An aerial view of a mangrove recovered from deforestation in the Guapimirim environmental protection area on Guanabara Bay the Mar Urbano NGO planted 30,000 mangrove trees in the deforested area Crab crawls through a mud puddle in a mangrove recovered from deforestation in the Guapimirim environmental protection area on Guanabara Bay A roseate spoonbill flies over a mangrove recovered from deforestation in the Guapimirim environmental protection area on Guanabara Bay A fisherman manages fishing nets in Guanabara Bay near a recovered mangrove forest in the Guapimirim environmental protection area on Guanabara Bay Four years on from a project to plant 30,000 mangroves in Guanabara Bay the trees are 4 metres high and flourishing RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — At the rear of Rio de Janeiro’s polluted Guanabara Bay thousands of mangroves rise as tall as 13 feet (about 4 meters) from a previously deforested area planted by non-profit organization Instituto Mar Urbano over four years in the Guapimirim environmental protection area stand as an example for cities seeking natural means to improve climate resilience Mangroves slow sea water’s advance into riverbeds during storm surges by soaking it up and protects the land by stabilizing soil that otherwise could be washed away The reforestation in Rio’s bay improved the cleanliness of water that’s a breeding ground for marine species providing extra income for the local crab pickers who helped plant the trees “To plant a tree in this mangrove is an act of environmental recovery and also an act in the fight against climate change,” Ricardo Gomes because of all that has been lost (in Brazil’s South) so much technology and resources to recover our environment.” A lack of mangroves wasn’t the cause of flooding around Rio Grande do Sul’s capital The flooding largely stemmed from water that flowed down rivers into the area The coastal risk map created by Climate Central forecasts areas west and north of Porto Alegre will be underwater by 2100 it shows two large areas in the back of its bay — one of which includes the Guapirimim protected area — will be underwater by 2050 That underscores the need for action to mitigate sea water’s encroachment Natural vegetation like that of Guapimirim “is like a true sponge,” avoiding or mitigating floods by reducing the energy of the waters the manager of a reserve at Brazil’s federal agency Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation Vegetation in the region safeguards 1 million residents in the city of Sao Goncalo it is possible to restore those areas and make human settlements that are resilient and prepared for the effects of climate change,” Muniz said flood-related disasters across the planet have increased by 134% over the two previous decades according to a 2021 report by the World Meteorological Organization Environmentalists say the loss of natural vegetation due to agriculture and cattle ranching in Rio Grande do Sul state amplified the flooding a network that includes non-profit organizations says the Brazilian state lost 22% of its native vegetation between 1985 and 2022 state and municipal authorities seem to be in agreement since tragedy struck that a massive reforestation effort will be needed in Rio Grande do Sul but the scope of the investment and specific initiatives are yet to be announced Apr 12 (EFE).- Environmentalists see preserving the natural beauty of Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay as a way to promote sustainable development centered on ecotourism offers a very different kind of attraction from the beaches and nightlife of Brazil’s second city The park’s pathways converge on an imposing jequitiba rosa tree that stands 40 m (131 ft) tall and is estimated to be between 800 and 1,000 years old It is one of the few jequitiba rosas to have survived the indiscriminate logging that has made the Atlantic Forest Mosaic Brazil’s most-threatened ecosystem The area is counting on ecotourism to “foster initiatives with positive impact” for communities and the hospitality industry director of projects for the foundation run by Grupo Boticario Brazil’s largest beauty products company Not far from the park is the Guapiaccu reserve a former cattle ranch reforested with more than 720,000 trees and transformed into a vast nursery for various native species of flora and fauna Guapiaccu has become a refuge for capybaras an inn for those who want to spend the night The reserve was founded by Briton Nicholas Locke great-grandson of the original owners of the ranch He says that his aim is to revitalize the region based on the principles of protecting species from habitat loss and ensuring “hydro security” for one of Rio de Janeiro’s main sources of water The pathways of Guanabara Bay are part of a trail that extends 4,000 km (2,500 mi) down the coast to Rio Grande do Sul state “The potential of these regions is enormous and one of the principal objectives is to valorize the local productive chains linked to ecotourism and create standards for environmental restoration on the route,” says Chico Schnoor national coordinator of the Atlantic Mosaic Trail project included mangroves that have remained much as they were when the Portuguese first arrived on these shores The visitor can watch anhingas in flight and gray dolphins chasing swarms of fish a fisherman who leads the Fluminense Mangrove Cooperative said that Guanabara Bay generates “much income” without compromising the natural beauty Taylor Miller Thomas | 03/04/2025 06:27 AM EST A document obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News lists terminated contracts including those that support enhanced energy security in Ukraine and reducing deforestation At least 130 climate- and clean-energy-related contracts are among the more than 5,500 that the Trump administration has canceled so far as part of its dismantling of the U.S POLITICO’s E&E News obtained Monday a full list of the terminated contracts They include contracts aimed at reducing deforestation supporting climate-smart agriculture or mangrove restoration and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the waste sector At least a dozen of the canceled contracts focus on clean or renewable energy efforts Programs focused on enhancing energy security in Ukraine are also among those with canceled contracts The end of the contracts will affect projects in countries around the world from Colombia to South Africa to Indonesia President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on foreign assistance when he entered office and called for a review of that aid to ensure it aligned with his America First agenda. But the immediate halt to that funding drew an outcry from people in the development community who warned it was putting lives at risk USAID has been at the center of a court battle to get aid flowing again officials have been issuing tranches of contract cancellations They include a $1.4 million grant to support South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Partnership is part of an effort to deliver billions of dollars in investments from wealthy nations to help developing countries shift their energy systems from coal to clean energy There’s also a $15 million effort to conserve coastal ecosystems for climate adaptation and $4.7 million to a project that uses satellite data to monitor climate change impacts across the Amazon Basin The latter project is one of several canceled under SERVIR Much of the support USAID offers to climate projects comes in the form of technical or regulatory assistance that can help draw in private sector investments The agency also does a lot of work to help climate-vulnerable countries build resilience to the effects of more severe drought The loss of that support could have long-lasting consequences “It means more people are going to be exposed to the impacts of climate change and have no tools to address that it’s going to mean more carbon in the atmosphere and it’s probably going to mean more forest and biodiversity loss because they were moving pieces across these four strategies,” said Jake Schmidt senior director of international climate at the Natural Resources Defense Council Request a FREE trial to receive unlimited access to 2024 - Family farmer Rita de Cássia Alves has been president of the AgroVerde Cooperative public procurement programmes play a fundamental role in the work that members develop focusing on the entire agricultural production chain has been involved in agriculture since she was young she has been exclusively dedicated to fieldwork and has also begun investing in poultry farming for chicken egg production rural women play a very important role in family farming as well as in the multiple tasks they perform throughout the day "There are many women alone taking care of their children and working in the fields tending to the crops and the house," she says Rita de Cássia identified the opportunity to implement an agribusiness to add even more value and expand the income possibilities for herself and other cooperative members then we package and deliver them for the school feeding programme," explains the president of AgroVerde adding that this is the first agribusiness in the state of Rio de Janeiro to produce and process beans locally Brazilian National School Feeding Programme: more income for farming families Rita de Cássia explains that one of the greatest challenges for family farming and for cooperatives and associations in the sector is ensuring stable and sustainable income two Brazilian public policies have been crucial: the Food Acquisition Programme (PAA for its Portuguese acronym) and the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE which provide not only a stable source of income for her family and other cooperative members but also enable opportunities for growth and financial sustainability the PAA has positively impacted AgroVerde's daily life as a programme that purchases food produced by family farming and distributes it to people facing food and nutritional insecurity as well as those served by social assistance networks it has been established by law that at least 30% of the federal funds allocated to the PNAE by the National Fund for the Educational Development (FNDE) must be invested in the direct purchase of products from family farming for school meals The demand stability generated by the PNAE encourages increased diversified product production "This gives us the possibility to partner with other cooperatives and private institutions," she says these public policies have allowed the consolidation of the cooperative's relationship with the producers' families the engagement of farmers has also contributed to encouraging production diversification and local development "The cooperative strengthens with this economic security enabling us to plan and implement improvements in infrastructure and management," says the leader public procurement policies favor the improvement of socio-environmental practices in the cooperative facilitating access to resources from other government programmes thus expanding opportunities for development and strengthening of local family farming the cooperative's participation in these public policies has provided her and all cooperative members with an additional source of income that is reinvested in product diversification and investments "This allowed the improvement of the cooperative's management and logistics due to increased demand opening the possibility of achieving economic stability for our families." The successful experience of Rita de Cássia and other members of AgroVerde was presented in 2023 to an international delegation from the Dominican Republic composed of managers and other professionals involved in the implementation of the school feeding programme in that country who visited the cooperative facilities in Rio de Janeiro The mission was promoted by the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Programme on school feeding jointly carried out by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE) the National Fund for Educational Development (FNDE/MEC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) One of the actions of this cooperation is to promote the exchange of experiences and best practices among countries including initiatives developed within the Brazilian school feeding policy which serves as a reference for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean The coordinator of the project Regional Agenda for Sustainable School Feeding in Latin America and the Caribbean emphasizes the importance of policies that enable family farmers to have a guaranteed market for the commercialization of their production contributing to better income for their families these policies also contribute to improving and ensuring production increasingly committed to nutrition and the environment for the benefit of improving the quality of life for everyone," Najla evaluates adding: "The coordinated role that women have been playing in productive activities indicates a correct path in the struggle for equity in treatment and opportunities in social life." Paulo Beraldo - [email protected] Palova Brito - [email protected] 43,000+ global companies doing business in the region 102,000+ key contacts related to companies and projects news and interviews about your industry in English (P&GJ) – The Brazil gas and pipelines sector hopes to attract about $20 billion in investments for its development by 2028 thanks to de-monopolization of the industry and the adoption of new legislation made by leading market participants and state analysts most of these funds will be invested in the gas pipeline sector through the building of new pipelines and expansion of already existing ones the Brazil federal government estimates an expansion of the country’s land gas pipeline network of 1,056 miles (1,700 km) over the next few years requiring investments of $3.95 billion (R$17 billion) the Brazil national natural gas transportation network would increase by approximately 20% from the current 5,840-6,897 miles (9,400-11,100 km) The expansion would involve both the construction of new routes the expansion of existing sections and the interconnection of new fuel processing terminals Implementation of these plans is important given the generally low level of development in the Brazil gas market and its transportation segment Brazil has a smaller transport pipeline network than neighboring countries The country also currently has about 4% of Europe’s network and 1.9% of the United States’ network The gas market began to gain more importance in Brazil with the construction of Gasbol (a Bolivia-Brazil Gas Pipeline) in 1997 increasing the share of natural gas in the Brazilian energy matrix from 3% in 1999 to 6% in 2010 but natural gas still faces many challenges as 90% of the natural gas produced and sold in Brazil comes from fields associated with oil In the case of Brazil’s transportation segment, the lack of gas pipelines has been historic problem for the country. Brazil has a poor gas pipeline network when compared to Europe or the United States This was mainly due to a lack of investments in the sector caused by imperfect local legislation and the near-monopolistic position of Petrobras which almost completely controlled both production and transportation of hydrocarbons in Brazil Due to this and other factors – according to analysts – the gas transportation industry spent 10 years with virtually no investment in new pipelines This is also confirmed by official statistics from Abegás (Brazilian Association of Piped Gas Distributing Companies) the gas transportation pipeline network in Brazil stopped growing in 2013 although distribution infrastructure grew by 107% in the same period began to change with the adoption of the so-called “Gas Law,” which established restrictions in the sector preventing transporters from having indirect or direct corporate control or even an affiliation with producers This also led to the start of the Petrobras asset sale process led to the fact that the sector began to receive its first private investments for the expansion of gas pipeline networks and companies operating in the segment at present include at least R$20 billion between 2023 and 2028 to be invested in expansions of pipelines and compression and treatment stations the first step for the end of the company’s dominance in the Brazil pipeline sector became the sale of its two largest natural gas transportation networks The Canadian company Brookfield and Itaúsa purchased Nova Transportadora do Sudeste (NTS) which is the owner of 1,243 miles (2,000 km) of gas pipeline connecting the largest states in the country of Rio Local analysts expect new investment projects in the industry already thanks to a serious improvement of investment climate in the sector This has been recently confirmed by Rogerio Manso president of the Brazilian Transport Pipeline Association (ATGás) “The implementation of the new Gas Law in 2021 brought legal certainty and significant changes such as the new authorization regime for the granting of new gas pipelines,” Manso said The gas transportation companies tripled the investments announced in their multi-year plans increasing from 6 billion BRL (2021) to 18 billion BRL (2023).”  a similar position was shared by Heloísa Borges — a member of the Division of Oil of the Energy Research Agency of the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy She told P&GJ that a number of new investment projects are scheduled for implementation in the Brazil pipeline sector “This [Brazil’s] gas pipeline infrastructure connects to 16 natural gas processing plants and the LNG regasification terminals,” Borges said adding that there are at least three major investment projects which are planned for implementation in the industry in the short-term Those major projects are a pipeline to connect the existing Sergipe LNG terminal to the integrated network, the Itaboraí-Guapimirim pipeline (GASIG-2024) and the GASFOR 2 pipeline there are several projects that involve the expansion of already existing gas pipelines such as the Route 3 Pipeline (2024) and the pipeline from SEAL Basin (2027) and the BM-C-33 area (Campos Basin — a pre-salt area) the Brazilian government is working in ways to support decisions and elaborating on studies aimed at promoting the best use of natural gas produced in Brazil the Brazilian Government’s Gás para Empregar Program presents itself as an example of this This program aims to increase the natural gas supply on the domestic market; increase the availability of natural gas for industry and other sectors; and to improve the use of gas production by reducing reinjected natural gas volumes All of these objectives may result in the expansion of infrastructure — especially natural gas pipelines this has become one of the major problems in recent years for the Brazil gas producing and transporting sectors director of Strategy and Market at the Brazilian Association of Piped Gas Distribution Companies (Abegás) in an interview with Brazil Full Energy magazine has confirmed the importance of this problem Brazil has reinjected more than half of the gas it produces more than 60 million m³ were returned by producers to the fields each day this represents approximately double the average industrial consumption And this gas has been reinjected due to a lack of infrastructure especially flow routes for pre-salt gas.”   Energy-hungry Brazil is also popping up on the radar for Argentina which is building the first phase of a gas pipeline to debottleneck production from the Neuquén basin Vaca Muerta is one of the largest shale gas reserves on the planet The Argentine government estimates an investment of US$3.7 billion (R$20.3 billion) between the province of Neuquén and the border with Brazil in Uruguaiana (RS) for the construction of the pipelines Particularly high hopes from industry players are sitting on the increase of support from the state which — so far — has been generally insufficient “The transportation sector in Brazil does not rely on state subsidies Discussions with the regulator are ongoing and we hope that the announced investments are just the first wave,” Manso said “With the entry of offshore gas from the pre-salt and post-salt reserves we anticipate that this expansion will continue into the next decade.”  experts of the Energy Research Company (EPE) remain generally positive on further prospects for the sector with expectations for growth in natural gas production in Brazil the sector’s supply tends to show an increase of 34% driven mainly by new projects that will come into operation in the country The projection also considers international trade, both in terms of import capacity via ships and gas from Bolivia. The expectation is that the volume of gas injected into the Brazil national pipeline network will increase from the current 1.44 Bcfd (134 MMcmd) to 1.96 Bcfd (182 MMcmd) in 2032 the sector’s infrastructure will be expanded with the construction of new natural gas processing units and gas pipelines — especially in the Northeast region which concentrates the largest number of new suppliers and offers more competitive prices These changes promise to boost the natural gas market and open new opportunities for the Brazilian energy sector One of our administrators will review your comment before posting it onto the website Toyo Setal will conclude construction of the UPGN which halted in midyear-2022 following the previous main contractor’s inability to complete the project Award of the contract follows Petrobras’ launch of a tender in September 2022 seeking a replacement contractor to complete the remaining scope of work on the Route 3 UPGN called for the winning bidder to deliver civil construction as well as assisted operation of lingering works for both gas processing units of the GasLub Itaboraí complex’s Route 3 gas plant including supply of materials and equipment With the newly awarded contract to Toyo Setal Petrobras said it expects start of gas processing operations in the GasLub Itaboraí to begin in 2024 in accordance with the operator’s 2023-27 strategic plan Other units required to start these operations—including auxiliary units as well as subsea and onshore pipelines—have already completed construction and are in their final commissioning or preoperational phases Alongside the new Route 3 UPGN—which will consist of two 10.5-million cu m/day processing trains—the Route 3 project includes a 355-km gas pipeline (307 km offshore 48 km onshore) that will deliver about 18 million cu m/day of natural gas from the Santos basin presalt cluster to the UPGN at GasLub Itaboraí By providing an outlet for associated gas from the Santos basin presalt area Petrobras said it expects completion of the Route 3 project also will enable increased production of crude oil from the presalt offshore fields Before the halt to construction activities for the Route 3 UPGN a series of major works on the new gas plant and associated pipeline system had already been completed In a series of Petrobras Informas regional updates issued between October 2019 and February 2022 the company confirmed concluding the following construction-related activities on the Route 3 UPGN and gas pipeline: following initial work stoppage at the site Petrobras began preliminary operational tests at GasLub Itaboraí with reception of unprocessed gas (rich gas) volumes from the Cabiúnas terminal via the Guapimirim-Comperj I (Gaserj) gas pipeline the operator said in a mid-February 2022 release The gas enabled startup of GasLub Itaboraí’s utility systems—mainly the steam generation and distribution unit—to guarantee operation of installations and equipment necessary for full startup of the new UPGN substations responsible for energy distribution—including electricity—an integrated control center and the flare system also were already operating Petrobras—which completed installation of the deepwater sections of the Route 3 pipeline in 2019 and shallow-water and onshore sections in early 2022—began partial operation of the pipeline’s ultradeep and deep maritime sections in June 2022 with an undisclosed volume of pre-salt natural gas deliveries from the P-77 platform in Santos basin presalt layer’s Búzios field natural gas flows through the operable Route 3 portion of the line were directed via an interconnection to the Route 2 gas pipeline for delivery to the 24.6-million cu m/day Cabiúnas gas processing plant in Macaé Petrobras previously said it also was continuing to evaluate integration of some units at GasLub Itaboraí with its 239,000-b/d Duque de Caxias (REDUC) refinery in the Baixada Fluminense area of Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state for production of basic lubricants and fuels from intermediate products delivered via pipeline from the refinery to the Itaboraí gas hub Robert Brelsford joined Oil & Gas Journal in October 2013 as downstream technology editor after 8 years as a crude oil price and news reporter on spot crude transactions at the US Gulf Coast He holds a BA (2000) in English from Rice University and an MS (2003) in education and social policy from Northwestern University The Atlantic Forest is the Brazilian biome with the largest number of endangered plant and animal species in the country according to a survey released on Wednesday (May 24) The survey is based on the lists of fauna - prepared by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) - and flora elaborated by the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro (JBRJ) Species categorized as "Data Deficient (DD)" and "Near Threatened (NT)" are not considered threatened The NT category serves as the intermediary step before a species is classified as "Vulnerable (VU)" the Atlantic Forest stands out with the highest number of assessed species It is also the region with the greatest concentration of threatened species equivalent to nearly a quarter (24.1%) of the total 43 percent of all threatened species find their home within the Atlantic Forest this biome has the highest number of declared extinct species The most recent addition to this list is the bell-legged stilt (Boana cymbalum) IBGE researcher Leonardo Bergamini elucidates that the Atlantic Forest's threatened species prominence can be attributed to multiple factors it is linked to the intrinsic characteristics of the biome itself encompassing numerous endemic and geographically restricted species the extensive history of human occupation and subsequent loss of native areas in the Atlantic Forest play a significant role the concentration of institutions and research centers within this biome contributes to greater availability of information regarding its biodiversity facilitating more accurate assessments of species' extinction risks The Amazon biome stands out as having the lowest number of threatened species among those assessed the Pantanal biome exhibits a relatively low proportion of threatened species with 1,825 species (4.1%) falling into this category IBGE also reported that the total number of species assessed in 2022 increased compared to the list drawn up in 2014 Plants went from 9 percent of the total (4,304) to 15 percent (7,517) while animals rose from 10 percent (12,009) to 11 percent (13,939) "This is a positive stride towards obtaining a more comprehensive understanding of the status of species in Brazil and the condition of the ecosystems in which they thrive," stated Bergamini The number of endangered species has dropped both in flora and fauna The plant species at risk of extinction went from 47.4 percent in 2014 to 42.7 percent in 2022 fell from 9.8 percent to 9 percent in the period Both flora and fauna have witnessed a decline in the number of endangered species The percentage of plant species at risk of extinction decreased from 47.4 percent in 2014 to 42.7 percent in 2022 the proportion of threatened animal species decreased from 9.8 percent to 9 percent over the same period can be explained by the increase in the number of species assessed the majority of species examined in both fauna and flora belong to terrestrial habitats accounting for 65 percent in 2014 and rising to 70 percent in 2022 Freshwater species experienced a slight decrease from 39 percent to 37 percent while marine species also exhibited a minor decline from 16 percent to 15 percent.