By Editor, Global AgInvesting Media

BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group (BTG Pactual TIG) and Conservation International have expanded native ecosystem restoration across more than 20,000 hectares of Brazil’s Cerrado biome. The combined effort marks a significant acceleration of the firms’ Latin American reforestation strategy.

According to data recorded by the Brazilian Restoration and Reforestation Observatory—an independent platform that tracks native vegetation recovery—this achievement places the initiative as the largest single restoration effort tracked in the region. Conservation International serves as the Impact Adviser, helping guide social and environmental outcomes.

Here are five key aspects of how this reforestation strategy is operating on the ground:

1. Reconnecting Fragmented Wildlife Habitats

The Cerrado is a seasonally dry ecosystem where more than half of the land has been cleared for agriculture and cattle ranching. The 20,000 hectares currently undergoing restoration are projected to help establish over 80,000 hectares of connected habitat.

This spatial continuity restores essential ecosystem functions and allows threatened species to move across the landscape.

“The speed at which this landscape is responding demonstrates what can be achieved when science-backed restoration is supported with resources allowing it to scale. As the trees return and the water begins to flow again, we’re seeing jaguars, wolves, tapirs and other threatened wildlife returning to the ecosystem, which shows it is a more healthy ecosystem than it was before,” said Mauricio Bianco, Senior Vice President at Conservation International in Brazil, in the press release.

“With 20,000 hectares successfully under restoration and the creation of more than 500 jobs alongside of it, this work helps show that commercially viable restoration can deliver meaningful ecological and social economic outcomes.”

2. Grounding Operations in Large-Scale Field Science

To determine the most effective ways to restore native vegetation, BTG Pactual TIG and Conservation International partnered with the Forest Restoration Laboratory at the Federal University of Viçosa. Together, they are conducting an 81-hectare field trial—one of the largest restoration experiments in the biome—comparing direct seeding, native seedling planting, and natural regeneration.

“This research is expected to make valuable contributions to Cerrado restoration and provide knowledge to support broader efforts to restore this important ecosystem. The initial data show positive results and steady progress in the treatments, with strong ground cover, seedling survival and growth, and natural regeneration occurring. We look forward to sharing insights from this work to continue scaling ecological restoration of the Cerrado biome,” said Professor Sebastião Venâncio Martins from the Department of Forest Engineering at the Federal University of Viçosa.

The findings aim to help refine restoration practices across the broader portfolio.

3. Combining Commercial Tree Farms with Native Conservation

The strategy closed with $1.24 billion in equity commitments in April 2026, establishing it as one of the largest specialized reforestation funds to date. At full deployment, the strategy aims to manage 270,000 hectares across Latin America.

The footprint is split evenly: approximately 135,000 hectares are dedicated to native forest conservation and restoration, while another 135,000 hectares consist of FSC-certified commercial tree farms on previously degraded land.

Mark Wishnie, Chief Sustainability Officer at BTG Pactual TIG, explained that reaching more than 20,000 hectares under restoration shows how institutional investment, when paired with science-based practices, can advance environmental outcomes alongside rural economic development.

“Reaching more than 20,000 hectares under restoration reflects the progress that can be achieved when long-term investment is paired with science-based restoration,” said Wishnie in the release.

“Seeing the impact on the ground firsthand, from recovering forests to returning wildlife, is already painting a clear picture of what full-scale implementation of this strategy will deliver. While there is still significant work ahead, this milestone demonstrates how institutional investment can help advance meaningful environmental outcomes alongside sustainable rural economic development.”

4. Delivering Local Economic and Ecosystem Metrics

Beyond total acreage, the strategy tracks specific environmental and economic indicators across its portfolio:

• Tree Density: Nearly 29 million trees have been planted across more than 64,000 acres in Brazil
• Biodiversity Tracking: Over 1,000 plant and animal species have been documented within project areas
• Water Protection: More than 400 miles of stream corridors are under enhanced protection protocols
• Job Creation: The project has created over 500 jobs so far and is expected to support approximately 2,700 direct and indirect full-time equivalent jobs at full deployment

5. Accessing High-Integrity Carbon Markets

The initiative incorporates carbon finance to help support long-term ecological management. Earlier this year, the strategy’s inaugural carbon project, Brazil Cerrado 1, became the first project globally to receive credits under Verra’s VM0047 Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR) methodology while meeting the Core Carbon Principles set by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market.

Over time, the strategy is expected to generate millions of carbon removal credits to complement its ongoing restoration work.

Looking Ahead

By combining institutional capital, rigorous field experimentation, and structured carbon offsets, the joint strategy offers a structured model for landscape-scale recovery in Latin America. As operations expand toward the target of 270,000 hectares, the dual focus on commercial tree farming and native habitat restoration aims to demonstrate how private investment can operate alongside measurable conservation goals in threatened biomes like the Cerrado.

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