The report brings together results on landscape restoration, the strengthening of rural communities, and the expansion of socio-environmental impact across the territory
By the end of 2025, thousands of hectares of the Doce River Basin had received new trees, springs had begun recovery processes, and hundreds of rural families had expanded their opportunities for sustainable production. The results, compiled in Instituto Terra’s 2025 Annual Report, show how environmental restoration can go hand in hand with social and economic development.
Released on June 8, 2026, the document reveals that 5,530.58 hectares were impacted by environmental restoration and sustainable rural development actions. To put this impact into perspective, the area is equivalent to approximately 7,746 football fields.
Restoration in numbers
Since its foundation, Instituto Terra has planted more than 3.6 million native trees. In 2025, 2,346.96 hectares received more than 250,000 seedlings of Atlantic Forest species. At the PNHR Bulcão Farm, the seedlings’ survival rate reached 91.12%, a record for the organization and one of the key indicators of success in ecosystem restoration projects.
According to Juliano Salgado, President of the Board of Directors of Instituto Terra, the results also reflect the importance of the institution’s native seedling nursery: “Once again, our native tree nursery operated at full capacity: we produced more than 450,000 seedlings from 131 different tree species. Half of these trees were planted within Instituto Terra’s own areas, enriching both our historic forest and the new areas acquired in 2023 and 2024. The other half of our seedlings were distributed beyond the Institute through our Terra Doce programme”.
More than just expanding restored areas, the numbers demonstrate the consolidation of long-term work that combines technical knowledge, continuous monitoring, and ecosystem care.
Terra Doce’s advance into the territory
The impact of the actions also gained scale through Terra Doce, a programme focused on sustainable rural development. By 2025, the initiative had supported the implementation of more than 1,700 hectares of water recharge areas, 1,300 hectares of pasture management, and approximately 90 hectares of sustainable production systems, directly benefiting 255 families in the Doce river basin.
Among the actions carried out are the implementation of agroforestry and silvopastoral systems, the recovery of pasture areas, and the construction of structures aimed at water and soil conservation. Throughout the year, 127 biodigesters were also installed, and 196 springs were included in recovery processes.
Education to transform the future
If restoration transforms landscapes, education amplifies that impact by training people capable of continuing that change.
In 2025, the Terrinhas programme served 782 children, a 42% increase compared to the previous year. In addition, 39 young people participated in the Terra Jovens programme, and 26 technicians were trained by the Centre for Ecosystem Restoration Studies (NERE), strengthening the training of professionals committed to sustainability and environmental restoration.
Global connections to transform local realities
The year also marked a new chapter in the institution’s trajectory with the creation of the Instituto Terra Foundation, based in Geneva, Switzerland. “The Foundation was established to support the expansion of our international advocacy initiatives. It will also represent Instituto Terra abroad, fostering partnerships with higher education institutions, enriching our activities and sharing our knowledge even more widely”, says Juliano.
In parallel, important international partnerships contributed to strengthening the organization’s operational capacity. The German Development Cooperation through KfW supported infrastructure investments aimed at the Terra Doce programme, while the Z Zurich Foundation enabled the construction of a new nursery with the capacity to produce up to 2 million native seedlings per year.
“We were delighted to begin operations at our new nursery at the end of 2025. It will be officially inaugurated in 2026 as the “Sebastião Salgado Nursery” — the result of Sebastião’s dream and dedication to expanding our region’s capacity for environmental restoration”, adds the president.
Transparency, governance, and the future
The 2025 results were also marked by a context of great significance for the institution. The year was also marked by the passing of Sebastião Salgado, one of the founders of Instituto Terra, but also by the continuation of the work built over decades.
“Throughout this year, we had to come to terms with this loss and grow collectively to continue, without him, along the path we had always walked together. In many moments, this grief was also transformed into unity and into a renewed collective commitment to Instituto Terra’s mission”, says Juliano.
Audited by Grant Thornton, the report demonstrates the solidity of the management and the strengthening of the trust of partners and supporters. In 2025, Instituto Terra received R$ 10.6 million in donations, an increase of approximately 37% compared to the previous year. “This year, I would once again like to highlight Instituto Terra’s strong governance and high level of compliance. We maintain complete transparency in the management of the resources entrusted to us”, adds Juliano.
More than just restored hectares, produced seedlings, or secured investments, the results presented in the 2025 Annual Report represent a collective movement of environmental regeneration, strengthening of rural communities, and building a more sustainable future for the Doce River basin.
For the coming years, the expectation is to expand the scale of actions and consolidate the model as a benchmark in environmental restoration integrated with economic development. “Instituto Terra continues to dream boldly, push boundaries, and sow the seeds of the future”, concludes the president.