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

Overview

In 1998, renowned 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 institute's environmental education programs, which have now reached over 88,000 people.

In This Story

Instituto Terra Model Scales Across Atlantic Forest Hotspots

3 Context

China's Loess Plateau Restoration (1999-2017)

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

Interactive

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People Involved

Sebastião Salgado

Co-founder, Instituto Terra (Died May 23, 2025 in Paris at age 81)

Lélia Deluiz Wanick Salgado

Co-founder and Director, Instituto Terra (Leading Instituto Terra following Sebastião's death in 2025)

Organizations Involved

Instituto Terra

Environmental NGO

Status: 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

Status: 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

2.5 Million Trees Milestone Reached
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
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
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
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
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
Olhos D'Água Water Program Launched
Expansion

Instituto Terra began protecting and revitalizing Rio Doce springs, expanding beyond forest restoration to watershed recovery.
2010
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
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
Government Expands Nursery Capacity
Funding

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

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

First planting ceremony conducted with students from Aimorés schools, beginning the restoration process.
November 1999
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
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
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

Scenarios

Instituto Terra Model Scales Across Atlantic Forest Hotspots

Discussed by: Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact, Nature Communications researchers, UNEP reports

Instituto Terra's success provides a replicable blueprint for the 270+ organizations in the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact. If funding barriers ease—the biggest constraint cited by 95% of restoration teams—Brazil could hit its 22-million-hectare restoration target by 2030. This would create up to 2.5 million jobs (restoration generates 30 jobs per $1M invested, five times more than oil and gas) and restore critical water supplies for São Paulo and other cities dependent on Atlantic Forest watersheds. The key unlock: convincing landowners that restored forests deliver economic returns through ecotourism, carbon credits, and watershed payments.

Restoration Gains Reversed by Fire, Development, and Funding Collapse

Discussed by: Mongabay reporting on Brazilian restoration challenges, Nature Communications land tenure studies

Brazil's restoration efforts face brutal headwinds. Fire destroyed 2,700 hectares of regenerating forest in Rondônia in 2021. Land tenure conflicts block scaling on the 95.5 million hectares of degraded pasture awaiting restoration. Small farmers can't afford the high upfront costs that only mining companies and large-scale funded projects can manage. Political shifts could defund environmental programs, as happened under Bolsonaro. Without permanent protections and consistent revenue streams, newly planted forests get cleared again—research shows many Atlantic Forest gains don't last beyond a decade.

Natural Regeneration Outpaces Active Planting as Primary Strategy

Discussed by: Frontiers in Forests and Global Change research, Atlantic Forest restoration economics studies

Active planting is expensive—Instituto Terra required major donations and 28 years to restore 1,700 acres. Emerging research suggests protecting degraded land and letting natural regeneration take over costs far less and often delivers comparable biodiversity outcomes. Brazil could shift focus to securing the 95.5 million hectares of degraded pasture against clearing, then stepping back. This approach works where seed sources exist nearby, but fails in severely degraded areas lacking colonizing fauna and seed dispersers—exactly the problem Instituto Terra solved through intensive intervention.

Historical Context

China's Loess Plateau Restoration (1999-2017)

1999-2017

What Happened

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.

Outcome

Short Term

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

Long Term

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 It's Relevant Today

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.

Black Lion Tamarin Recovery in São Paulo State

1970s-present

What Happened

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.

Outcome

Short Term

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

Long Term

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 It's Relevant Today

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.

Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve Forest Restoration

2000s-present

What Happened

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.

Outcome

Short Term

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

Long Term

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

Why It's Relevant Today

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.