ANNUAL REPORT 2022 BLACK JAGUAR FOUNDATION

“It always seems impossible until it is done.”
Nelson Mandela

“It always seems impossible until it is done.”
Nelson Mandela
It is too late to be a pessimist.
The Black Jaguar Foundation is driven by a deep commitment to the environment, fueled by our team’s determination, passion, and innovation.
Our objective is ambitious: to plant over 1.7 billion native trees to realise the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. This will revitalise the ecosystem and contribute to the preservation of our planet for future generations.
Over the years we have developed the BJF cycle of 17 steps of restoration, starting with the local community, followed by the science, the planting and the years of maintenance and care.
The impact for each of us will be extraordinary and so is the scope of this project. We cannot achieve it alone.
Realising the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor is only possible with the support of like-minded individuals, global partners and local farmers.
That’s why we’re grateful for all your continuous support!
Watch our initiator’s thank you message showing how your support is contributing to our mission of hope and action!
2022 was a year full of landmark moments for the Earth! The right to a healthy environment was officially established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the very first UN Biodiversity Conference took place (COP 15), and we continued to see ever-growing support for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
In 2022, we focused on expanding our efforts of ecological restoration and operated in 14 partner farms! To support this increase in planting, we have built a large-scale nursery that is operating at high capacity and already producing over 500,000 seedlings per cycle. Scaling up our operations was made possible with the growth of our incredibly motivated team – which now consists of over 150 individuals directly hired by the Black Jaguar Foundation, or benefiting from our project as members of the Araguaia Seed Network.
Many of the seeds germinated in the BJF nursery come from the Araguaia Seed Network, which is another of the BJF’s great developments in 2022. Over 600 kilograms of native seeds were purchased from 35 active seed collectors in just 3 months last year!
Our achievements in 2022 for our planet would not have been possible without our loyal community of sponsor partners. In March 2022, we signed an exciting partnership with CAIXA Federal bank, the third largest bank in Latin America, to support the planting of 1 million trees! Further, we will continue to receive support from Royal De Heus and their Brazilian branch, De Heus Brazil. Our partnerships with EFG Wealth Solutions via Aegis Charitable Trust, Movida, TreeLove, and One Tree Planted, have also been instrumental in helping us to realise our mission of hope and action in 2022 and beyond.
A big thank you to our ever-dedicated and growing team for working their restoration magic and making all of this possible. It takes a lot of drive and commitment to work towards realising the longest biodiversity corridor in the world, in the heart of Brazil - and in the hot Brazilian sun! Our field team in Santana do Araguaia are true ecological restoration champions, inspiring us to do better for the Earth every day. In São Paulo and Amsterdam, our teams do all in their power to enable this ecological restoration to happen!
Together, we can restore the balance between nature and humankind. How about starting today? Let’s dive in!
Ben Valks Initiator & Board member BJF BrasilTOGETHER WE ARE RESTORING THE BALANCE BETWEEN NATURE AND HUMANKIND...
REALISING THE LONGEST BIODIVERSITY CORRIDOR AND ONE OF THE LARGEST REFORESTATION PROJECTS ON EARTH!
2600km long
40km wide 1 million hectares to restore 1.7 billion native trees to plant
THE ARAGUAIA BIODIVERSITY CORRIDOR HAS THE SIZE TO TRULY MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
1 million hectares to restore 1.7 billion native trees to plant + 20.000 jobs in restoration in avoided costs for the planet.
BIODIVERSITY | WATER | CREATING JOBS
70 + native species currently being grown
Nursery producing + 500,000 seedlings
Realising the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor requires a lot more than planting trees. The following are some of the steps in our restoration process:
OF QUALITY ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION TO BRING BACK EVERLASTING HEALTHY FORESTS
The 17 quality steps to bring back Healthy forests
The 17 quality steps to bring back Healthy forests
Each 1 Step = 1 unique Impact Project to support
Each 1 Step = 1 unique Impact Project you can support
The 17 quality steps to bring back Healthy forests
Each 1 Step = 1 unique Impact Project
Working together with local communities, schools, technical partners and other non-profits.
Working together with local communities, schools, technical partners and other non-profits.
Working together with local communities, schools, technical partners and other non-profits.
together with local communities, schools, technical partners and other non-profits.
Working together with local communities, schools, technical partners and other non-profits.
with restoration and compliance with the Forest Code.
Helping farmers with restoration and compliance with the Forest Code.
The 17 quality steps to bring back Healthy forests
The 17 quality steps to bring back Healthy forests
Each 1 Step = 1 unique Impact Project to support
Each 1 Step = 1 unique Impact Project you can support
on the importance of ecological
Providing training to prevent and control fires and supplying fire brigade tools.
training to prevent and control fires and supplying fire brigade tools
Providing training to prevent and control fires and supplying fire brigade tools
control fires and supplying fire brigade tools
Lecturing on the importance of ecological restoration.
Lecturing on the importance of ecological restoration.
Lecturing on the importance of ecological restoration.
on the importance of ecological restoration.
on the importance of ecological restoration.
AND VALIDATION Assessment of the land, to map the areas that need to be restored.
Assessment of the land, to map the areas
EVIDENCE BASED RESTORATION
Assessment of the land, to map the areas that need to be restored.
Assessment of the land, to map the areas that need to be restored.
Assessment of the land, to map the areas that need to be restored.
of the land, to map the areas that need to be restored.
Evaluating the right combination of native trees to select the methods of restoration.
the right combination of native trees to select the methods of restoration.
the right combination of native trees to select the methods of restoration.
the right combination of native trees to select the methods of restoration.
the right combination of native trees to select the methods of
Making sure we follow the highest possible standards of restoration.
Making sure we follow the highest possible standards of restoration.
Making sure we follow the highest possible standards of restoration.
Making sure we follow the highest possible standards of restoration.
Making sure we follow the highest possible standards of restoration.
Experience, research and knowledge, in close collaboration with leading institutions and partners.
Experience, research and knowledge, in collaboration with leading institutions partners.
research and knowledge, collaboration leading institutions partners.
research and knowledge, in collaboration leading institutions partners.
Experience, research and knowledge, in close collaboration with leading institutions partners.
The 17 quality steps to bring back Healthy forests
The 17 quality steps to bring back Healthy forests
Each 1 Step = 1 unique Impact Project to support
Each 1 Step = 1 unique Impact Project you can support
love and care: on average 1,667 trees per hectare, planted by hand by our local team.
Restoration, with love and care: on average 1,667 trees per hectare, planted by hand by our local team.
The first 3 years we must grow our seedlings in the right mix and remove invasive species.
make sure a self-sustaining
We
sure that natural barriers and fire lookouts are created
We make sure that natural barriers and fire lookouts are created.
The Araguaia Seed Network started as a means of providing our project with quality native seeds and is already making a real difference for communities living in the Araguaia region! Last year, our field team started training sessions for communities living in settlements in the Araguaia region and completed the first cycle of training modules.
We are growing! In 2022, our team consisted of 122 motivated individuals employed by the BJF full time and 35 benefiting from our project via the Araguaia Seed Network who collect and sell seeds to BJF. Together, we are producing seedlings, constructing firebreaks, carrying our maintenance, planting seedlings, and so much more.
The new BJF Nursery became fully operational and started producing seedlings at high capacity! With over 500,000 seedlings produced per cycle, this is a huge milestone. The nursery also includes space for workshops, and is already becoming a central hub for ecological restoration in the region.
We are very proud of all that we were able to achieve in the 2022-2023 Planting Season. With your support, we are growing, developing the BJF Nursery, improving our restoration techniques, and most importantly, bringing back life! Scan the QR code below to see all that we achieved together.
Our organisation was honoured to win a Nikon camera kit and storytelling training from Waterbear to make a short film, directed by our Communications Coordinator, Ana Paula Ferreira Mendes, that gives you a glimpse of the inspiring people working at the frontline of The Black Jaguar Foundation.
“A Lens on the Ground” zooms into the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor and showcases the stories of our team – making it clear that ecological restoration starts with the communities on the ground! Through a visual story, we showed the faces behind our restoration processes, emphasizing the motivation of the BJF team to create positive change in their communities and the incredible progress made so far.
The documentary highlights the benefits that come with ecological restoration, focusing on local communities and Santana do Araguaia’s economy. As our Field Coordinator, Carlos Eduardo Oliveira, explains in the documentary, prior to the BJF starting its operations in Santana do Araguaia, the city did not have such a vast job market in ecological restoration.
Now, environmental engineers, forest engineers, and field professionals living in the region are able to work there whereas before they may have considered relocating to a different city to find employment.
To improve our outreach locally, we have opened an office in Santana do Araguaia, where we welcome local landowners, as well as others in the local community, who want to learn about the project.
Having a local office allows for an increase in our approachability and our credibility among communities in the region.
As the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor grows, so does our field team who is on the ground every day making it a reality!
Throughout 2022, new coordinators, analysts, field supervisors and field assistants have joined the Black Jaguar Foundation. We are now a team of over 122 people directly hired and 35 benefiting from our project as members of the Araguaia Seed Network.
The Black Jaguar Foundation organised a fire prevention and control course for the second year in a row in Santana do Araguaia! The course focused on combating fires in farms and urban areas.
Fire prevention is a crucial part of contributing to increasingly healthy forests. This is especially true during the dry season, where the environment is at an increased risk of catching fire.
Currently, we have 35 participants who are actively collecting seeds and over 100 other people who recently received our four modules of seed collection training.
To improve our outreach locally, we have opened an office in Santana do Araguaia. Here we are hoping to receive local landowners, as well as others in the local community, who want to learn about the project.
In just three months of 2022, we have purchased over 600 kilograms of seeds of over 20 different native species. Watch some of the seed collectors talk about how BJF is shaping their lives.
Having a local office allows for an increase in our approachability and our credibility among the local landowner community.
The 1st edition of the explorer.land project stage took place during the NOAH Conference in Zurich, September 2022, with 1500 attendees, 350 speakers and 24 partners.
All in all, it provided the Black Jaguar Foundation with a wonderful platform to showcase the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor!
Watch BJF Initiator
Ben Valks present our mission of hope and action!
WE HAVE BEEN BTG ACCELERATED
We participated in the BTG Give Back Day to celebrate our graduation from BTG Soma, a project aiming to improve Non-profit Organizations’ abilities to fulfil their goals.
Our fundraiser in Brazil, Carol Sacramento, was granted a BTG certificate, together with a donation on behalf of the BJF! A big thank you to Roberto Sallouti, CEO of BTG Pactual and part of their Social Responsibility team!
We were honoured to provide the closing presentation for the 29th edition of the Esri Netherlands GIS conference.
The event provided a wonderful opportunity to promote our mission of hope and action and learn from other organisations!
In collaboration with Tulpen van Sam, based in the Netherlands, we were able to surprise some of our loyal sponsor partners in time for the Easter Holiday!
Watch
Tulpen van Sam produces climate neutral tulips and we are happy to support them in this mission. With each visit we personally delivered beautiful bouquets of tulips, an Easter card, and a letter with some exciting updates!
Building on the growing public interest and the progress we are making with our project, we are keen to raise our public profile and recognition. As more people are learning about our mission, it is also catching the interest of numerous news outlets. Over the past few months, our story has been shared on several different global news platforms:
Our piece in the World Economic Forum highlights how the Brazilian Forest Code makes realising the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor a viable and tangible project.
As Jenny Gonzales explains in the article: “Despite countless challenges, BJF is moving steadily forward, achieving more day by day.
Our mission was also featured in Estadão, one of the most read and relevant newspapers in Brazil.
We are incredibly grateful to Eduardo Geraque for taking an interest in our mission and giving the world a closer look at how we are ecologically restoring the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.
The BJF was also featured in Valor Econômico, a very relevant newspaper in Brazil, which highlighted the importance of realising the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. As Timóteo Camargo explains in the piece, the area of the corridor alone “represents 8% of the commitment Brazil has made with regards to reforestation ( . . . ) in the Paris agreement”.
Over 2022, our team has worked hard to make the Araguaia Seed Network a reality! There were months of planning, preparation and production of materials so that our Seed Production Analyst, Laís D’Isep, could visit communities, engage the local population, carry out training and, finally, start buying the collected native seeds. We are very proud of our achievements so far:
These excellent results surprised us and have already contributed to the 22/23 planting season: the seeds collected by the Araguaia Seed Network were fundamental in the production of seedlings in our nursery and in carrying out direct seeding.
In 2023, we want to grow even more! We are planning several actions and meetings to make the Araguaia Seed Network the main supplier of native seeds to the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.
Our new nursery, located in Santana do Araguaia, has the capacity to produce half a million seedlings every year and is already the central provider of seedlings for the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. To help manage it, we welcomed new additions to the BJF team!
We are very proud of our team for the incredible work, producing high quality seedlings for the 22/23 planting season.
We have successfully germinated a new species of seedling in our nursery: the jequitibá vermelho (Cariniana rubra).
Known for being a very challenging species to cultivate, the jequitibá vermelho can be found in flooded areas in the Cerrado Savanna and Amazon Rainforest.
The tree can grow to be very large, and is known for its beautiful red colored flowers.
Our nursery team successfully produced more than the expected 500,000 seedlings for the 22/23 planting season.
We are very happy with what the BJF Nursery has become. It motivates us to see that our nursery is already providing many local job opportunities, and successfully producing healthy seedlings. This is a huge milestone that has only been possible with your support!
Instituto Natureza do Tocantins (NATURATINS)’s technical team visited our new native seedling nursery in Santana do Araguaia!
The organisation is responsible for the implementation of public policies aimed at preserving and conserving natural resources in Tocantins. They visited our nursery to understand the processes involved in seedling production and use this to re-operationalise the nursery in the Cantão State park.
As always, the team has been incredible this year, adapting and creating solutions to plant as many native trees as possible despite the challenges we have faced.
During the last planting season, we observed incredibly positive results when planting via direct seeding. For this reason, we have decided to use direct seeding as a restoration method for around half of our restoration areas in the 22/23 planting season.
Before starting restoration activities, the BJF field team receives practical and theoretical work safety training.
Our Work Safety Engineer, Matheus Monteiro, carries practical training sessions with all new field team members. These training sessions are vital for us to conduct restoration activities in a way that is safe and efficient for the BJF team and the Earth.
We cannot forget about the trees we planted in the past planting seasons. To take care of our planted trees, we carry out maintenance throughout the year, regardless of the season. Nevertheless, we choose to concentrate our efforts during specific periods.
We started this process a little bit earlier in 2022, to enable us to plant as much as possible during the rainy season.
In 2020, we planted many native trees, of only 30 cm in height. Now, many of these trees have grown to over four meters high!
We have also been finding regenerating species that were not planted by us, which is one of the best signs that our ecological restoration efforts are working.
These trees are only the start! See how much they have already grown.
Mapping is a vital part of determining which parts of land in a given property need to be ecologically restored.
At the Black Jaguar Foundation, our Mapping Analyst, Clarissa Sciarra, is in charge of the mapping process.
In Brazil, rural properties fall under the ‘Rural Environmental Registry’ (CAR). Under CAR, landowners are required to map and classify their land, with the purpose of integrating environmental information for the purposes of monitoring, environmental and economic planning and combating deforestation.
We help landowners map their property to determine which parts of their land they are legally required to preserve, and how we can help them restore these parts of their property.
MAPS OF PROPERTY: FAZENDA CASEARA
On the left are illustrative maps of the property Fazenda Caseara.
21 hectares of Fazenda Caseara have been validated, of which 14 hectares will be restored.
Validation is a process that is crucial in allowing for effective restoration. This process helps the field team decide which areas to restore, and how to restore these with the crucial biodiversity planning. Following the completion of the mapping process, our validation team visits each site to validate its restoration potential.
Currently, our validation team consists of 5 restoration analysts: Ingrid da Silva Almeida, Marina Costa de Sousa, Yandro Santa Ataide and Ygor Pinto Oliveira. During visits to the mapped areas to be restored, they assess four main factors:
ACCESS TO THE AREA VEGETATION COVER AND LAND USE
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REGION
Based on the above factors, validation helps define which of the mapped areas can indeed be restored, and determine which method of restoration is best.
After validation, there is a calculation of the total restorable area that the BJF can restore using one of its five restoration methods.
Thanks to the hard work and determination of our Landraising coordinator Marcelle Grumberg and her team, 2022 turned out a successful year of landowner partnerships for the Black Jaguar Foundation. With an increased focus on strengthening our local presence in the project region, our landowner community has become even stronger.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE TEAMS AT:
AGROPECUÁRIA BRANDELERO
FAZENDA H3C
FAZENDA BELA VISTA
GRUPO SF AGRO
GRUPO VALDOCIR ROVARIS
AGROPECUÁRIA HATHOR
FAZENDA SERRA MORENA
FAZENDA SANTA FÉ
FAZENDA CANTÃO
GRUPO SANTA BÁRBARA
FORT AGRO
FAZENDA SHALLON I
FAZENDA SANTA TEREZINHA
FAZENDA SHALLON II
In the summer of 2022, the BJF participated in two leading Agriculture fairs in Brazil, showing that agriculture and ecological restoration can go together! We successfully participated with our own booth at Agrotins ’22 (Palmas, Tocantins) and Expoasa ’22 (Santana do Araguaia, Pará). We received an overwhelmingly positive response to our presence from existing and potential farmer-partners and political representatives on federal, state and municipal level.
“Since the agricultural sector has grown immensely in the region, I hope nature continues being of extreme importance and we try to preserve it.”
We had the pleasure of giving a tour of some of our project regions to two members of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment’s technical team.
We introduced to them the BJF’s cycle of ecological restoration, from seedling production in the BJF nursery, to some of our ecological restoration sites at different stages, to the conclusion of planting in permanent preservation areas.
Throughout 2022, our landraising team has expanded their reach of landowners in the Araguaia region. We are currently focussed on expanding our project to Xinguara in the next planting seasons!
We were very well received by the rural producers and local authorities and are excited to grow our operations in the coming years!
Founded in 2005, AgroSB is a wellknown company in the agricultural and livestock markets in Brazil. They have the vision of becoming one of the most sustainable agribusiness companies in the world, making substantial transitions in their supply chain and operations.
AgroSB supports the BJF by providing land, on which we are able to continue planting many more trees!
Our landraising team has been working hard to mobilize rural landowners to partner with the Black Jaguar Foundation.
The result so far has been very impressive! With many new signed contracts with landowner partners, we now have a total of 21 partner landowners and over 690 hectares where we can carry out ecological restoration!
We work together with landowners to create a restoration model that works for them. Providing technical, legal, and financial support to incentivise restoration and create a win-win-win partnership. One of our partners is Cristiano Soares, CEO of AgroSB (also known as the Santa Bárbara Group).
AgroSB is a group of farms committed to zero deforestation. The group is commited to aligning their production with environmental conservation focused on the Amazon Rainforest and Cerrado Savana. The company’s partnership with the Black Jaguar Foundation allows them to promote the restoration of Permanent Preservation Areas and Legal Reserves along the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.
“Partnering with the Black Jaguar Foundation is important thanks to its vision of understanding that production can go together with biodiversity. We can produce and preserve the environment at the same time.”
Cristiano Soares, CEO AgroSBCarlos Felix and his wife Regina are the owners of the Belavista farm, in the heart of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.
We are extremely excited to have them join our journey to realise the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. At the Black Jaguar Foundation, we believe that connecting with where our food comes from is the first step in transforming food systems.
It motivates us to see that farmers in the region acknowledge the importance of ensuring our ecosystem’s health and are passionate about creating a better world for our future generations.
“Our biggest wealth today is water, our biggest treasure is rain”.
Carlos Felix, Fazenda Bela Vista
Since 2018, the BJF has been growing its core team and was able to start paying cash as remuneration for their full-time services. Both the expansion of the core team and the ability to pay remuneration has greatly improved the quality of the team as a whole. The multitude of tasks, initially taken on by a few core members who showed immense commitment are now distributed amongst a larger team of full-time professionals that are specialized and can focus on what they do best: restore nature!
Ana Paula Mendes: Communications Coordinator, São Paulo
Andrea Uschold: Fundraising, Amsterdam
Daniel Brito: Operations Assistant, Santana do Araguaia
Diogo Albuquerque: Finance Analyst, Santana do Araguaia
Eduardo Rimoli: Finance Manager, São Paulo
Elielton Ramos Eugênio: Restoration Analyst, Santana do Araguaia
Julia Silveira: Communications Coordinator, Amsterdam
Laís D’Isep dos Santos: Seeds Production Analyst, Santana do Araguaia
Matheus Monteiro dos Santos: Work Safety Engineer, Santana do Araguaia
Marina Souza: Restoration Analyst, Santana do Araguaia
Maycon Alves Pereira: Work Safety Technician, Santana do Araguaia
Mayk Santos Guimarães: Field Supervisor, Santana do Araguaia
Tainan Balestrin: Forest Operations Coordinator, Santana do Araguaia
Taiwan da Silva: Field Supervisor, Santana do Araguaia
Valdilei Belém: Field Supervisor, Santana do Araguaia
Ygor Pinto Oliveira: Restoration Analyst, Santana do Araguaia
Yandro Ataide: Restoration Analyst, Santana do Araguaia
In Brazil, our restoration practices are governed by our Brazilian Advisory Board consisting of renowned experts from prominent institutions such as WRI Brasil and the Brazilian Agribusiness Association (ABAG). It provides strategic support for long-term and current challenges, through in-depth, quarterly meetings and focused commitee sessions. In addition, given the country’s complex bureaucracy, the Advisory Board supports our credibility and transparency.
The committee is composed of six qualified specialists from different areas, and two of BJF’s forest engineers. They are currently giving their input and advice on our plans to drastically scale up our operations in the field during the rainy / planting seasons for the next 5 years. With their expertise and the time they are willing to dedicate to the Black Jaguar Foundation’s mission, we believe their input will be of great value.
We would be nowhere without the support we receive from our amazing extended team, which consists of an army of professional volunteers, landowners and suppliers.
We are honoured to be supported by a dedicated group of seven diverse ambassadors. Knowledgeable and experienced in their fields, they serve as role models for our society. They all play an active role in supporting us, promoting our project, and providing us with their expert advice. BJF Board Members and Ambassadors do not receive any cash renumeration. They are only reimbursed for basic expenses such as transport to attend BJF meetings.
The growth and continuous support from of our amazing team of professionals volunteers from all over the world has been instrumental. Contributing their time, talent and services free of charge or at charitable rates. Their unstoppable support has helped us to grow in all areas of our foundation. A special thanks to Randy Mc. Namara (Mission Coach).
We’re honoured to have an amazing community of loyal Official Suppliers who donate to our foundation in kind with their products and services. Examples are Salesforce (CRM), PróResult (Accountancy Brazil), Alsberg Accountants & Adviseurs (Accountancy Netherlands), Vigics (Video productions), Elevate (web design), Endeavour Group, Hillenaar (Outdoor), ScaleHub (Office supplier) , Ipskamp Printing, CreativeColors (print), and Mat-Zet BV (book editing and printing).
LaserChief (engraving) and so many others.
Over 120 partners are currently contributing to our mission of hope and action! A special thank you to the following loyal sponsors:
In 2022 we signed a € 4M partnership with CAIXA Social Environmental Fund (FSA) to support the planting of 1 million trees in the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor!
Caixa Econômica Federal, referred to in Brazil as CAIXA, is one of the two federal banks in Brazil and the fourth largest financial institute in Latin America. Their Social-Environmental Fund is an initiative that was started by the Brazilian bank in 2010, with the aim of using resources to support social-environmental projects and investments.
Together with CAIXA Federal Bank, the Black Jaguar Foundation will plant 1 million trees!
CAIXA is supporting us with the 4 specific objectives which are the focus of the BJF cycle of ecological restoration: community engagement, ecological restoration, maintenance of our restored sites, and monitoring of the restoration activities together with an assessment of the impact generated.
Before signing the agreement in March 2022, CAIXA visited the BJF restoration sites and carried out extensive verification processes. The images on the right side of this page show the CAIXA team visiting the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor!
Movida started its partnership with the Black Jaguar Foundation in 2019, becoming the first publicly traded Brazilian company to support the realisation of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.
As we continue this monumental partnership, we are looking forward to growing together and making our positive impact more visible.
We are incredibly grateful for Movida’s support as we work together towards a brighter future for Brazil and for the world!
Royal De Heus has once again shown their long-term support and dedication to our project by renewing their yearly commitment to our cycle of 17 steps of ecological restoration.
The majority of their 2022 contribution has been used to support the building and opperationalization of our new large scale nursery in Santana do Araguaia, expand the Araguaia Seed Network and, of course, planting many trees!
The Brazilian division of our partner Royal De Heus visited the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor and saw every single one of the projects that they are currently contributing to. The visit lasted three days, and included trips to the new BJF nursery, our restoration sites, and meeting the Araguaia Seed Network.
The 13 members of the Royal De Heus team that travelled with us to Santana do Araguaia showed great enthusiasm throughout the visit and even helped us plant some trees and grow seedlings in our new nursery!
They were all incredibly excited to see the project and the positive socio environmental impact that it is generating in action.
After the visit, Edmilson Ribeiro, head of Human resources at De Heus Brasil, shared with us the following words:
“We cannot find the words to describe how happy we are with all that we saw last week. We feel incredibly proud of this partnership and the positive impact on nature that we are promoting. Simply amazing”.
We are incredibly touched by these warm words, and grateful for all of the support that Royal De Heus has provided over the years!
Aegis Charitable Trust was established to provide a formal structure through which to achieve philanthropic objectives while creating a common interest and common cause. Aegis’ main trustees are EFG Trust Company Limited and EFG Nominees Limited.
As of last year, the Black Jaguar Foundation is officially supported by this renowned trust. A big thank you to them for choosing to invest in our mission of hope and action!
Our new partner Contact4You believes that making a difference always starts with yourself. That’s why they have partnered with the Black Jaguar Foundation!
Contact4You joined the BJF community of sponsor partners in July 2022. Together, we are ensuring a healthy planet for our future generations.
Esri Nederlands’ ArcGIS Platform provides an overview of where assets and activities are located on plants and sites and gives users access to the underlying data.
In this way, Esri supports the Black Jaguar Foundation in gathering data of all sorts, so that we can reach objective answers to difficult challenges. Planting trees in Brazil starts with mapping out the areas that will be reforested!
TREELOVE CONTINUES
BJF PARTNERSHIP
OFFICIALLY PART OF 1% FOR THE PLANET!
TREELOVE CONTINUES
BJF PARTNERSHIP
OneTreePlanted (OTP) continues their partnership with the Black Jaguar Foundation
Mrs. Andrea Dreesmann and her family have been of vital importance to the growth of our mission from the start of our operations in Brazil.
The BJF is part of OTP’s Global Community, and OTP has committed to helping realise the Araguaia Biodiversity
The Austria based Greenfinity Foundation is committed to actively supporting initiatives that promote the preservation of natural habitats.
1% for the Planet is a global movement inspiring businesses to support environmental solutions through annual memberships and everyday actions.
Mrs. Andrea Dreesmann and her family have been of vital importance to the growth of our mission from the start of our operations in Brazil.
OneTreePlanted (OTP) continues their loyal partnership with the Black Jaguar Foundation.
Corridor by co-financing of our first two million trees.
TreeLove’s mission is to “change the future with a present” by showcasing the sustainable work of different artists and artisans. Any purchase on TreeLove’s site is matched with a donation to BJF to plant native trees!
We are proud and committed to be one of the chosen organisations supported by Greenfinity for many years to turn part of the Corridor into a Greenfinity Forest.
As of 2022, The Black Jaguar Foundation is happy to be one of the environmental solutions showcased on the platform. We have already used it to connect to many great companies!
The BJF is part of OTP’s Global Community, and OTP has committed to helping realise the Araguaia Biodiversity
Corridor by co-financing of our first two million trees.
TreeLove’s mission is to “change the future with a present” by showcasing the sustainable work of different artists and artisans. Any purchase on TreeLove’s site is matched with a donation to BJF to plant native trees!
Scelta has continued to support the BJF for the 7th year in a row! We are excited to see how this crucial partnership develops moving forward.
Scelta Mushrooms is one the BJF’s first sponsor partners. Jan Klerken, Scelta’s founder, planted one of our first trees! They have been vital to the success of the project, and we are grateful to be able to count on their continued support.
We are grateful for the continued, loyal support of the Jan Zandbergen Group. As one of the earliest supporters of the BJF and its mission, Jan Zandbergen Group is an example to be followed. The company is truly committed to making the world a better, more sustainable place.
We are thrilled about the extension of our partnership with Seacon Logistics.
Seacon is focused on the three pillars of corporate social responsibility: people, planet and prosperity. Therefore, Seacon understands the importance of the Black Jaguar Foundation and its mission. Their sponsorship is just one way that they’re contributing to a more sustainable future.
We are incredibly grateful to all of our wonderful supporters! The progress we have been making would not have been possible without you.
MOVIDA ALUGUEL DE CARROS
ESRI NEDERLAND
ROEMER KAMP & PARTNERS
GREENFINITY FOUNDATION
KIENBAUM NETHERLANDS
EFG WEALTH SOLUTIONS
AEGIS CHARITABLE TRUST
CONSCIOUS CAPITALISM
FINISH PROFILES GROUP
PLANT FOR THE PLANET
SCELTA MUSHROOMS
SEACON LOGISTICS
SUMTING
JUNIPER NETWORKS
NUNNER LOGISTICS
HOUSE OF SLEEP
N/P NOTARISSEN
ONE TREE PLANTED
JAN ZANDBERGEN
ROYAL DE HEUS
DE HEUS BRASIL
BTG PACTUAL
SALESFORCE
TREELOVE
SWISS RE
WELIGHT
SNP GROUP
PLASTIFAMA
WATERBEAR
PRÓ RESULT
KBF CANADA
VIEIRA REZENDE
KAPPES & FLECK
CONTACT4YOU
EQUINIX
CAIXA FEDERAL BANK
AQUACAPITAL
MOTOVERS
TULPEN VAN SAM
2W ENERGIA
EDENRED
PAYSMART
TAM AVIAÇÃO EXECUTIVA
TECBAN
This is the third year that the Black Jaguar Foundation is presenting consolidated financial statements. The Dutch and Brazilian entities administer their finances separately, but because we are a single integrated Foundation, we have decided to present our finances as such.
In 2022, the Black Jaguar Foundation managed the finances of the Dutch organization in-house, but towards the end of the year we started to count on the great support of Alsberg Accountants & Adviseurs. Thank you Claudia Brant and Paul Rijnbeek for joining us in this mission.
The Brazilian organization’s finances were managed by our long-standing partner, Pró Result. They have supported us since the initiation of our Brazilian entity in 2016, know our Foundation well and fully support our mission. The experience of João Bosco and his team provided us with the necessary support for our financial team. Many thanks to them.
To ensure we are fully in compliance with all the rules and regulations and to provide additional reassurance to our existing and future partners, auditors at Baker Tilly, a global top 10 auditing firm, reviewed our Dutch, Brazilian and consolidated Financials before publication.
The goal of the Black Jaguar Foundation, with registered offices in Amsterdam, Netherlands and São Paulo, Brazil, is to make a tangible contribution to the realisation of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. The Dutch entity is a non-profit organisation registered at the Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam; registration number 34327956. The Brazilian entity is registered in the Cadastro Federal with CNPJ 24.230.587/0001-93.
As per 2009 the Foundation was identified by the Dutch Tax Authority as an ‘Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling’ (ANBI) - a Public Benefit Organization. All donations are deductible from the taxable income of donors as long as the Foundation maintains its ANBI status.
None of our Board Members, Advisory Board Members or Ambassadors receives financial compensation for their efforts to support to Black Jaguar Foundation, supporting us with their time, connections and wisdom. We are very thankful for their generous contributions.
The financial statements have been prepared on the past cost agreement. Assets and liabilities are presented at nominal value minus any necessary provisions.
Tangible fixed assets are prepared at acquisition cost, minus depreciation and if applicable, impairments in value. Depreciation is based on the estimated useful life and is calculated as a fixed percentage of cost, taking into account any residual value.
Cash and cash equivalents are presented at nominal value. If cash is not freely available, this is taken into account in the valuation.
Current liabilities are stated at fair value.
Income from donations and grants are only recognised when the amounts are received.
The annual accounts are presented in Euros, which is the functional currency of the organisation. Accounting for the Brazilian entity was performed in Brazilian Real. All transactions for 2022 were translated into Euros based on the average conversion rate for the year. The Balance Sheet items were converted based on the rate on 31/12/2022. Previous years’ Income Statement and Balance Sheet items for the Brazilian entity were converted based on the rate of 31/12/2021 and 31/12/2020, respectively.
* Intercompany income and intercompany expenses cancel each other out in the combined statement.
Amounts stated in thousands of Euros
Amounts stated in thousands of Euros
In 2022, the Black Jaguar Foundation’s income remained at optimal levels like those of 2021, which were healthy for the growth of the operation in the year in question. Even with the closure of donations received from the partnership agreement with Movida, we had the entry of funds from the contract signed with CEF (Caixa Econômica Federal) by the FSA fund, which allowed us to balance incomes. In addition many existing sponsors and donors renewed their partnerships, providing a stable base for additional restoration efforts.
Net income can be divided into:
• Non-Restricted Donations, which the Black Jaguar Foundation can spend in any manner that fits its mission to realise the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.
• Restricted Donations, which the donor/grantor has earmarked for a specific purpose.
• Each of the above can be provided by private sponsors, corporations, and non-profits.
We had an increase of 192% in our operating expenses compared to 2021, mainly driven by the increase in human resources and field supplies expenses by 137% and 684% respectively. This increase is directly linked to the large growth we had in the number of trees planted by 310% and consequently restored areas by 300%, both compared to 2021. The graph on the left evinces the high representativeness of operational expenses directed to the Biodiversity Planning and Reforestation purpose in relation to the 2022 total. The forty-seven thousand euros in intercompany expenses represent the currency conversion costs and bank fees incurred in transferring funds from the Netherlands to Brazil. The purposes for Operational Expenses were:
• Biodiversity Planning and Reforestation – referring to all expenses and investments made in the field or directly related to the field work, for both Biodiversity Planning and Reforestation tasks.
• Proposition Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor – referring to all expenses made related to communicate, promote or research the importance of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. To successfully build a community of landowners, development partners and institutional partners.
• Fundraising – referring to all expenses related to raising the funds required for realising the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.
• Overhead – referring to expenses which do not have a direct impact on the realisation or the promotion of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, such as office-rent and utilities.
Property, planting and equipment costs rose to € 314 thousand due to the completion of the construction of our large-scale nursery in June 2022, which will allow us to grow 500.000 seedlings per planting per year. We also purchased a lot of field equipment needed for planting and maintenance.
The initiator of the Black Jaguar Foundation has kindly provided an interest free loan, to help the foundation start-up. The loan totals € 378K. It has been agreed that no more than 15% of the loan can be claimed per year and that the amount is subject to affordability by the Black Jaguar Foundation. The total loan to our initiator remained the same in 2022, compared to 2021 .
Improving our Social Equity, our income remained at optimal levels in the past year, set to be spent on restoration the coming year.
In December 2022, we started a journey of meetings towards a long-term partnership with Fondazione Capellino, an inspiring Italian non-profit organization that aims to fight the climate crisis by supporting a select number of biodiversity projects. The partnership is expected to start in 2023 with the aim to create everlasting positive impact to realize our vast biodiversity mission.
We have reviewed the accompanying financial statements 2022 of Stichting Black Jaguar Foundation based in Amsterdam.
These financial statements comprise:
1. the balance sheet as at 31 December 2022;
2. the profit and loss account for the year then ended; and
3. the notes comprising of a summary of the accounting policies and other explanatory information.
Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements and for the preparation of the management report, both in accordance with Part 9 of Book 2 of the Dutch Civil Code. Furthermore management is responsible for such internal control as it determines is necessary to enable the preparation of the financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
Our responsibility is to express a conclusion on the financial statements. We conducted our review in accordance with Dutch law, including the Dutch Standard 2400, ‘Opdrachten tot het beoordelen van financiële overzichten’ (Engagements to review financial statements). This requires that we comply with ethical requirements and that we plan and perform the review to be able to conclude whether anything has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the financial statements are not free from material misstatement.
A review in accordance with the Dutch Standard 2400 is a limited assurance
engagement. The performed procedures consisted primarily of making inquiries of management and others within the entity, as appropriate, applying analytical procedures and evaluating the evidence obtained.
The procedures performed in a review are substantially less than those performed in an audit conducted in accordance with the Dutch Standards on Auditing. Accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion.
Based on our review, nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the financial statements do not give a true and fair view of the financial position of Stichting Black Jaguar Foundation as at 31 December 2022 and of its result for the year then ended in accordance with Part 9 of Book 2 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Amsterdam, July 10, 2023
Baker Tilly (Netherlands) N.V.
B. Maassen RA Partner Audit(Free translation from the original issued in Portuguese. In the event of discrepancies, the Portugues language version prevails. See Note 14 to the financial statements.)
We have audited the accompanying financial statements of Instituto Black Jaguar (“Institute”), which comprise the balance sheet as of December 31, 2022 and the related statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for the year then ended, as well as a summary of the main accounting practices and other notes to the financial statements.
In our opinion, except for the effects of the matter described in the section “Basis for qualified opinion on the financial statements”, the financial statements referred to above presente fairly, in all material respects, the equity and financial position of Black Jaguar as of December 31, 2022, the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with accounting practices adopted in Brazil, specially the NBC TG 1000 (R1) – Accounting for Small and Medium – Sized Enterprises, that is alignment with International Financial Reporting Standards for Small and Medium Entities (IFRS for SMEs), issued by International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and non-profit entities (ITG 2002 (R1).
As presented in Note 12.2, the Institute hired service providers to carry out activities related to its operation, however, it did not make any provision to cover possible disbursements or contingencies associated with this matter. Consequently, liabilities have been understated and shareholders’ equity and income for the year has been overstated by approximately BRL957 thousand (BRL616 thousand in 2021), related to the estimated social security risk to which the Instituto is exposed.
Our audit was conducted in accordance with Brazilian and international auditing standards. Our responsibilities, in accordance with such standards, are described in the following section entitled “Auditor’s Responsibilities for audit of financial statements.” We are independent in relation to the Company in accordance with the relevant ethical principles provided for in the Accountant’s Code of Professional Ethics and professional standards issued by the Federal Accounting Council, and we comply with other ethical responsibilities pursuant to these standards.
We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our qualified opinion.
As mentioned in note 4.5, the Institute has legal protection for the non-payment of the ITCMD (Tax on transmission of cause of death and donations) on the donations received, and must have to follow the application process from SIMA - Secretariat of the Environment, and SEFAZ - State Secretariat of Finance.
For donations received during fiscal year 2022, formal procedures together were in progress, where the Institute estimates that their approval will take place until the second half of 2023. Our opinion is not qualified as to the situation.
Management is responsible for the preparation and adequate presentation of the financial statements in accordance with the accounting practices adopted in Brazil, specially the NBC TG 1000 (R1) – Accounting for Small and Medium–Sized Enterprises, that is alignment with International Financial Reporting Standards for Small and Medium Entities (IFRS for SMEs), issued by International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), non-profit entities (ITG 2002 (R1) and the internal controls it deemed necessary to enable the preparation of these financial statements free of significant distortions, regardless of whether the latter were caused by fraud or error.
In the preparation of financial statements, management is responsible for assessing the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern, disclosing, where applicable, the matters relating to its going concern and the use of this basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements, unless management intends to wind-up the Company and its subsidiaries or cease its operations, or has no realistic alternative to avoid the closure of operations.
Our purposes are to obtain reasonable assurance that the financial statements, taken as a whole, are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and issue the audit report with our opinion. Reasonable assurance means a high level of security, but not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with Brazilian and international auditing standards always detects any existing material misstatements. Misstatements may be due to fraud or error and are considered material when, individually or taken as a whole, can influence, within a reasonable perspective, the economic decisions of users taken based on these financial statements.
As part of the audit conducted in accordance with Brazilian and international auditing standards, we exercise professional judgment and maintain our professional skepticism throughout the audit. Moreover:
• We identify and evaluate the risks of material misstatement of financial
statements, whether due to fraud or error, plan and perform audit procedures in response to such risks and obtain sufficient and appropriate audit evidence for expressing our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than due to error, since a fraud can involve the act of circumventing internal controls, collusion, falsification, omission or intentional misrepresentations;
• We obtain an understanding of the internal controls relevant to the audit to plan the audit procedures appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of internal controls of the Company;
• We evaluate the adequacy of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by management;
• We conclude on the appropriateness of the use of the going concern accounting basis by management, and based on the audit evidence obtained, whether there is significant uncertainty in relation to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that there is a material uncertainty, we must highlight the related disclosures in the financial statements in our report, or include a modification in our opinion if disclosures are inadequate. Our conclusions are based on audit evidence obtained up to the date of our report. However, future events or conditions may lead the Company to no longer remain as a going concern;
• We evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of financial statements,including disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner consistent with the objective of fair presentation.
We communicate with management regarding, among other issues, the planned scope, the timing of the audit and the significant audit findings, including any significant weaknesses in internal controls that we have identified during our work.
São Paulo, July 20, 2023.
Baker Tilly 4Partners Auditores Independentes S.S. CRC 2SP-031.269/O-1 Alexandre De Labetta Filho Contador CRC 1SP-182.396/O-2 Renato Ruiz Filiciano da Silva Contador CRC 1SP-268.528/O-6As we grow, we aim to reach more and more people and enable them to become part of our huge mission of ecological restoration as well. To make it accessible for anyone to contribute, we launched the Donate a Tree campaign.
For a € 7 donation per tree, we are able to cover the full costs of all the seventeen steps in the BJF restoration cycle, including 3 years of post-planting maintenance.
The campaign is available in four languages: English, Portuguese, Dutch and German.
This photo wall is divided into 600 numbered pixels or windows. Choosing a gray or deforested window allows you to sponsor that specific window and become a Supporting or Corporate Friend of the Black Jaguar Foundation. When a window is sponsored, its color will change from ‘deforested gray’ to ‘jungle green’, bringing us one step closer to realizing the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.
You can be one of The First 600 to sponsor one of the largest reforestation projects on earth. Take this opportunity to help the BJF and its partners accomplish this bold conservation project. You can do it on your own, with a company or as part of a group effort.
2025 - 2028
10 MILLION TREES
2024 - 2026
2nd MILLION TREES
2020 - 2023
1st MILLION TREES
2017 - 2020
˜100K TREES
Pilot Project
3 rural properties: ˜70ha
2 Local Nurseries: 40k seedlings
Important Technical learnings
Expansion
+ 10 rural properties: 600ha
+ 1 Large Scale Local Nursery
Governance and Local Community Development
Further Expansion
+ 21 rural properties: 1.200 ha
+ 1 Large Scale Local Nursery
+ Seed collection collective in operation
+ Employing 200 extra workers
Consolidation Restore 6.000 ha
Mitigate the environmental deficit at Santana do Araguaia cluster
Deliver strong Impact Metrics
Reach Financial Sustainability
During the 2022-2023 planting season, we aim to complete the planting of 500.000 trees in 17 partner farms!
We have already started planning the 2023-2024 planting season to ensure efficient ecological restoration.
Our nursery is operational and working at high capacity! We will continue to improve its infrastructure to ensure that it is able to reach its full productive capacity.
Fondazione Capellino is a non-profit organisation with one purpose: to protect biodiversity and fight against climate change.
As we scale up our operations, our season planting team will also grow in size. We will also continue to recruit new members to the Araguaia Seed Network to collect even more seeds for the BJF nursery!
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT IN 2023 MORE THAN EVER TO COMPLETE OUR AMBITIOUS GOALS FOR OUR PLANET!
OUR PLANET NEEDS YOUR URGENT SUPPORT!
BJF NETHERLANDS
Stichting Black Jaguar Foundation
Scalehub Amstel Business Park
H.J.E. Wenckebachweg 123
1096 AM – Amsterdam partners@black-jaguar.org
BJF BRAZIL
Instituto Black Jaguar
Alameda Joaquim Eugênio de Lima, 187, conj 11-01403-001
São Paulo – SP contato@black-jaguar.org
BJF BRAZIL
Instituto Black Jaguar
Rua Pedro Miranda, 75, Qd 4, Lt 14 Santana do Araguaia
This report is made of Forest Stewardship Council-certified and recycled paper.
WWW.BLACK-JAGUAR.ORG