Suzano, the world’s largest pulp producer and a global reference in manufacturing bioproducts from eucalyptus cultivation, and the International Cooperation Center for Agronomic Research for Development (CIRAD), a French organization for research and international cooperation for sustainable development in tropical and Mediterranean regions, announced a partnership and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on April 29th at the Embassy of France in Brasília, in the Federal District. The goal of the initiative is to strengthen collaboration and shared efforts to develop joint actions for income generation and environmental conservation in the states of Pará and Maranhão, particularly targeting people in situation of social vulnerability.
The organizations will develop strategies to build a program targeting the sustainable development of the territories, engaging technical and financial partners to contribute to the initiative and its impacts.
CIRAD has been involved in the Amazon since the 1990s and coordinates, with its partners in the state of Pará, projects that combine research, training and development in response to the region's challenges. Suzano, on the other hand, operates in the Amazon context by developing actions in the states of Pará, Maranhão and Tocantins and dedicating approximately 311,000 hectares to environmental conservation. Of such total, about 53,000 hectares are protected in Areas of High Conservation Value (AAVC), places with exceptional or critical attributes for the environment and society. In 2023 alone, Suzano invested over R$9 million in income generation programs and projects in the region, benefiting 119 social organizations and over 19,000 people.
According to Giordano Bruno Automare, Executive Manager - Social Development of Suzano, the strategic partnership between Cirad and Suzano is a fundamental step towards promoting sustainable development in the regions of Pará and Maranhão. "Partnerships like this give us the opportunity to expand our social impact in strategic areas where the company operates, especially in the Amazon region," he said. "It is very gratifying to rely on partners that share similar values with us in this journey of social and environmental development, in line with our commitment to lift 200,000 people out of poverty by 2030, combining income generation and biodiversity conservation in such a special biome."
"We are excited about the prospect of starting this privileged relationship with Suzano, to jointly design a major project combining science, investments and local engagement for sustainable development in the Amazon, a strategic region for the planet and humanity,” said Pierre Marraccini, Regional Director of Cirad in Brazil. “It will also be a new way to value all the history and know-how that we have built with distinguished Amazonian partners."