re.green has completed its biggest carbon removal project to date. Over a 15-year period, re.green will provide around 3 million tons of carbon removal credits by restoring forests using only native species and planting at least 10.7 million seedlings, covering over 16,000 hectares in Brazil’s Maranhão and Bahia states.
re.green’s project presents cutting-edge science and business solutions for large-scale ecological restoration with significant benefits for biodiversity and local workforce development. Additionally, re.green utilizes satellite imagery, drones, and cloud-based machine learning models to optimize land selection and validate carbon capture. This announcement also showcases Brazil’s leadership in hosting high-quality nature-based solutions on a global scale.
Thiago Picolo, re.green’s CEO, emphasizes: “Our company has prepared to meet the high standard demands of the market. We view Microsoft’s carbon removal program as a global standard and a leader in scientific progress, validating our path. This partnership demonstrates that this market not only exists but also has substantial growth potential in Brazil. We are committed to establishing additional partnerships of this caliber.“
“We appreciate the science-led innovation and business execution that re.green brings to this agreement. High-quality, nature-based solutions are crucial for addressing climate change, and we are eager to pursue this agreement in Brazil with re.green,,” stated Brian Marrs, Senior Director for Energy & Carbon Removal at Microsoft.. “Projects like those undertaken by re.green are a crucial part of our carbon removal portfolio.”
The Project
The decision to focus on the Atlantic Forest, the most deforested biome in Brazil, emphasizes the importance of making evidence-based decisions guided by spatial prioritization algorithms and ecological potential.The exceptional biodiversity impacts in Southern Bahia attracted Microsoft’s attention to the Atlantic Forest,” notes Bernardo Strassburg, re.green’s founder and chief scientist. Over the past two years, multiple scientific research activities have commenced within project areas now encompassed by the agreement with Microsoft, advancing scientific knowledge for environmental restoration and conservation.
Acknowledging the importance of this biome, re.green has implemented innovative strategies, such as a cycle of planting and harvesting native timber, to facilitate restoration. Bernardo emphasizes: “The Atlantic Forest holds special significance for us; nowhere else on the planet does 1 ha of restored land prevent more species extinctions.“
At the same time, the Amazon Forest serves as the central pillar for scalability due to its vast potential to expand nature’s presence and deliver substantial environmental benefits to both ecosystems and local communities.
Planting more than 10.7 million young plants
The big variety of species is very important for more than just taking in carbon dioxide; it makes sure there are many different plants and animals, and helps control water and temperature.
Research done by the International Institute for Sustainability (IIS) shows that areas where re.green works in the Atlantic Forest can protect the homes of over 1,500 types of plants that can only be found in that area.
Scientific Approaches
New scientific studies by well-known experts, like Bernardo Strassburg, our founder and top scientist, help choose the places for projects, which are now part of the deal with Microsoft.
Technology: Using Data
From getting land to using models to restore the land, a range of data-focused technologies, like keeping an eye on things with satellite images and drones, will be used. These tools help choose the best land for taking in carbon, making more kinds of plants and animals, and having good climate results.
Also, drones will be used to spread seeds efficiently and plant them in certain areas.
As said in a study in the scientific journal Nature, 65% of the almost 5,000 tree types in the area are in danger.
In the Atlantic Forest where some of re.green’s projects are, it is possible to save 14 types of plants and 83 at-risk types, according to the International Institute for Sustainability (IIS)., as their studies show.
In the past, the Atlantic Forest in Brazil has lost a lot of trees, and the area has its own problems because land is expensive there.
To help bring the land back to how it was, re.green has put in place a system of cutting down trees in the area, which is one of the ten main ecosystems that need to be restored, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). One reason for this is the high risk of types of plants and animals dying out.
