BNDES approves R$250 million for Tree+ restoration in northern Rio state

BNDES announced on October 23 that it had approved R$250 million from the Fundo Clima for a Tree Agroflorestal S.A. (Tree+) project in northern Rio de Janeiro state. The project targets recovery of 22,200 hectares of degraded land, including more than 6,600 hectares of Atlantic Forest. These figures describe an approved plan, not completed restoration.

Tree+ plans to combine restoration and sustainable agriculture through integrated crop-livestock-forest systems, known in Brazil as ILPF. The model aims to keep agricultural activity and forest cover in a managed landscape. The release says methods will vary with the degree of land degradation and identifies native Atlantic Forest species for restoration. It gives no species list, plot-level planting calendar or seedling-survival target.

The work plan also includes soil and water conservation, including subsoiling and containment boxes, alongside native vegetation restoration. BNDES links the actions to water regulation and resilience in an area it says faces water scarcity. The release does not quantify additional water availability, reduced flood risk or measured adaptation benefits; those are objectives and rationale, not reported outcomes.

The project is estimated to generate more than 800 direct and indirect jobs during implementation. BNDES associates work with seed collection, seedling production, forest establishment and maintenance, environmental monitoring and specialized services. It also mentions women’s productive inclusion through training and local entrepreneurship partnerships. The jobs figure is a projection during implementation, not a permanent workforce count or jobs already created.

BNDES says Tree+ already has more than 4,000 hectares established, about half devoted exclusively to native forest recovery, under earlier work. The new approval is a separate project and should not be conflated with that existing area. The release also cites a wider company plan for a roughly 50,000-hectare forest mosaic in the Southeast and total planned investment above R$800 million through 2031; these are not the scope or cost of this single financing.

The project falls within the Fundo Clima’s support for climate mitigation and adaptation, forest recovery, biodiversity and water security. The stated scale measures are R$250 million approved, 22,200 hectares of total land recovery, over 6,600 hectares of Atlantic Forest and an estimate of more than 800 direct and indirect jobs. The source reports no carbon removals, survival rates or completed hectares; those results require later measurement against the plan.

BNDES places the work in northern Fluminense, where water scarcity is part of the stated rationale, and says the conservation measures are also intended to support permanent preservation areas and legal reserves. This does not imply that all 22,200 hectares are Atlantic Forest: the release distinguishes the total degraded area from the more than 6,600-hectare forest-restoration component. The distinction is central to interpreting the acreage.