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Degraded Amazon Land Leased to Carbon Credit Company for Regeneration
3 Aug
Summary
- Brazilian officials cordon off degraded Amazon land for restoration
- Private carbon credit company leased the land to safeguard and restore it
- Passive restoration approach allows the forest to naturally regenerate
As of August 3rd, 2025, Brazilian officials have taken a significant step in the effort to preserve and restore the Amazon rainforest. They have cordoned off a massive, degraded parcel of land in the Altamira municipality, which is twice the size of Manhattan, and leased it to a private carbon credit company, Systemica, to safeguard and restore the area.
This initiative is seen as a potential game-changer in the fight to save the Amazon. Altamira, once known as the "champion of deforestation," is now the site of an experiment that could serve as a model for the rest of the state of Pará and beyond. The restoration project will primarily rely on a "passive restoration" approach, allowing the forest to naturally regenerate itself, with minimal human intervention.
The urgency of this project cannot be overstated. Deforestation rates in the Amazon have been dropping since President Lula's government made environmental crime a priority, but the destruction has not stopped. Last year, nearly 6,300 square kilometers were lost, bringing the biome closer to a tipping point where the forest may no longer be able to maintain its own rainy ecosystem, leading to a broad ecological collapse.
However, recent studies have provided cause for hope, showing that the Amazon forest has a robust capacity for regrowth. The Triunfo do Xingu protected area, where the pilot project is located, has lost more than a third of its original forest since its creation in 2006, making it an ideal candidate for this restoration model.
