Instituto de Reflorestamento Eden is now SamaÚma Ações!

SamaÚma Ações is a nonprofit organization focused on ecological restoration in Brazil, with projects in the Cerrado, Amazon, and mangrove areas. By working closely with local communities, including Quilombolas and Indigenous peoples, SamaÚma combines traditional knowledge with sustainable practices to restore over 800 hectares of land and plant over 12 million native species.

Bianca Cardozo Flores

8/20/20242 min read

Since January 2021, our team at the former Instituto de Reflorestamento Eden has been working on ecological restoration across Brazil. We’ve expanded our efforts to include diverse mangrove regions, projects in the Cerrado, and transition zones leading to the Caatinga and Amazon biomes. Today, this team of specialists in management, circular economy, ecosystems, logistics, and communication has come together under a new nonprofit entity: SamaÚma Driving Nature-Based Actions. Our mission remains rooted in a deep sense of belonging and connection to the land and its people.

SamaÚma Driving Nature-Based Actions continues this work, focusing on restoration, preservation, and sustainable forest management. We place a strong emphasis on building meaningful relationships with the communities we serve, understanding the social dynamics at play. We prioritize hiring local individuals, particularly those in socially vulnerable situations, to ensure our efforts are inclusive and impactful.

With over 800 hectares under restoration, the work initiated by the Instituto de Reflorestamento Eden has evolved into a broader mission under SamaÚma, extending across various regions of Brazil. From small, vulnerable towns to Quilombola communities and Indigenous nations, we share a common goal: to restore homes and provide long-term sustainable benefits.

Traveling from Goiás to Piauí, the SamaÚma Ações team is dedicated to reaching more communities and protecting Brazil's biodiversity. Our work involves close collaboration with local populations, understanding their unique realities, and offering quality employment opportunities. Over 200 families have already benefited from our projects, with roles such as planters, area leaders, nursery workers, and seed collectors. Approximately 100 people have been formally employed, with 52% being women.

From the coastal zones to the dense forests of the Amazon, all our technical work is grounded in innovative methodologies and techniques.

At SamaÚma, both our business and nonprofit efforts are driven by a commitment to combining academic and traditional knowledge in ecological restoration. This approach allows us to recreate natural regeneration dynamics and succession processes. To date, over 12 million native species have been planted by the local communities themselves.

These efforts have involved using 30,000 kilograms of native seeds from various biomes and the collection of 2.8 million mangrove propagules. And we just can’t wait to keep working to impact more people and restore more areas. It's all about finding good partners and embracing a holistic approach.

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