Five Years Connecting People, Forests and Water in the Atlantic Forest

[news_posted_on] November, 05 2025

Over the past five years, restoration efforts in the Atlantic Forest have led to the recovery of more than 700 hectares, the planting of 600,000 native seedlings, and the strengthening of communities across 33 municipalities in six Brazilian states — showing that investing in forests also means investing in water, climate, biodiversity, and people.

By Maria Fernanda Maia, from WWF-Brazil

Socorro (SP), October 2025 – In the midst of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, WWF-Brazil, HP, and several local partners celebrate the progress of the first phase of the project “Atlantic Forest Restoration: Corridors of Life and Water Security", which since 2020 has been working to restore priority areas of the biome and protect the springs and watersheds that supply millions of people.

To mark this milestone, the event “Living Connections for the Restoration of the Atlantic Forest” brought together, on October 22 and 23, specialists from 11 organizations and two strategic networks, the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact and the Trinational Atlantic Forest Restoration Network, at the headquarters of the Copaíba Association in Socorro (SP). The meeting celebrated five years of partnership, and the tangible results achieved in the field — while reflecting on the next steps to expand the impact of restoration across the country.

An essential and threatened biome

The Atlantic Forest is one of the world’s 36 hotspots, priority areas with high biodiversity and a high degree of threat, home to over 20,000 plant species and 2,000 vertebrate species, many of which are endemic (found only in this biome). Despite this, less than 24% of its original cover remains, scattered across fragments that need to be reconnected to ensure the survival of wildlife, climate regulation, and water security.

The initiative promotes ecological and productive restoration in strategic landscapes across the Serra do Mar, Serra da Mantiqueira, and Alto Paraná regions, focusing on the recovery of biodiversity corridors and water sources — such as the Paraíba do Sul, Mogi Guaçu, and Iguaçu river basins, which together provide water for more than 20 million people.

The numbers

Over the years of implementation, the project has restored more than 700 hectares of native forests through the planting of 600,000 Atlantic Forest species seedlings, directly benefiting 33 municipalities across six Brazilian states (SP, RJ, MG, PR, MS, and RS).

These actions have generated 120 direct jobs and strengthened local restoration chains through contracts with 16 regional companies specializing in nurseries, seed collection, planting, and maintenance of the restored areas. The initiative has also consolidated partnerships with universities and research centers, promoting studies on payment for environmental services, carbon sequestration, and sustainable production models.

“Investing in forests means investing in water, climate, and people. Each restored hectare represents a concrete step toward ensuring the well-being of the populations living in the Atlantic Forest. Restoration goes far beyond planting trees. It’s truly amazing to see the before-and-after photos of each restored hectare, but what’s even more remarkable is witnessing the institutional strengthening of each local partner and strategic network over the past five years”, highlights Daniel Venturi, leader of WWF-Brazil’s Atlantic Forest strategy and of the partnership with WWF-US/HP.

Connecting landscapes and communities

The project’s impact extends from the Upper Paraná Forests ecoregion to the Serra do Mar and Mantiqueira ranges, two vital territories for the country’s water security and biodiversity.

In the Alto Paraná ecoregion, 192 hectares were restored with the planting of 216,000 seedlings, generating 24 direct jobs and benefiting rural communities in recharge areas of the Guarani Aquifer — the largest transboundary freshwater reservoir on the planet. The project helped protect the Paraguay and Paraná river basins and strengthened local partnerships with the Curicaca Institute and Mater Natura.

In the Serra do Mar (SP) region, the project encompassed 358 hectares restored with 187,000 native seedlings, in addition to 101 jobs created and 48 rural landowners benefiting. The actions took place in strategic municipalities such as São Luiz do Paraitinga, Cunha, São José dos Campos, and Cruzeiro — connecting forest fragments of high ecological importance, such as the Serra do Mar and Mantiqueira State Parks.

“Being an environmentalist in the Atlantic Forest is a revolutionary act. In Brazil, everything seems to revolve around the Amazon — but here we are, showing that it’s also possible to manage, protect, and restore the Atlantic Forest that still stands. There are people caring for it, and that’s transformative,” says Jéssica Marques, director of SerrAcima, a partner organization in the Paraíba Valley.

For those who live the daily reality of restoration, the impact is visible in every hectare. “You arrive at an area that was completely degraded, and four years later, you see the environment transforming. There’s still a long way to go, but seeing the forest come back, the soil alive, the animals returning... that’s priceless. For those who work in restoration, it is deeply rewarding," says Fabiano Haddad Collard, an agronomist responsible for environmental projects at the Rural Union of Cruzeiro.

In Rio de Janeiro, the project restored 45 hectares across six municipalities, including Petrópolis, Teresópolis, and Guapimirim, with the planting of 75,000 seedlings. The actions indirectly benefited more than 500,000 people, strengthening the resilience of the middle Paraíba do Sul River basins and contributing to the water supply of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region.

“What we realized in this project is that incorporating the social and environmental component into restoration is essential. The forest isn’t made only of trees — it’s made of people, of relationships, and of life that sustains itself collectively,” shares Aline Damasceno de Azevedo, Restoration Coordinator at the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve (REGUA), one of the largest forest ecosystem restoration initiatives in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Science, governance, and innovation as legacies

The strength of the project goes beyond the numbers. The collaborative work among NGOs, the private sector, governments, universities, and local communities has resulted in a strengthened governance network, capable of ensuring the continuity and legitimacy of restoration efforts.

Ecological restoration, with increased vegetation cover and recovery of habitats for endangered species;
Socioeconomic impact, with job and income generation in sustainable value chains;
Community engagement, with more than 120 events, workshops, and collective action days;
Institutional coordination, promoting dialogue and integrated public policies among different stakeholders.

These results reinforce the role of restoration as a driver of territorial development, promoting the bioeconomy and participatory landscape management.
“The restoration of the Atlantic Forest demonstrates how science, governance, and collaboration can generate tangible results for both people and nature. Collaborating with partners like HP allows us to combine efforts in strategic territories, with a focus on quality and impact. When different sectors work together — communities, businesses, governments, and organizations — restoration ceases to be just an environmental commitment and becomes a real solution for regenerating landscapes and strengthening local economies,” says Taruhim Quadros, leader of the Restoration Strategy at WWF-Brazil.

Connections that inspire the future

The event “Living Connections for the Restoration of the Atlantic Forest” symbolically and purposefully concluded this first phase. The program included panels on territorial governance, reflections on lessons learned and pathways for maintaining the legacy, as well as a collective tree planting and field activities that brought partners and communities closer together.

About WWF-Brazil

WWF-Brazil is a Brazilian NGO that has been collaborating collectively with partners from civil society, academy, governments, and companies across the country for 29 years to combat socio-environmental degradation and defend the lives of people and nature. We are connected in an interdependent global network that seeks urgent solutions to the climate emergency. Get to know: https://www.wwf.org.br

Aline Damasceno de Azevedo, Restoration Coordinator at the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve (REGUA), during an activity at the event Living Connections for the Restoration of the Atlantic Forest, in Socorro (São Paulo)