the number of trees reaching 2 million at the head of the Xingu river, and when they were joined by the Amazon Region Protected Areas Program (ARPA), which supported 1 million native species seedlings to restore degraded areas in Amazonas.

Partner Statements

"Brazil can no longer live with its previous standard of environmental degradation. The partnership between the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Project and the Amazonia Live platform, promoted by Rock in Rio, is further evidence of the new chapter we are writing with different social stakeholders united by the restoration of the Amazon rainforest," said José Sarney Filho, Brazilian Minister of the Environment.

"The Amazon plays a critical role in regulating the global climate, as well as the environmental and economic prosperity of the region, and it is home to the greatest biodiversity on the planet," stated Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson of GEF. "We are uniting for an integrated and coordinated approach and for sustainable management of a significant portion of the Amazon biome."

"Climate change is a serious threat to global development. With the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Project, the World Bank helps Brazil to demonstrate that it's possible to preserve the forest, mitigate the impacts of climate change and, at the same time, strengthen local communities. The partnership with Amazonia Live will enable us to share these good practices with an even greater audience," said Martin Raiser, director of the World Bank for Brazil.

"For Funbio, it was a great experience to participate in the first stage of Amazonia Live, in partnership with the Instituto Socioambiental. Over 21 years we have supported some of the most important projects in the Amazon Region, including the ARPA Program, the largest initiative of rainforest protection in the world. Today ARPA is a reference and model for other countries in Latin America," said Rosa Lemos de Sá, Secretary General of Funbio.

"We are very confident that this effort will yield results. At ISA we are promoting, together with the Xingu Seed Network, the planting of 1.5 million trees in degraded areas in the Xingu and Araguaia river basins. That is our commitment and we are ready to make it happen," said Adriana Ramos, coordinator of the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA).

"The Amazon is our greatest heritage and it is vital for the well-being of humans on our planet. We're out of time; now is the time to act together to reverse the history of destruction in the region, writing a new chapter for the Brazilian Amazon," said Rodrigo Medeiros, Vice President of CI-Brazil. "The task is challenging, but by working in the spirit of partnership and coordination, as we are doing with this initiative, we will achieve success."

"For the first time we are globally adopting a single cause which will be promoted in all the countries where Rock in Rio is held, and this shall be extended by several productions of the event. Through this action, we are drawing the attention of the whole world to an urgent problem and showing, above all, that it is possible to sow the seeds of hope. We started with 1 million trees, today we are aiming for 73 million. This partnership between Amazonia Live and the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes project shows that dreams are worthwhile, that each one of us can play a part and together we can make a difference," said Roberto Medina, President of Rock in Rio.