Working with nature: how biodiversity pays dividends in the Amazon

When Mâringela Cunha, President of the D’Irituia agricultural cooperative, talks about her work, for her one thing is clear: ‘Protecting the Amazon forest means preserving the life in each of us.’ The Amazon region of Brazil is rich in biodiversity. But many species there are threatened with extinction. Climate protection depends on intact ecosystems. More than 50 per cent of global economic output is dependent on biodiversity. 

This is the case in Brazil, where 30 percent of the Amazon region’s 25 million inhabitants earn a living using the forest’s resources. Most of them are Indigenous people living in traditional communities. They are considered the guardians of the forest. GIZ assists them on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in protecting the sensitive ecosystems while simultaneously enabling the economic use of the forest.

Finding new approaches together 

For economic development and biodiversity conservation to be successful, all stakeholders must work together to shape development. This is why GIZ connects companies, civil society, producers and the government in dialogue forums. These discussion rounds lead to a better understanding of the political framework. They also enable participants to jointly develop proposals for improvement. In this way, dialogue supports fair partnerships and promotes the marketing of the sustainably sourced products. With GIZ support in implementation, the products from participating cooperatives are now part of public nutrition programmes of schools. Fish, fruits, and vegetables replace industrially manufactured canned food in the local school cafeterias. Today, 210,000 pupils benefit from this healthy diet sourced from local production. 8,700 people from small farming communities earn regular incomes. 

Private companies as part of the solution 

Two participants in the dialogue forums are Symrise, a German company and global supplier of cosmetic ingredients, and Natura, a Brazilian cosmetics multinational. Both are investing in machinery and training courses that enable cooperatives to process raw products such as nuts locally. They can sell products produced sustainably in the Amazon region at a higher market value and increase income for members. ‘We used to be supplied with unprocessed products,’ says Diana Gradíssimo, technical coordinator at Symrise. ’But some cooperatives now supply us with oils and fats they’ve produced themselves. Thus, they achieve higher profits.' The rainforest also benefits: already 1.5 million hectares are sustainably managed thanks to the collaboration with the two companies. 

Symrise and Natura also take advantage of the partnership: it gives them reliable access to high-quality raw materials that are both sustainable and produced under fair conditions. The private investment in this partnership now amounts to EUR 2.5 million, significantly surpassing the public contribution. GIZ connects companies and cooperatives and provides local support for implementing the partnership. 

By combining nature conservation with sustainable economic models, everyone wins: the forest, its inhabitants and the companies. This helps to preserve the Amazon rainforest as the green lung of our planet. In 2024, 5.2 million people worldwide – including 1.2 million Indigenous people – benefited from GIZ promoting the sustainable use of natural resources.