Instituto Terra

What Instituto Terra does

Instituto Terra is a Brazilian non-profit civil association founded in 1998 in Aimorés, Minas Gerais by photographers Lélia Deluiz Wanick Salgado and Sebastião Salgado to restore a degraded cattle farm into Atlantic Forest. Headquartered at the Fazenda Bulcão RPPN (a Private Natural Heritage Reserve granted in 1998), the organization operates three integrated programmatic pillars: Refloresta (ecosystem restoration via planting of native Atlantic Forest species), Terra Doce (sustainable rural development and spring recovery across the Rio Doce basin, succeeding the award-winning Olhos D'Água programme), and environmental education through NERE (post-technical training for restoration technicians), Terrinhas (UNESCO-recognized school programme for children), and Terra Jovens (youth empowerment). Its core "technology" consists of an in-house native seedling nursery with capacity of 500,000 to 1.5 million seedlings annually (expanding to 2 million), a 200 km-radius seed collection network for genetic variability, and proprietary silvipastoral and agroforestry systems. To date it has planted over 3.5 million trees, monitors 2,346 hectares, and reports recovery across 2,600+ springs and 235+ fauna species.

The organization is funded primarily through tiered corporate sponsorships anchored by Master Patrons Zurich Insurance Group and Z Zurich Foundation, and Master Sponsor KfW (Germany-Brazil Cooperation), supplemented by individual donations, paid visitor experiences ticketed through Sympla, and branded merchandise via institutoterrastore.com. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging partnerships with rural producers, public schools, and high-visibility cultural collaborations (e.g., Gilberto Gil's 2021 Refloresta campaign). In September 2025, Instituto Terra established Instituto Terra Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland under Swiss non-profit law with its own board to raise international profile and develop philanthropic and academic partnerships supporting Terra Doce. The founder Sebastião Salgado passed away in 2025; his son Juliano Ribeiro Salgado now chairs both the Brazilian association and the Swiss Foundation.

Name

Instituto Terra

Legal name

Instituto Terra

Website

https://institutoterra.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Instituto Terra is a Brazilian non-profit founded in 1998 by Sebastião Salgado that restores Atlantic Forest in the Rio Doce basin through native planting, spring recovery, environmental education, and rural development programmes, funded by corporate sponsors, donations, and visitor experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Restoration Services

NAICS

Nursery and Tree Production (111421), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (11321)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Regeneration & Reforestation Operations (Site Prep, Planting, Seeding) (AFAMAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Native Species & Restoration Plant Nurseries (AFAMADAF), Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Programs (Water, Biodiversity Credits, PES) (IMAMAJAK), Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems (EUABABAD)

Keywords

• Ecosystem restoration services
• Atlantic Forest reforestation
• Environmental education programs
• Sustainable rural development
• Native seedling production

Headquarters

HQ city

Aimorés

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorships: Companies sponsor specific programs (Ecosystem Restoration, Environmental Education, Rural Development) at various tiers (Master Patrons, Master Sponsors, Gold Sponsors, Silver Sponsors, Bronze Sponsors). Sponsorship funds support seedling production, planting, educational programs, and rural producer support.
2. Individual Donations: Individuals can make one-time or monthly donations to support ecosystem restoration, environmental education, and sustainable rural development work. Donation forms are available on the website.
3. Visit Fees: Visitors pay for self-guided or guided tours of the Instituto Terra facility, including the nursery, trails, lake, and exhibition spaces.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Instituto Terra is a non-profit organization that restores degraded Atlantic Forest areas through native seedling production and reforestation, delivers environmental education programs for children and youth, and supports rural producers in adopting sustainable practices. It operates a native seedling nursery capable of producing 500,000–1.5 million seedlings per year and manages 2,346 hectares of restored land in the Rio Doce basin.

Product overview

Instituto Terra is a non-profit organization (NGO) offering environmental restoration and education programs rather than a traditional technology product. The core offerings include: the Refloresta ecosystem restoration program, the Terra Doce sustainable rural development program, educational programs (NERE, Terrinhas, Terra Jovens), a native seedling nursery, and visitor experiences. These programs work together to restore Atlantic Forest in the Rio Doce basin, educate communities, and support rural producers in adopting sustainable practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Refloresta Ecosystem restoration program that plants native species of the Atlantic Forest to recover soil, biodiversity, and springs in the RPPN Fazenda Bulcão in Aimorés, MG.
• Terra Doce Sustainable rural development program that works on recovery of the Rio Doce basin, supporting rural producers in restoration of springs and adoption of sustainable production practices including agroforestry systems and water conservation.
• NERE - Núcleo de Estudos em Restauração Ecossistêmica Post-technical training program offering 11 months of theory and practice for young people who wish to work in ecosystem restoration, with scholarship and student housing.
• Terrinhas Environmental education program for children from public schools in the Rio Doce Basin, selected twice by UNESCO as a model project. Includes 9 visits to Instituto Terra per academic year plus classroom activities and podcast production.
• Terra Jovens Workshop program for teenagers and young adults aged 16 to 29 that strengthens community identity and forms agents of transformation in the Rio Doce region.
• Viveiro de Mudas Nativas (Native Seedling Nursery) Native seedling nursery capable of growing up to 500,000 to 1.5 million seedlings of dozens of different species per year, using semi-mechanized techniques and manual processes for proper tree development.
• Visitas ao Instituto Terra (Visitor Experiences) Guided and self-guided visits to the Instituto Terra headquarters in Aimorés, MG, including access to the garden designed by Lélia Wanick Salgado, Exodus exhibition by Sebastião Salgado, lake, Meliponary School, Quatis trail, and native seedling nursery.
• Meliponário Escola School of native stingless bees (meliponiculture) that raises awareness about the importance of native bees for forest and crop pollination, and trains rural producers in bee-keeping techniques.

Quantifiable outcome

• 235+ species of fauna returned to restored forest
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, strategic and minor.

• France-Brazil Season 2025flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Official partner for environmental restoration project contributing to carbon offset for the France-Brazil Season 2025, celebrating 200 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
• WWF (World Wildlife Fund)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as strategic partnership for environmental conservation collaboration.
• Gilberto GilflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBrazilian music legend released 'Refloresta' campaign and TikTok account in 2021, enabling planting of 40,000 additional trees at Instituto Terra. Music video directed by Ivi Roberg.
• Leonardo MerçonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner who photographed the ocelot's return to the forest in 2011, documenting ecosystem recovery.
• Todos Pelo Rio Doce MovementstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoluntary movement mobilized for spring recovery in the Doce River, supported by Instituto Terra after the 2015 Mariana dam disaster.
• UENF (Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on restoration technologies, including innovations for forest recovery.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• WWF-Brazil: Brazilian arm of a global conservation NGO with active Atlantic Forest programs, corporate partnerships, and education/community components. Closely comparable mission and partnership model to Instituto Terra.
• World Resources Institute (WRI) Brasil: Global research organization with a Brazil office working on forest restoration monitoring, land-use policy, and the Global Forest Watch platform. Comparable in producing data-driven restoration insight that supports donor and policy decisions.
• Conservation International (CI) Brazil: Global conservation NGO with Brazil operations focused on forest protection, restoration financing, and indigenous/community partnerships. Comparable in mission and the use of corporate partnerships to scale conservation outcomes.
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Brazil: Global conservation NGO with major Brazil operations focused on forest protection and restoration, including Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. Comparable as a large-scale restoration organization that pairs land management with corporate partnerships and public funding.

Direct peers

• Imaflora: Brazilian non-profit working on sustainable forestry, restoration, and rural development with certification and corporate ESG engagement. Operates in similar geographies with a comparable mix of technical assistance and donor-funded programming.
• SOS Mata Atlântica: Brazilian non-profit dedicated specifically to protecting and restoring the Atlantic Forest biome. Direct peer in target ecosystem, with overlapping corporate sponsorship and public engagement models.

Emerging players

• Biofilica: Brazilian company developing native-species reforestation projects and carbon credit origination in the Atlantic Forest and Amazon. Overlaps with Instituto Terra on native species production and the emerging voluntary carbon market pathway.
• Mombak: Brazilian startup focused on large-scale native forest restoration and carbon credit issuance. Comparable in scaling native-species reforestation with corporate capital, though with a more commercial, venture-backed model.

Others

• Pacto pela Restauração da Mata Atlântica: Multi-stakeholder initiative coordinating Atlantic Forest restoration across hundreds of signatories including NGOs, companies, and government. Comparable as a convening platform for restoration ambition and as a complementary partner rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu (REGUA): Brazilian NGO restoring Atlantic Forest in Rio de Janeiro state, combining reforestation, education, and eco-tourism. Comparable in mission and in the visitor-program revenue model Instituto Terra operates in Aimorés.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSrfBg4WSZqXGUihU6H5hXg
• Facebookfacebook.com/InstitutoTerraOficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/instituto-terra
• Instagraminstagram.com/institutoterraoficial
• Xx.com/InstitutoTerra_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Instituto Terra