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  

    The journey began! Greenpaw partnered with RAIN and began laying the foundations to build something truly impactful: funding the brand new Cerrado project of the Quilombola people. 


    This project will happen slowly, unlike the Mangroves, as it's a brand-new project in the area that has never been done before.

  • Jan to March 2025

    January 

    The project began by focusing on the key priorities of the Quilombola people: food security and ecosystem restoration. This laid the groundwork for future projects with a stronger emphasis on carbon sequestration.


    February 

    The planting season began! The locals collected a diverse mix of tree and plant seeds to grow black pepper, Brazil nut, avocado, cupuaçu, clove, loquat and pequi. The first 700 seeds and seedlings proudly took their home in the ground. 


    March 

    After an encouraging start to the planting season, the rains stopped suddenly. Irrigation was needed to save many of the young plants, and thanks to support from people travelling in from nearby the avocado, cupuaçu and loquat were saved.


    Together with the Damião people, the Quilombola people continued to maintain the land with the little water available. 


  • April to June 2025

    April

    The rains began again which eased the pressure. To support nature in chaotic times and take best advantage of the resources available, the family began constructing a drip irrigation system. This got the attention of other farmers in the area. There are many hectares of degraded farmland to restore in Kalunga - this was just the beginning.


    May 

    The first 700 trees were doing well thanks to there being more water to work with. Between May and October, Damião and his family will continued to tend their plot in its early stages with more saplings planned to go into the ground in September or October. It is difficult to predict, and the understanding to work in this environment is precious.


    June 

    On 2nd June RAIN signed a second contract to work in the Kalunga territory focusing on reforestation to recreate the native ecosystem. With funding from Greenpaw, a team are working to plant a further 7,300 trees with communal mobilisation. 

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?

 We collect seeds and saplings from the organic land of the planted area. Your donations help to 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 Project's Impact


Numbers we can be proud of

12,867

Trees

4

Hectares



290

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 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