From barren ranch to living forest: Instituto Terra's 2.5 million tree proof-of-concept

Overview

In 1998, photographer Sebastião Salgado returned from documenting the Rwandan genocide to find his family's Brazilian cattle ranch stripped bare—just 0.5% of its original Atlantic Forest remained. His wife Lélia proposed something audacious: rebuild the entire ecosystem from scratch. By mid-2025, Instituto Terra had planted over 7 million trees from 293 native species, restored 2,068 springs, and transformed 1,700 acres of eroded pastureland into a forest dense enough to see from space.

After Sebastião's death in May 2025, Lélia and a team of ecologists continue expanding the environmental education programs. They've now reached over 88,000 people. Seven years after the first planting, monitoring teams counted 172 bird species, 33 mammal species including endangered ocelots, and over 250 animal species total.

The project has become a model for landscape-scale restoration, now being scaled by the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact. The UN recognizes the Pact as a World Restoration Flagship. It's mobilizing $10 billion to scale Instituto Terra's approach across 15 million hectares by 2050.

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Key Indicators

7M+

Trees planted

From 293 native Atlantic Forest species across 1,700 acres since 1999

2,068

Springs restored

Watershed recovery bringing water back to the Rio Doce Valley

88,000+

People educated

Students and community members reached through environmental education programs

172

Bird species returned

Including six threatened species, seven years after restoration began

Voices

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Timeline Five events from this story — drag them oldest to newest. Log in to play

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People Involved

Sebastião Salgado

Died May 23, 2025 in Paris at age 81

Lélia Deluiz Wanick Salgado

Leading Instituto Terra following Sebastião's death in 2025

Organizations Involved

Instituto Terra

Environmental NGO

Active, operating reforestation and education programs in Rio Doce Valley

Brazilian nonprofit turning degraded Atlantic Forest land into federally protected nature reserves through scientific reforestation.

Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact

Multi-stakeholder Coalition

Active, UN World Restoration Flagship with $10B investment mobilization toward 15M hectare goal by 2050

Coalition of governments, NGOs, researchers, and private sector partners coordinating Atlantic Forest restoration across Brazil.

Timeline

1994 January 2026

15 events Latest: January 1st, 2026 · 5 months ago Showing 8 of 15

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January 2026
2.5 Million Trees Milestone Reached
Latest Achievement

Instituto Terra surpassed 2.5 million trees planted, with 293 native species covering 1,700 acres—a forest now visible from space.
January 1st, 2026
Brazil Mobilizes $10 Billion for Atlantic Forest Restoration
Funding

Brazil Restoration & Bioeconomy Finance Coalition announced commitment to invest $10 billion in ecosystem restoration, with Trinational Atlantic Forest Pact serving as key implementation framework. BTG Pactual's Timberland Investment Group separately committed $1 billion for Latin American restoration projects.
January 2026
June 2025
Instituto Terra Surpasses 7 Million Trees Planted
Achievement

Instituto Terra reported planting 7 million trees, restoring 2,068 springs, and educating over 88,000 people in sustainable conservation. The nursery now produces 1 million seedlings annually, one of Brazil's largest.
June 2025
May 2025
Sebastião Salgado Dies
Leadership

Co-founder Sebastião Salgado died in Paris at age 81. Lélia Salgado and a team of ecologists continue leading the institute.
May 23rd, 2025
2025
Atlantic Forest Restoration Receives UN World Restoration Flagship Recognition
Recognition

United Nations recognized the Trinational Atlantic Forest Pact as one of 10 inaugural World Restoration Flagships, honoring the coalition's efforts to restore habitat for endangered species including jaguars across Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.
2025
2014
Documentary Brings Global Attention
Media

Film 'The Salt of the Earth' showcased Salgado's photography career and Instituto Terra's reforestation work to international audiences.
2014
2010
Olhos D'Água Water Program Launched
Expansion

Instituto Terra began protecting and revitalizing Rio Doce springs, expanding beyond forest restoration to watershed recovery.
2010
2009
Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact Formed
Organization

Multi-stakeholder coalition established to coordinate restoration of 15 million hectares by 2050, using projects like Instituto Terra as models.
2009
2006
First Biodiversity Survey Shows Recovery
Research

Seven years after initial planting, monitoring identified 172 bird species (six threatened), 33 mammals (five endangered), and 15 amphibian species.
2006
2002
Government Expands Nursery Capacity
Funding

Brazilian Ministry of Environment donated a 522,000-seedling nursery, dramatically increasing planting capacity.
2002
2001
Major Nursery Infrastructure Donated
Funding

Atlantic Forest Conservation Alliance donated a 128,000-seedling capacity nursery to scale up production.
2001
November 1999
First Trees Planted
Action

First planting ceremony conducted with students from Aimorés schools, beginning the restoration process.
November 1999
October 1998
First Federal Recognition for Degraded Land Restoration
Legal

Bulcão Farm became Brazil's first Private Natural Heritage Reserve granted to a completely degraded property, based on commitment to reforest.
October 1998
April 1998
Instituto Terra Founded
Organization

Sebastião and Lélia Salgado founded Instituto Terra as a nonprofit dedicated to reforestation, conservation, and environmental education in the Rio Doce Valley.
April 1998
1994
Salgado Returns to Devastated Ranch
Origin

After covering the Rwandan genocide, photographer Sebastião Salgado inherited his father's cattle ranch in Minas Gerais. He found just 0.5% forest cover remaining—decades of ranching had stripped the land bare.
1994

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Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1999-2017

China's Loess Plateau Restoration (1999-2017)

The Loess Plateau spanning 640,000 km² was considered Earth's most eroded landscape by the late 20th century. In 1999, China launched the Grain for Green Project, converting marginal croplands back to forest through coordinated government action and community partnerships. Simple soil conservation techniques and time transformed the region.

Then

Forest cover increased by 15,000 km² from 2007-2017, with visible greening from satellite imagery.

Now

Lifted millions out of poverty within a decade while restoring ecosystem function and water resilience across one of the world's most degraded regions.

Why this matters now

Proves that even severely degraded ecosystems at massive scale can recover with sustained political will, community buy-in, and patience—the same formula Instituto Terra applied at smaller scale.

1970s-present

Black Lion Tamarin Recovery in São Paulo State

The black lion tamarin, a football-sized primate, was thought extinct for 65 years until rediscovered in São Paulo's Atlantic Forest fragments. Conservationists began restoring forest corridors connecting isolated populations, combining habitat restoration with wildlife management.

Then

Population grew from near-zero to around 1,800 individuals swinging through restored corridors.

Now

Demonstrated that Atlantic Forest fauna will return if you rebuild connected habitat—exactly what Instituto Terra's monitoring showed with 172 bird species and 33 mammal species returning.

Why this matters now

Shows that biodiversity recovery follows forest restoration in the Atlantic Forest, validating Instituto Terra's approach of focusing on trees first and letting wildlife follow.

2000s-present

Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve Forest Restoration

Over two decades, this Brazilian reserve planted 750,000 trees and pioneered rewilding by reintroducing the lowland tapir to Rio de Janeiro for the first time in 100 years. The project combined active planting with fauna reintroduction.

Then

Hundreds of bird species returned; tapirs successfully reestablished breeding populations.

Now

Created a model showing that Atlantic Forest restoration can accelerate by strategically reintroducing key seed-dispersing species rather than waiting for natural return.

Why this matters now

Raises the question of whether Instituto Terra's passive approach—plant trees, wait for animals—could be enhanced by active fauna reintroduction to speed ecosystem recovery.