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= Black Jaguar Foundation =

Introduction
Founded in 2009, the Black Jaguar Foundation (BJF) is an International Brazilian-Dutch non-profit organization dedicated to the realisation of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor in Brazil.

The Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor aims to restore and connect two of the world's crucial ecosystems—the Amazon rainforest and the Cerrado Savanna. The overarching goal of the organization is to rejuvenate and maintain healthy, intact forests and ecosystems in collaboration with the local community. Noteworthy ambassadors for the foundation include Carlos Nobre, Koen Vanmechelen, Humberto Tan and Prof. Dr Jan van Hoof.

This initiative holds significant implications for both Brazil and the global community. A 2020 independent scientific Cost-Benefit Analysis projected a net environmental benefit of approximately €18.9 billion, accompanied by numerous other environmental and social advantages. The Impact Study further indicated that the Corridor would sequester over 262 million tons of carbon cumulatively—equivalent to approximately twice the annual carbon emissions of the entire population of Sweden, which consists of around 10 million people.

The Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor
The Black Jaguar Foundation is dedicated to a reforestation initiative, with the goal of planting 1.7 billion native trees to establish the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. Envisioned as one of the world's longest nature corridors, this project has the potential to become the largest reforestation endeavor in South America. Since 2017, the organisation's primary focus has been on the development of the first hub for ecological restoration in the region of Santana do Araguaia, strategically positioned at the heart of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. A noteworthy achievement is the completion of a large-scale nursery in Santana do Araguaia, capable of producing a minimum of 500,000 native seedlings annually.

Spanning both sides of the Araguaia riverbank, the corridor has a width of 40 kilometers and an extension of 2600 kilometers —equivalent to the distance from Amsterdam to Istanbul, covering a vast area of 10.8 million hectares. Within this expansive region, 52% lies within the Amazon rainforest, while the remaining 48% is situated in the Cerrado savanna. The Corridor spans six Brazilian states and includes 112 municipalities, encompassing 23,997 rural properties, of which 96% are privately owned while the remaining 4% indigenous territories.

Restoration work
The Black Jaguar Foundation initiated it's restoration efforts since 2018 by planting a million trees to restore 600 hectares of degraded land. This led to insights into effective methods for restoration, shaping the 17-step restoration cycle. The organization collaborates with technical partners and a local team of forest engineers for long-term ecosystem restoration. The non-profit organisation does not purchase any land but establishes partnerships with landowners, to help them comply to the Brazilian Forest Code. The organisation covers all restoration costs, including bi-yearly maintenance for the initial three years and monitoring at 3-, 10-, and 20-year intervals. Landowners actively contribute, providing equipment, manpower, infrastructure, and sometimes investing in nurseries and fences.

Key to restoration is community building and forming partnerships with landowners.

Local forest engineers and a local trained team do biodiversity planning for optimal species combinations, establishing nurseries, coordinating seed collection, analyzing soil, and building fences for protection, amongst others. Operations align with the planting season in Brazil from September through April, with the remaining months dedicated to monitoring, training, planning, maintenance, partnerships, seed collecting and nursery operations.

BJF has planted over 70 native tree species, including Cariniana Rubra (Jequitiba-Vermelho), Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuaçu), Genipa Americana (Jenipapo), Ceiba Pentandra (Samauma), Hevea Brasiliensis (Seringueira), Bixa Orellana (Urucum), Hymenaea Courbaril (Jatoba), and more.

BJF Book: "No risk, no Life"
Ben Valks, founder of the Black Jaguar Foundation, realized the finite nature of Earth's resources during a six-month expedition in the Amazon rainforest. His encounter with significant deforestation while searching for a black jaguar led him to establish the Foundation.

In "No Risk, No Life" by Ben Valks and co-author Brenda Smeenge, Valks' journey is chronicled. At 34, he left his business career to participate in the 1,770km Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska, the first Dutchman to do so. He then traveled from Alaska to Argentina by motorcycle, navigating challenging terrains including South America's 'Death Road'. In Brazil, his quest to observe a black jaguar in the wild exposed him to the extent of rainforest destruction.

Motivated by this experience, Ben Valks founded the Black Jaguar Foundation, aiming to create the world's longest nature corridor and one of South America's largest reforestation projects. His book, "No Risk, No Life," details these experiences and promotes the organisation's goals.