Sociobiodiversity Financing at SPCW 2026

agosto, 14 2026

WWF-Brazil composed a panel at the São Paulo Climate Week alongside Conexsus and Sitawi, where opportunities and challenges of financing the work of traditional peoples and communities were reported

By Jamille Nunes

On June 08, WWF-Brazil integrated the panel "Who finances the Sociobioeconomy? Solutions that transform territories in Brazil", as part of the São Paulo Climate Week (SPCW) program.

The chat included the presence of Mariana Napolitano (strategy director at WWF-Brazil), Karina Simão (Conexsus), and Ícaro Moreno (Sitawi - Finance for Good). The mediation was by Fabrício de Campos (WWF-Brazil) and took place at the Museum of Indigenous Cultures (MCI), in São Paulo (SP). The event connects companies, governments, investors, and civil society to move toward solutions for the climate crisis.

"Financing is a central element for the development of sociobiodiversity chains," informs Napolitano, when explaining the importance of the discussed theme. "It is also one of the greatest challenges. Today, the entire financial system was developed for large businesses, industries, urban businesses. Access to new credit mechanisms needs to reach sociobiodiversity chains, to guarantee their full development," she adds.

WWF-Brazil projects among examples on the panel

During the panel, Mariana Napolitano brought the Amazon Protected Areas Program (Arpa Comunidades) to exemplify an initiative to strengthen community organizations working in extractive and sustainable development reserves. Structured and long-term support, such as that of Arpa Comunidades, brings a security baseline for investors and allows the program to gain scale with a territorial perspective, according to Napolitano.

Karina Simão (Conexsus) and Ícaro Moreno (Sitawi) also mentioned projects implemented alongside WWF-Brazil to illustrate the importance of financing sociobiodiversity economies.

Simão highlighted Conexsus's role in structuring the financial fund for the "Together for the Amazon" project, which aims to revitalize the rubber chain in the Amazon. This type of mechanism, according to her, leverages the productive potential of a region.

On the other hand, Moreno reinforced how finance can be an ally in strengthening sociobiodiversity, as is the case of the Babaçu Livre Consortium, where WWF-Brazil and Sitawi work jointly in the babassu coconut chain.

Quatro pessoas estão sentadas, de frente ao público. No fundo, paredes coloridas com grafismos de povos indígenas do Brasil.

Panel included the presence of Mariana Napolitano (WWF-Brazil), Karina Simão (Conexsus), and Ícaro Moreno (Sitawi – Finance for Good), and mediation by Fabrício de Campos (WWF-Brazil).