Integrated solutions for forest restoration and water protection in the Amazon

Fiji recently took a major step forward in strengthening national action to safeguard its globally significant coral reefs.

On 18 March 2026, the Fiji Government, through the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, together with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Fiji, convened the 4th National Hub for Coral Reef Conservation (NHCRC) Meeting in Suva. The National Hub for Coral Reef Conservation was established as part of the GEF 7 Coral Reef Conservation (CRR) Project that focuses on safeguarding climate-resilient coral reefs in six countries: Fiji, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and Tanzania.

The meeting brought together multi-sectoral stakeholders and community representatives to endorse the draft Fiji National Action Plan for Coral Reef Conservation (NAPCRC) (2026–2031) and progress work on a national communication strategy for coral reef conservation.

In a region of the Brazilian Amazon known as Terra do Meio, along the Xingu River - one of the main tributaries of the Amazon - areas once degraded are returning to forest, bringing new possibilities for those who live there.

Terra do Meio is a vast mosaic of protected areas covering approximately 9 million hectares of forests, rivers, Indigenous territories, and community-managed production areas. It is fundamental for biodiversity and strategic for halting the advance of deforestation. Yet some areas were converted into pastures during illegal occupations, prior to the creation and consolidation of conservation units, with the introduction of exotic grasses that prevented the natural regeneration of vegetation for years.

In this context, local communities restored 50 hectares of forest across two Extractive Reserves in the region, planting approximately 175,000 native trees. The activity, part of a broader initiative, was carried out under the Amazon Basin Project – SAP Implementation (ACTO/UNEP/GEF), in partnership with Brazil’s National Water and Sanitation Agency (ANA) and the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA).

More than restoring degraded areas, the initiative integrates restoration, income generation, and community empowerment, contributing to water protection in the Xingu River basin and its tributary, the Iriri River, through a forest seed supply chain and a Payment for Environmental Services (PES) mechanism.

The work began three years ago with the restoration of 25 hectares in the Xingu River Extractive Reserve, along the riverbanks, involving men, women, and youth from local communities.

In addition to field activities, the initiative included educational activities with children, helping to engage younger generations in forest stewardship and strengthening their connection to the territory.

The main strategy used was “muvuca,” a direct seeding technique that combines seeds from different species—native trees and soil-enhancing plants—accelerating regeneration and increasing forest diversity.

The restored area along the Xingu River, now at a more advanced stage of regeneration, has already begun producing seeds. These are collected by local communities and sold to other restoration projects, creating a source of income linked to the standing forest and complementing traditional activities such as fishing.

“For me, life as a seed collector is rewarding. It allows me to help support my three children who live and study in the city while also being more present with my younger daughters,”

says Marinalva, who lives near the restored area in the Xingu River Extractive Reserve.

Seed collection has become a structured activity that requires knowledge of the territory and careful management. Collectors from riverine communities leave part of the seeds in the forest, ensuring natural regeneration and food for wildlife.

This activity gave rise to the Forest Seed Chain, a productive arrangement of Terra do Meio Network - a community organization that coordinates the production, processing, and marketing of socio-biodiversity products.

Today, the chain involves hundreds of collectors - more than half of them women - and follows an organized model, with annual planning, defined demand, and direct payment to families.

After collection, the seeds pass through local community management structures, where they are received, weighed, and organized by community members themselves. This process ensures quality and traceability, while also enabling immediate payment to collectors, strengthening local autonomy and generating income.

In the Morro Grande community, within the Xingu River Extractive Reserve, managing one of these support points has become an important source of income for the couple Sinha Kuruaya and Alcione Freitas. With the income earned from this activity in 2025, the family has been investing in home improvements.

“We’re buying materials to build a new roof. It used to be thatched; now we’re going to install tiles,”

says Sinha.

In recent years, the supply chain has generated approximately USD 60,000, with contributions from the Amazon Basin Project and other partners aimed at its development—now sustained by the sale of seeds for restoration projects in the Amazon, which strengthens the local economy and reduces dependence on intermediaries. In 2025, the network sold nearly six metric tons of seeds.

In a region marked by long distances and river-based transport, the seeds are then sent to the Terra do Meio Network Seed House, where they are re-evaluated and prepared for sale.

For Francisco de Assis Oliveira, president of Terra do Meio Network and a resident of the Rio Iriri Extractive Reserve, this initiative represents an important transformation for the communities.

“It protects the forest, generates income, and allows people to remain in the territory. It is work where one earns without destroying, preserving the forest’s balance and contributing to the continuity of the life it sustains,”

he says.

At the same time, the initiative strengthens community governance mechanisms. In this context, a Payment for Environmental Services (PES) mechanism was established, with collective management of resources, allowing communities to decide how to allocate funds toward conservation, production, and local development. The Amazon Basin Project also provided initial funding to make this arrangement viable.

“This experience shows that it is possible to integrate forest, water, and people, with potential for replication across the Amazon Basin, strengthening water management through innovative incentive-based financing mechanisms, combined with nature-based solutions and community leadership,”

says Vanessa Grazziotin, Executive Director of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), the regional inter-governamental organization that brings together the eight Amazonian countries and executes the Amazon Basin Project.

Since 2021, the Amazon Basin SAP Implementation Project has been supporting the eight member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) in implementing the Strategic Action Program (SAP) and promoting Integrated Water Resources Management in the Amazon Basin in a source-to-sea continuum. Based on the SAP strategic response lines, the project aims at institutionally strengthening water governance in the eight Amazonian countries and at the regional level, building community resilience and protecting aquatic ecosystems to address climate change, as well as monitoring water resources and ecosystems through a Regional Environmental Monitoring System.

Implemented by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) with financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the project is executed by ACTO.

Visit the project's website here.

For more information, please get in touch with: Nina Rodrigues, Communication Specialist for Amazon Basin SAP Implementation Project, at nina.rodrigues@otca.org.