Symbiosis Investimentos is a restoration enterprise that manages sustainable commercial plantations throughout Brazil. Since 2008, Symbiosis has vertically integrated the entire production process of sustainable wood from the selection of tree species to the final consumer product.
Every tree planted on Symbiosis plantations is carefully selected following a rigorous process in order to produce high quality wood. For its commercial plantations, Symbiosis selected thirty species native to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. When Symbiosis introduces a new tree species, Symbiosis collects seeds from sixty mother trees from different locations to assure genetic variability and improve the health of its plantations.
By using native species, the company ensures that the trees fit the local environment, meaning that they grow and are harvested quickly and that they provide the necessary ecosystem services to restore previously degraded and deforested land. For every 3 hectares planted, Symbiosis restores or conserves 2 additional hectares. This approach also reinforces biodiversity by expanding the native habitats of threatened and vulnerable species. To this end, Symbiosis is also a part of WRI Brasil's VERENA Project, a partnership that demonstrates the technical and economic feasibility of restoration and reforestation with native species on a large scale.
The 160 different trees species that Symbiosis has planted are the most sought after types of Brazilian timber, some of which were no longer commercially available. By growing these rare species sustainably, Symbiosis restores degraded ecosystems, often devastated by decades of unregulated livestock production, and meets the demand of a growing international market. Today, Symbiosis owns 1,500 hectares and plans on expanding to 5,000 hectares.
Symbiosis is honored to join Initiative 20x20 and support private sector landscape restoration throughout Latin America.
