Through partnerships with the Floresta Viva and Corredor da Mata programs, FASB will expand its operations to the north of Espírito Santo.

FASB announces its second round of investments. Eight million euros will be invested over three years to meet three major goals: the implementation of 1,500 hectares of ecological restoration and sustainable management for the formation of ecological corridors, which will make it possible to connect around 170,000 hectares of forest fragments between the south of Bahia and the north of Espírito Santo and with these actions connect a 500km ecological corridor.

The Danish company KIRKBI is increasing its investment in this new cycle of the FASB Programme by more than a third, while retaining the British company iNovaland as the Programme's manager. KIRKBI's investment will be doubled through two projects:

• FASB-Floresta Viva, a partnership with the BNDES and the Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (FUNBIO), financing socio-environmental projects by regional institutions, and
• Corredor da Mata, with Suzano S.A., promoting environmental adaptation and restoration and sustainable management actions among rural producers in the planned corridor between the largest area of Atlantic Tableland Forest in the north of Espírito Santo, comprising the Sooretama Biological Reserve, the Vale Reserve and two Suzano Private Natural Heritage Reserves (RPPNs), and the Monte Pas National Park.

According to Márcio Braga, FASB's coordinator, "This new cycle of FASB reflects the environmental and social importance of the results achieved during the first cycle of work and the will that investors have to conserve, restore and reconnect the remnants of the Atlantic Forest". He adds, "We want this second cycle to continue to bring projects that provide real value to local communities, ensuring that the objectives are based on local priorities. Our focus is on investing in projects for forest restoration, agroforestry and connecting forest fragments that have a positive impact on the landscape, biodiversity conservation, food security and increasing family income."  

Lars Hyldgaard Olesen, Director of Programs at KIRKBI, comments on the renewal of the partnership. "We are very pleased with the results of the first cycle of FASB support for local communities in forest restoration. With this new FASB cycle, we hope to xpand the network with additional investors to broaden activities while maintaining local engagement."

Through the BNDES/FUNBIO Floresta Viva program, even more technical knowledge and innovative methodology will be added to the development of the projects to strengthen the recovery of biomes and develop sustainable economic activities.

The partnership with Suzano, a Brazilian pulp and paper company, will be through the Forest Corridor Project. The aim is to connect around 170,000 hectares of Atlantic Forest fragments together with the FASB and other partners that are being prospected. Helena Pavese, Suzano's executive manager for Sustainability, points out that the Forest Corridor Project is in line with the company's solid biodiversity conservation work. "The initiative is part of one of our Commitments to Renew Life, which is to connect half a million hectares in priority conservation areas in the Cerrado, Atlantic Forest and Amazon by 2030. In the Atlantic Forest, we intend to connect through the large corridor planned from Linhares, in Espírito Santo, to Porto Seguro, in Bahia. The partnership with FASB further strengthens this initiative," she says.

Find out more about all of FASB's initiatives by visiting the website https://fasb.inovaland.earth/ and following the news on the social networks @fasb.oficial.

About FASB

FASB is an incubation and acceleration program that follows the project cycle through its various stages, providing technical assistance from inception to full implementation, supporting the evolution of projects from the initial stages until they are ready. This approach reduces risk, enables high quality and accelerates expansion.

Starting its activities in April 2021, the FASB Environmental Fund has invested 3 million euros in 45 socio-environmental projects from 34 different institutions in the south of Bahia, benefiting the environment and families in 23 municipalities located in the South and Far South regions of Bahia, Brazil.

With positive results, FASB's differential lies in acting on the basis of an innovative approach in which it positions traditional communities and their leaders as stakeholders in the transformation of the landscape in the development of projects. Its actions are based on the mobilization of local communities and aim to build resilient ecosystems with people as the central element, driving local actions focused on sustainable development such as agroforestry, wood and food production, as well as the protection and restoration of degraded areas to connect fragments of the Atlantic Forest. In this way, FASB has become a multi-stakeholder platform, multistakeholderformed by its project developers: indigenous communities, quilombos, settlements, family farmers and regional NGOs, resulting in the formation of a network aimed at exchanging knowledge, inputs and labor. FASB has local and remote teams specializing in socio-environmental projects that work strongly in the regions where the projects are located.

About the FASB partners:

KIRKBI A/S is the private holding and investment company of the Kirk Kristiansen family, which owns 75% of the LEGO Group. KIRKBI is committed to a responsible, long-term investment strategy to ensure a sound financial basis for the activities of the owning family, as well as contributing to sustainable development in the world. Find out more at www.kirkbi.com.

BNDES is the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development, a federal public company linked to the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, and is the Federal Government's main instrument for financing and investing in economic, social and environmental development. Find out more at www.bndes.gov.br.

Suzano is the world's largest pulp producer, one of the largest paper producers in Latin America, a leader in the toilet paper segment in Brazil and a benchmark in the development of sustainable and innovative solutions from renewable raw materials. Our products and solutions are present in the lives of more than 2 billion people, supply more than 100 countries and include pulp; printing and writing papers; packaging papers, cups and straws; sanitary papers and absorbent products; as well as new bioproducts developed to meet global demand. Innovation and sustainability guide our purpose of "Renewing life from the tree" and our work in tackling the challenges facing society and the planet. With 100 years of history, we have shares on the stock exchanges in Brazil (SUZB3) and the United States (SUZ). Find out more at www.suzano.com.br.

iNovaland is the manager of FASB. A private international organization with a mission to restore and regenerate degraded forests and landscapes for the benefit of people, nature and the climate, channelling investments into innovative landscape restoration and nature-positive projects. Currently, iNovaland manages forest restoration funds worth 20 million euros, supporting projects in West Africa and South America. Find out more at https://inovaland.earth/.

FUNBIO, The Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (FUNBIO) is a private, non-profit national financial mechanism. Throughout the 28 years it will celebrate in 2024, the organization has worked in partnership with the government, business and civil society sectors to ensure that strategic and financial resources are earmarked for effective biodiversity conservation initiatives. More than 500 projects have benefited more than 400 institutions across the country since its creation in 1996. Find out more at www.funbio.org.br.

*Hileia Baiana, the name given to the Atlantic Tableland Forest that originally occupied an area stretching from the south of Bahia to the north of Espírito Santo.