Planting Trees with the Black Jaguar Foundation

FIDUC network is promoting a permanent campaign so that we can do some good together! With every donation, you also receive a personalised tree certificate, showing where your trees will be planted. This certificate  is emitted within 10 days.

Have a look at an example of  the tree certificate emitted for FIDUC’s investors and team:

Make your donation today and contribute to the realisation of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor!

JOIN US!

A warm welcome to the Mutsy company, one of the latest members of the BJF corporate  community! Mutsy creates beautiful strollers with our future generations in mind.

Mutsy was kindly directed to the Black Jaguar Foundation by our partner Sumthing: a platform that is working hard to create a visibly nature positive world. Together with Sumthing, we are growing the Mutsy forest!

As a brand, Mutsy strives to combine innovation, sustainability and exploration. That’s why we have partnered to create the Mutsy forest, which will become part of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.

Below, you can see some of the BJF team in shirts sponsored by Mutsy, growing seedlings that will become resilient trees:

The Mutsy history dates back to 1937 and is one of innovation and design. This DNA enables them to look towards the future and the contemporary lifestyle of the parents of today.

Find out more about Mutsy on their website and become part of the Mutsy experience: sweet strolls, smart future.

Would you like to grow your own forest and join us in realising one of the longest biodiversity corridors on Earth? Become one of the First 600 to join our mission of hope and action HERE.

In June 2022, we began seedling production at the Black Jaguar Foundation Nursery, one of the largest in the region, with the capacity to produce up to 500,000 seedlings per planting season.

Over the past 12 months, our nursery team has faced numerous challenges, gained valuable knowledge, and achieved remarkable accomplishments. We can proudly say that we are very proud of the results we have achieved so far.

Black Jaguar Foundation Nursery: From Construction to the First 500,000 Seedlings

Starting Construction of the BJF’s Large-Scale Nursery

In March 2021, the Black Jaguar Foundation partnered with Santana do Araguaia’s City Hall to build a large-scale nursery. The city granted us 3.6-hectares of land in the municipality’s Environmental Park.  After an extensive construction process, the nursery is now successfully producing resilient seedlings, storing our seeds, and even serving as a space for environmental education.

Starting Seedling Production

After a year of construction, we officially began seedling production in our nursery. To accomplish this, our Seedling Production Coordinator, Norivânia Diniz, trained and led our dedicated nursery team, determined to achieve ambitious goals and plant as many trees as possible. Thanks to their great efforts, our results for the last planting season were incredible.

Over the months, we saw the area transform into a nursery full of life. Little by little, our nursery became completely green:

Black Jaguar Foundation Nursery: A Space for Environmental Education

As well as producing and caring for our seedlings, the BJF Nursery Team also shared their knowledge of seedlings with the numerous groups that visited the BJF Nursery. Political representatives, university and technical students, children, and other government agencies were all able to see firsthand the work carried out by the Black Jaguar Foundation.

We are extremely happy to see that local institutions view us as an example of environmental restoration and care!

Achievements in the Last 12 Months

As you may have noticed, the past year has been full of hard work! Still, despite all the challenges, our nursery team successfully grew enough seedlings for the last planting season and are already producing for the next rainy season.

Thanks to their great work and dedication, we achieved:

• Over 35 germinated species
• Over 300,000 seedlings produced for the 22/23 planting season
• Over 1,200 kg of seeds collected by the Araguaia Seed Network

Incredible, isn’t it? To support the Black Jaguar Foundation’s Nursery and enable us to produce even more healthy and resilient seedlings for the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, please contact us at contact@black-jaguar.org

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The Black Jaguar Foundation was featured on the homepage of Reuters! Have you already read the extensive article?

At the start of this month, Reuters published a Special Report on the challenges of restoring the Amazon.We are very honoured that we have been selected for the investigative report, among the two leading organisations in Brazil carrying out ecological restoration.

WATCH A VIDEO SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE

READ THE ARTICLE

Besides the hard challenges voiced throughout the article, we also believe in opportunities. At Black Jaguar Foundation we focus on how we can, and are making the difference together with the local farmers.

Bringing back biodiversity, water, jobs, healthy soils, hope!, win-win partnership with farmers, to fight the climate crisis in two of the most vital ecosystems on Earth.

The video coverage of the article has already been aired in a message of hope on several news channels in Europe and the USA this week.

We are looking forward to your feedback and ever ongoing support. Thank you for being with us and continuing to support us…to make the impossible possible. Creating a positive impact for all future generations … together!

JOIN US!

At Black Jaguar Foundation we are realising one of the world’s longest biodiversity corridors, connecting the Amazon Rainforest and Cerrado Savanna.

But what is biodiversity and why is it so important? Our Articulation Coordinator, Marcelle Grumberg, explains below: 

From the plankton in our seas to the jaguars skulking through our forests, biodiversity is the varied and distinct totality of all life forms on earth. For any ecosystem to remain healthy and alive, it must maintain its biodiversity. This is because different species perform different tasks within an ecosystem, and it is the culmination of all these tasks that keep the ecosystem functioning and alive. Just like how a multinational business wouldn’t be able to run without a combination of CEO’s, managers and interns – an ecosystem can’t survive without a synergetic mix of predators and prey, herbivores and omnivores, flora and fauna.

Healthy ecosystems provide us with critical services and natural products necessary for international human survival.  For instance, our rainforests provide us with clean water, oxygen, food and medicine.

These critical services and products are necessary for our global development and contribute towards the UN’s seventeen sustainable development goals (see below). These goals were set by the United Nations general assembly in 2015 and are the seventeen key initiatives that need to be maintained if we are to transform our world and begin to develop sustainably, ensuring our survival as a species. Examples of these goals are: eradicating poverty, abolishing food insecurity, maintaining clean water and sanitation for everybody living worldwide. Find out more about the sustainable development goals and how the BJF mission will promote each of them here and below:

How does the BJF project promote biodiversity? 

We have invested a huge portion of our time and resources into ensuring that we have the best technical partners, forest engineers and team in Brazil to realize biodiversity in the corridor. Our goal is not just to reforest but also to ecologically restore the Araguaia. With each hectare of land, we aim to methodically map out the area and plant an extensive mix of seeds, bringing back the rich and varied expanse of nature that once reigned.

We need nature now more than ever, and with the decade of restoration and eyes on biodiversity, we are taking action on the frontlines in Brazil. Restoring vital ecosystems that we, and our future generations need. Our forests are our life source. They are vital for all, for our future, for our climate and for the livelihoods of our local community and beyond. Covid-19 has made it all the clearer that the large-scale destruction of nature and its biodiversity comes at a huge cost. As habitat and biodiversity loss increase globally, it is time to act now and join our mission of hope and action.

Last year saw an increase in attention for biodiversity, with the hosting of the COP15, the release of the 7th report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) IPCC, and increased support for the UN Decade of Restoration, among others. We are a proud official actor for the Decade of Restoration, and that we thrilled to see what this decade will bring for biodiversity and restoration.

Nature has already shown its power in the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. What was barren land five years ago is now a forest bursting with life. The right mix of native trees encourages other plants to grow, birds to scatter seeds and small animals to find a home, leading other plants to grow and even more animals to thrive. Planting trees is the first step to encourage nature to take over and biodiversity to flourish again.

The above image shows Field Coordinator, Carlos Eduardo Oliveira, next to a tree after one year, and the growth of the same restoration site after two years.

At Black Jaguar Foundation we have just one, but ambitious goal: restoring biodiversity together!

The New Brazilian Forest Code – Law nº 12.651/2012 – was implemented 11 years ago today. This law is responsible for ensuring the preservation of part of the native vegetation present in rural properties in Brazil.  

Since the Black Jaguar Foundation was established on the basis of this law, we decided to take this opportunity to give you brief overview of how it enables the preservation of native vegetation in the Araguaia region.   

Let’s have a closer look at the Brazilian Forest Code together:

Legal Reserves: Percentages of native vegetation that should be maintained, restored, or compensated, in rural properties in Brazil:

Within the legal Amazon (Amazon regions in the states of Mato Gross, Pará, Acre, Tocantins, Amazonas, Roraima, Amapá, and part of Maranhão), the following percentages of the rural properties must be preserved:

• 80% of the property when its vegetation belongs to a forest region.  
• 35% of the property when its vegetation belongs to a savanna region (like the Cerrado Savanna, for example) 
• 20% of the property when the vegetation belongs to a grassland.  

Outside of the legal Amazon (falling beyond the scope of the states listed above) 

• 20% of the property regardless of the type of vegetation present (including forest, Savanna, Caatinga or grasslands) 

Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) : These are regions that have been established by Brazilian legislation in which the conservation of native vegetation is mandatory.  APPs can be found on the marginal strips of any natural water course that is perennial or intermittent, as well as in other special situations, like hilltops, “veredas” (treeless grasslands on seasonally waterlogged soil), and in the borders of “chapadas”(tablelands).   

A perennial water course is one which naturally has a water flow throughout the entire year  while an Intermittent water course is one whose water flow stops at certain seasons of the year.    

These are different from Legal Reserves in that their demarcation is linked to specific characteristic of the landscape. 

 For instance, in the surrounding areas of rivers, at least 30 meters alongside each riverbank will be a Permanent Preservation Area. The issue here is that these criteria do not necessarily require restoration, only preservation. This may pose challenges and questions concerning how to realise ecological restoration in these regions. 

Keep in mind: Rural landowners are able to include Permanent Preservation Areas in the percentage of the Legal Reserve preserved for native vegetation to comply with the forest code, but only in specific situations. One of the conditions for this is that no deforestation will have ocured in the property after the 22nd of July of 2008.   

How does The Black Jaguar Foundation assist rural landowners in complying with the Brazilian Forest code?

It is important to follow the law, and ask for help from specialised professionals when needed.  

The Black Jaguar Foundation offers free support to landowners to assist them in the ecological restoration needed to comply with the Brazilian Forest Code. We asked our field team to explain how this works! Watch their video below and find out more: 

How are we carrying out our project?   

The Black Jaguar Foundation’s technical team is present in all stages that involve 

the environmental suitability of your property. Find out how we carry out the processes of ecological restoration below:  

Would you like to find out more about how we are working together with rural landowners in the Araguaia Region? Get in touch with us at partners@black-jaguar.org and find out how you can contribute to aligning food production and environmental preservation!

Already with the 23/24 planting season in mind, our team is continuing to grow many seedlings in the BJF nursery. 

We are starting early this year to ensure that we are able to plant as many trees as possible in the next planting season. At the end of 2022, when we were at the peak of the 2022/2023 planting season, we started searching for native seeds of species that we did not already include in our ecological restoration activities. So far, we already have over 1500 kilograms of purchased seeds!  

Thanks to the Araguaia Seed Network and some o four partner organisations and collectives, we are always on the lookout for native species to use in our project!  

CONTRIBUTE TO THE BJF NURSERY!

The BJF nursery at full speed  

With the seeds in our hands, we are able to start producing seedlings. To ensure the growth of these seeds, our nursery team first sowed recalcitrant seeds, including: ingá-peludo, cafezinho, sombreiro, pau-preto and cupuaçu.  

 Afterwards, the team started sowing orthodox seeds – which can be stored for longer periods of time.  

Learning with new species of seeds 

At the start of this year, our team went out in search of some more species to add to our nursery’s seedling production. We found 7 different species that grow in flooded regions of the Araguaia Region. These can be used in our ecological restoration activities and will increase the biodiversity of our restoration sites!  

Finding these new species has been a great learning opportunity for our team. Over the past months, our seedling production analyst, Norivânia Diniz, has dedicated herself to getting to know how these species behave. Norivânia is determined to improve our restoration activities and continue to produce high quality seedlings for the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor!  

The wonderful results seen in the BJF Nursery were made possible by the combined efforts of the Araguaia Seed Network, providing us with a large number of seeds, and our nursery team, who work hard to grow resilient seedlings for our restoration sites.  

Would you like to join our story of hope and action? Become part of the First 600 HERE and contribute to the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor!

Amsterdam’s oldest symphony orchestra will be promoting the Black Jaguar Foundation at their Spring concerts on the 9th and 13th of June! The UvA-orkest J. Pzn. Sweelinck, is full of talented young musicians currently studying at the University of Amsterdam. This year, the Orchestra would like to use its musical voice to raise awareness of  the importance of ecological restoration in maintaining our ecosystems. Together, we have created beautiful leaflets to promote BJF that will be distributed at the concert. You will be able to scan the QR code on the leaflet, and directly donate to BJF. At the end of the year, they will also dedicate a benefit concert to the Black Jaguar Foundation!

Have a look at the upcoming concerts and buy your ticket on the UvA-orkest J. Pzn. Sweelinck website: https://digitalekaartverkoop.nl/evenement/fantasia-bij-sweelinck-een-fantasierijk-lustrum/

JOIN US AT THE CONCERTS!

9th of June

On the 9^th of June, you can join us at 20:15 in De Duif. We are excited to listen to the wonderful program, consisting of the following pieces:

• Igor Stravinsky – De vuurvogel (1919 Suite)
• Paul Dukas – L’Apprenti sorcier
• Maurice Ravel – Alborada del gracioso
• Béla Bartók – Concert voor orkest

13th of June

On the 13^th of June, you will find us at Het Concertgebouw. The concert starts at 20:15, and the program will be as follows:

• Igor Stravinsky – De vuurvogel (1919 Suite)
• Paul Dukas – L’Apprenti sorcier
• Maurice Ravel – Alborada del gracioso
• Béla Bartók – Concert voor orkest

About The UvA-orkest J. Pzn. Sweelinck Orchestra

The oldest symphony orchestra of Amsterdam is filled with 85 inspired and enthusiastic young musicians, all students. Through the years, Sweelinck has performed multiple great works, has accompanied the greatest soloists and most importantly, brought up the musical spirit among many people, young and old. The orchestra aims to bring music to everyone, not only the common music enthusiast, but especially those who have never been to a classical music concert before.

Watch their crowd funding video below:

JOIN THE CROWDFUNDING!

How does the orchestra support BJF?

Every two years, the Sweelinck orchestra leaves the Netherlands for a new country, to bring music to all people there and to enhance the team spirit within the orchestra. Such tours are very important to the development of the students and to set our musical programme in a new light.

Nevertheless, the tours also involve some travel by plane. This year, Sweelinck Orchestra will travel by train as much as possible, and compensate for their travel by planting some trees with the Black Jaguar Foundation!

Find out more about the Sweelick Orchestra and get tickets to the concerts HERE.

We hope to see you at the concerts!

We are very excited to introduce you to Franck Fielemon: the founder of Revenuecoach.com! 

Franck has been helping us by carrying out fundraising campaigns and providing his vast social media and sales expertise to engage a wider audience to participate in the Black Jaguar Foundation’s mission of hope and action. 

Fundrasing campaign: calling for a better future

In December 2022, Franck Fielemon organised a fundraising campaign, where he spent his entire day calling clients to raise money for the Black Jaguar Foundation and the Boes Bos Foundation. He put together a dedicated team of colleagues including Hans Boxman, Koos Scholtens, Charlotte Krielaart, Anneke Siemons, Jonathan Fokker, Mark Vos and Carlijn ten Bos.  

At the end of the day, they managed to raise 7.600 euros! Impressive right? This amount increased to 8.350 the next day. 

We are grateful to Franck and his team for their contributions to the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor and very impressed by all that they managed to achieve within just one day!  

Helping us grow the BJF community

Franck has continued to support the Black Jaguar Foundation over the past months by providing us with a free LinkedIN for business course. Through this, we are building more long-term relationships and spreading the Black Jaguar Foundation’s mission as much as we can.  

The course is being taken by our communications team, who are currently on its second module. Right now, their focus in on optimising different team members’ profiles and growing the BJF network. We are all very happy to have this opportunity to grow!  

Once again, a BIG thank you to Franck for all his efforts. We are excited to see where this partnership goes moving forward.  

Find out more about Revenuecoach.com HERE. 

As you can see from the example above, there are many different ways of contributing to the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor! You can of course always join our community of First 600 sponsors HERE but you can also reach out to us at info@black-jaguar.org with any ideas you may have to raise support for our mission. 

How are you celebrating Mother’s Day this year? At the Black Jaguar Foundation, we know that our mothers would like nothing more than to see their kids healthy, happy and safe. Still, it does not hurt to show them some appreciation from time to time!

For Mother’s Day, we created a list of three thoughtful ways of honouring our mothers while ensuring a healthier planet for future generations:

1. Donating Trees

Give your mom the gift of life! Doesn’t that seem fitting? This gift will make for a funny anecdote and keep giving for generations to come. When you donate trees, you receive a personalised tree certificate, showing where your trees will be planted.

Your donation will contribute to a cycle of 17 steps of ecological restoration and ensure that your mother’s tree becomes resilient and grows strong in the years to come. As the trees grow, they also contribute to:

• Increased biodiversity
• Revitalised ecosystem services
• Improving the livelihoods of local communities
• Helping to mitigate climate change

A gesture your mom will certainly appreciate! Donate a Tree HERE. 

DONATE A TREE FOR MOTHER’S DAY!

2. With a special gift by TreeLove

Celebrate the future with a present – carefully designed by TreeLove. Have a look at their beautiful array of gifts, all of which plant native trees along the Amazon’s Araguaia Biodiversity corridor. From their gorgeous necklaces to their selection of handmade sculptures by carefully chosen artists from around the world, each gift represents your personal contribution and commitment to the planet.

HAVE A LOOK AT TREELOVE’S PRESENTS

3. By sharing the beautiful gesture you made for your mom on social media! 

Nothing speaks louder than honouring the moments you have shared together. So, how about sharing the beautiful gesture you made for your mom? This ways you can celebrate Mother’s while promoting biodiversity in the Amazon Rainforest and Cerrado Savanna!

We prepared instagrammable certificates for you to download and share! Find them by clicking on the links below:

• 1 TREE 
• 2 TREES 
• 3 TREES
• 4 TREES
• 5 TREES
• 10 TREES
• MORE TREES? Send us an email at info@black-jaguar.org !

We wish you a wonderful Mother’s Day, and hope this list helps you come up with a wonderful way of celebrating your mom!