Amid tributes and tangible transformations, Sebastião Salgado’s legacy continues to take root in nature and in people.
On 23 May 2025, we bid farewell to Sebastião Salgado, a photographer and environmentalist whose life’s work left a profound mark on the history of ecosystem restoration in Brazil and around the world.
Alongside Lélia Deluiz Wanick Salgado, Sebastião allowed himself to dream and founded Instituto Terra, where he transformed a degraded area into a forest that today pulses with life. Since then, more than 3.3 million trees have been planted, directly contributing to the revitalisation of the Rio Doce basin. The space has become one of the most recognised Atlantic Forest restoration projects, showing that regenerating the environment is also a commitment to the future of humanity.
More than one of the greatest photographers of all time, he was a visionary who brought together sensitivity, science and action. His work revealed the complexities of the world, inspired thousands of people and, at the same time, pointed to possible paths for change. For him, restoring the land was also about restoring hope — an idea that runs through both his work and his actions.
Throughout the year, especially in May and August, his story was widely celebrated through tributes in Brazil and abroad. On social media and communication channels, people, institutions and partners expressed recognition and solidarity, highlighting the scale of his impact.
At Instituto Terra, staff and communities paid tributes that reaffirmed the strength of his journey and his purpose. In a moving ceremony, around 480 people, including friends and family, gathered to place his ashes among the roots of a peroba sapling, one of Sebastião’s favourite species.
Beyond institutional tributes, his legacy resonated through the streets and across cultural and sporting spaces, reflecting the breadth of his journey and his connection with diverse audiences.
A lifelong América supporter, Sebastião was honoured by the team, who took to the pitch wearing a special shirt featuring a patch with his name and the Instituto Terra logo. On the same day, Dedi, a member of the institution’s staff, took part in the moment alongside the players. Today, some of the kits are kept at the NGO as a gesture of recognition for his contribution.
Sebastião also left his mark on samba and the Vitória Carnival in Espírito Santo, becoming the theme of the parade by Independente de Boa Vista, the samba school representing Cariacica, which went on to be crowned champion of the 2025 competition.
Thus, his message went — and continues to go — beyond photographic lenses and beyond the boundaries of the forest. His legacy lives on in every restored area, every recovered spring and every person touched by his images and by Instituto Terra. It also reaches local communities, students, young people and educators who, over the years, have taken part in the institution’s initiatives and gone on to become agents of transformation in their own territories.
This is the legacy that continues to guide our mission: to keep sowing life, knowledge and hope — so that future generations may inherit a world more regenerated than the one we inherited.
Tião, forever present!