WWF-Brazil and Copaíba assume coordination of the Pact for the Restoration of the Atlantic Forest.

The month of April 2026 marked the beginning of a new administration in Pact for the Restoration of the Atlantic Forest, which after the election, came to be coordinated by WWF-Brazil and Copaiba Environmental Association.The new administration will have a three-year term and takes office at a time when the importance of ecological reforestation is seen as a priority in addressing the climate crisis affecting the entire planet. 

The new management of Covenant It will be coordinated by Daniel Venturi, from WWF-Brazil, who is a specialist in conservation and restoration, with experience in public policy, restoration finance, and landscape-scale initiatives, and vice-coordinator Ana Paula Balderi, from Copaiba, who is a biologist and a leading figure in ecological restoration, with nearly three decades of experience working in the field, including the production of native seedlings and the mobilization of rural producers.

For the period 2026–2029, the new coordination proposes to deepen the structuring agendas of Covenant, focusing on expanding the scale, quality, and sustainability of restoration actions. The goal is to integrate strategic vision and articulation capacity with practical experience in the territory, strengthening the connection between public policies, funding, and implementation. “We know that restoring on a large scale isn't just about increasing the area—it's about ensuring that this happens with quality and continuity in the territory. And that depends on strengthening those who are implementing and organizing this agenda locally,” reinforces Ana Paula.

Pact for the Restoration of the Atlantic Forest

Throughout its history, the Pact for the Restoration of the Atlantic Forest It has established itself as a multi-sectoral articulation space, capable of connecting different actors around a common agenda. Created 17 years ago, the Pact currently brings together 372 organizations, including civil society organizations, companies, governments, and research institutions, with the goal of expanding the scale, effectiveness, and monitoring of restoration in the biome. The movement aims to recover 15 million hectares of Atlantic Forest by 2050.

The new coordination seeks to strengthen this role, positioning the Covenant as a link between national strategies, territorial initiatives and funding flows, in a scenario where restoration is gaining centrality in climate and development agendas.

According to Daniel Venturi, "more than expanding restored areas, the challenge of the next cycle will be to ensure that restoration consolidates itself as a structuring agenda for sustainable development, capable of generating integrated environmental, social, and economic benefits."“

Copaiba

THE Copaiba Environmental Association Copaíba is a non-profit Public Interest Civil Society Organization (OSCIP) based in the municipality of Socorro (SP), which has been working since 1999 with the mission of conserving and restoring the Atlantic Forest in the basins of the Peixe and Camanducaia rivers. Present in 19 municipalities in this region, Copaíba develops integrated actions in the areas of public policy, environmental education, production of native seedlings and ecological restoration, promoting the reconnection of people with nature and contributing to the protection of natural resources, especially water and biodiversity. Learn more about Copaíba on their website.  www.copaiba.org.br

WWF-Brazil

O WWF-Brazil WWF-Brazil is a Brazilian NGO that has been working collectively with partners from civil society, academia, governments, and companies across the country for 30 years to combat socio-environmental degradation and defend the lives of people and nature. We are connected in an interdependent network that seeks urgent solutions to the climate emergency. Learn more about WWF-Brazil on their website. wwf.org.br

Photo Caption: Area in southern Bahia undergoing regeneration through forest restoration projects. Photo courtesy of Patrick Böttger.