Cerrado Land Regeneration Project

Learn more on how we're helping restore biodiversity and revitalising ecosystems in Brazil's savanna through agroforestry.

Cerrado: Project objectives

Greenpaw is proud to be working with our project partners; RAIN and the local community; Associação Quilombo Kalunga of Brazil. Greenpaw and RAIN speak directly with team of experts, born, raised and educated in Brazil to align traditional knowledge of the Kalunga people with innovative regeneration practices. During this project, the team collects a wide variety of local seeds and plants them using traditional agroforestry methods. Together, we aim to regenerate hundreds of hectares of depleted lands and forests impacted by human activities such as deforestation, logging, and agriculture, restoring them to their natural state and creating new habitats for biodiversity.

Project updates

Get the latest updates on our current projects.

  • 2024

    March 2024 marked the beginning of our journey to fund the Cerrado and Mangroves project. It was then that we solidified our partnerships and began working with RAIN, setting the foundations for something truly impactful. Over the next several months, from March to December, we worked tirelessly—and successfully secured funding to plant 5,330 trees.


    Now, as we step into 2025, the real magic begins. The planting season kicks off this January, and we can’t wait to see the first seedlings take root. More updates to come as the year unfolds—onwards and upwards!

  • January 2025

    At the start of January, Damião and his family set out on an exciting mission—purchasing tree seedlings from a nursery in Planaltina. Along with the seedlings, they stocked up on organic cow dung fertilizer and essential supplies like oil for the mini-tractor and wood chipper to prepare compost.


    That same week, they got their hands in the soil, planting the seedlings while taking full advantage of January’s steady, abundant rainfall. It was a true family effort and they described the experience as pure joy—watching their agroforest garden take shape together. Even through a few amateur mobile phone snapshots, their sense of happiness and achievement is almost tangible.

  • February 2025

    Updates coming soon.

  • March 2025

    Updates coming soon.

Project Aims


At Greenpaw, we regenerate destroyed lands using a ‘whole-system approach,’ where every element of the land benefits.
Our approach is agroforestry, a practice that combines planting food crops and native trees. This dynamic, ecologically based land management system, rooted in traditional wisdom, diversifies and sustains production while providing social, economic, and environmental benefits. It also enhances biodiversity and improves soil health.


  • Regenerate Natural Lands

    Agroforestry systems fortify ecosystem resilience, aiding the regeneration of degraded lands back to their natural state.

  • Encourage Sustainable Production

    Integrating agricultural crops with trees increases food production sustainably, creating more robust livelihoods for the community.

  • Creating Oxygen & Locking in Carbon

    Planting native trees in agroforestry systems contribute to carbon sequestration, playing a crucial role in mitigating climate change and locking in carbon.

  • Cultural Preservation

    This approach respects and preserves the cultural practices of the community, fostering a harmonious connection between tradition and innovation.

  • Create Spaces for Biodiversity

    The regeneration of land through agroforestry restores it to its natural thriving state, allowing biodiversity to return and flourish.

  • Improving Soil & Water Quality

    The agroforestry approach also enhances the soil quality, and improves the water quality in and around the area where the trees are planting and growing.

Where do your donations go?

As we collect seeds and saplings from the organic land of the planted area, every £1 donated is pooled together with thousands of other £1 contributions. Collectively, these donations cover every aspect of the process, from the initial planting of the seed or sapling in the ground to ensuring the tree's success, allowing it to thrive and mature for decades and even centuries.

Here’s how every £1 contributes to the regeneration process:

Supporting Local Communities

Donations pay wages for locals to collect and plant seeds.

Transportation Costs

Funding covers travel by boat and other transport to planting sites

Essential Equipment

Includes items like wellies and tools for planting.

Food & Refreshments

Sustains workers during seed collection and planting.

Plant Establishment

Ensures new plants thrive and succeed post-planting.

Monitoring Your Impact

Covers photography, interviews, and reporting to track progress.

Administrative Support

Greenpaw and RAIN’s operational costs, with trustees volunteering their time.

Planting Season

November to February/March, during Brazil’s rainy season, funded by donations gathered throughout the year.

This Projects Impact


Since our launch on 1st March 2024 to 31st December 2024

5330

Trees Planted

2

Hectares Regenerated

250.7

Tonnes of C02e offset

75,000

Trees planted by 2030

History, Culture, Heritage and Geography: Voices from the Cerrado

The Cerrado is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, known as Brazil's "water tank" because its aquifers supply water to much of the country. Huge areas of this precious ecosystem have been degraded by conventional farming, and those who know best how to restore this abundant landscape while storing carbon are the people of the quilombos (pronounced Ki-Lom-Boz).

The Kalunga

Kalunga is a historic site and Cultural Heritage of Brazil, occupying an area of 262,000 hectares, where approximately 1,530 families live, divided into 39 communities, united by culture and identity as the largest territory of descendants of quilombolas in Brazil. Encompassing part of a conservation area called Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros, the area is essential for the conservation of the Cerrado, one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, also known as Brazil's "water tank" because of its springs. That supply the country's main basins.

A difficult shared history and a way forward

The people of the Kalunga have faced centuries of challenges. Their communities were founded by former enslaved people, and land grabs for conventional farming were common until 2021, when the people were finally given title to their land by the UN. Large monocultures and unsustainable agricultural practices introduced have devastated large swathes of the land. Hundreds of natural springs are drying up as a result, and the future is uncertain.

Help Us,
Help Others 

Regenerate land and offset your carbon with our project partner RAIN and Associação Quilombo Kalunga.

Support now

The numbers you need to know

4101

Trees Planted

2

Hectares Regenerated

119.5


tonnes CO2e Offset

75k

Trees planted by 2030

Working with project partner: RAIN

RAIN works with community-led projects that follow traditional techniques deeply rooted in their history and landscapes. RAIN believe that people are an integral part of the natural world, and that conservation does not go far enough.

By engaging and partnering with local actors, RAIN is fostering a network and a movement where communities lead the way in restoring landscapes and preserving cultural traditions.
www.rainreforest.org

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