No fatalitree
Time to act: Rio becomes the first city to reforest at a large scale!
Dear Morfollower,
It’s no secret that temperatures are rising. In March, the heat index in Rio de Janeiro reached 62°C! And it’s not just about the degrees, there are many other problems.
So what should we do? Stay there and do nothing?
That’s not what we think. We need to act. Now.
The signing of our new project in Rio should serve as an example for the rest of the world. We are very excited to have started this project two weeks ago, especially because Rio holds a special significance for us, as it is where our Brazilian adventure first began.
By the way, talking about Rio… before you dive into this new edition of our newsletter, we wanted you to know that our Brazilian team is moving! This September, our team will relocate to a much larger office in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro (we’re not leaving the city!). This new space will provide us with unprecedented research and development capabilities, thanks to the construction of state-of-the-art laboratories.
Stay tuned, and happy reading!
Pascal Asselin, Co-founder of MORFO
🌱 Let’s grow in Rio!
Eliana Cacique, Secretary of Environment and Climate, highlighted that "With record-breaking temperatures, every tree counts. Green areas combat heat waves, control erosion, reduce landslides, provide shade, increase humidity, decrease pollution, absorb carbon, and enhance biodiversity and scenic beauty."
This is why we have started a new project analysing 100 hectares and reforesting 60 hectares in Serra de Inhoaíba, Campo Grande. The chosen location is part of the ReflorestaRio Program, seeking to accelerate efforts started 40 years ago.
Learn everything about this project:
🎙️ How can we define high-quality forest restoration?
We weren’t just on the ground this month... part of our team was also working on improving practices and funding models for reforestation projects. With help from Restor, Terraformation, and an investor from Grosvenor, we organized a webinar on high-quality forest restoration.
What makes a project high quality? How can we boost investor confidence in these projects? How can we engage with local communities?
Find the answers to your questions in the links below!
🔍 We recommend reading…
The State of the World’s Forests 2024 was published last week! The 2024 edition of the FAO’s essential report focuses on the need for innovation.
Microsoft released the 4th edition of its high-quality criteria. This document is key to understanding the guidelines that project buyers will likely follow.
A study by Ryan Hammoud et al. says biodiversity's positive effects on mental health can last over 8 hours!
A new species of begonia, a flowering plant, was discovered in Ilha Grande, on the coast of Rio de Janeiro.
A mixed approach to reforestation is better than planting or regeneration alone, study finds.
New finding: The world's trees can absorb 25 to 50 million tonnes of methane annually.
New finding (again!): which parts of the Amazon are most vulnerable to drought?
🗓️ Let’s meet in the next months
Don't miss the chance to connect with us. Simply reply to this newsletter to schedule a meeting.
Bioeconomy Amazon Summit (Belém, Brazil) - July 31st and August 1st → For this event, we have some free tickets. If you wish to participate, send us an email at plant@morfo.rest.
Brazil ESG Summit (São Paulo, Brazil) - September 10th
Exposibram (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) - September 9th to 12th
NYC Climate Week (New York City, USA) - September 22nd to 29th
Biodiversity Cop16 (Cali, Colombia) - October 21st to November 1st
The Amazon and New Economies International Conference (Belém, Brazil) - November 7th
G20 Summit (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - November 18th and 19th
🌎 Thank you for reading this newsletter until the end! If you enjoyed it, please share it with your audience, friends, or colleagues. To check us out and follow our social media platforms, please click here! We'll be back again in August!
Warm regards,
The MORFO team