The non-reimbursable contribution of R$ 24.9 million comes from the bank’s Technological Fund and will help establish research sites and reference hubs
The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) announced on October 9 a contribution of R$ 24.9 million to the Research, Development and Innovation Program for Native Species (PP&D-SEN), an initiative led by the Brazilian Coalition and its partners. The non-reimbursable funds come from the bank’s Technological Fund and will be disbursed over five years. Including counterpart investments, the project’s total funding will reach R$ 30.8 million.
“The BNDES support for PP&D-SEN is further evidence that the silviculture of native species can and should contribute to building a new forest economy in Brazil. It reaffirms the Coalition’s vision of investing in research, development and innovation as key pillars for the success of this activity,” says Miguel Calmon, co-leader of the Coalition’s Native Species Silviculture Task Force and member of the PP&D-SEN.
Project coordination will be shared between the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), responsible for activities in the Amazon, and the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), which will oversee those in the Atlantic Forest. These two biomes host the 30 priority native species selected by PP&D-SEN, to be studied across 20 research sites and reference hubs located in areas belonging to universities, research centers, and private companies.
The Coalition’s native species silviculture front was launched in 2016 with support from several partner institutions and funders, including the World Bank, CIFF, Good Energies, Instituto Arapyaú, Marfrig, and WRI Brasil. In 2023, PP&D-SEN received financial support from the Bezos Earth Fund, which allocated US$ 2.5 million for a three-year period. This investment enabled the implementation of the first research sites and reference hubs, located in Bahia, Pará, and Rondônia.
“The BNDES funding will allow us to expand Brazil’s research network, which today is still limited to a few groups, strengthening partnerships with companies and increasing outreach across multiple regions,” says Daniel Piotto, professor at the Federal University of Southern Bahia and member of PP&D-SEN.
Researcher Samir Rolim, also part of the program, adds that “BNDES support is extremely important to accelerate research in technology and innovation in native species silviculture within universities.”
Calmon emphasizes that the bank’s commitment to research and innovation reinforces the promotion of native species silviculture carried out by the Coalition and its partners:
“We advocate for this activity’s role in the country’s sustainable development and in addressing the two major global crises — climate change and biodiversity loss,” explains Calmon, who also serves as Senior Program Director at Conservation International (CI) Brazil. “Moreover, native species silviculture can help position Brazil as a global leader in tropical timber production and meet the growing demand from the sustainable construction market.”
The project is expected to generate long-term, structural impacts for the sector. “This initiative presents a highly promising vision for one branch of the forest bioeconomy: the sustainable production of tropical timber,” says Nabil Kadri, Superintendent of BNDES’s Environment Division. “It will also bring innovations in seeds and seedlings that will significantly contribute to ecological restoration in the country.”
For more information on native species silviculture, visit the special webpage on the topic.