Serra Bonita, Brazil

With over 95% of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil's most endangered biome, already lost in southern Bahia, expanding private nature reserves will be crucial to preserving this ecosystem.

Serra Bonita, meaning “beautiful mountain” in Portuguese, is one of the last intact remnants of Atlantic Forest, surrounded by a landscape largely converted to pasture. The project expands the reserve to 20,000 hectares by partnering with local smallholder farmers to conserve intact forest on their land. It follows the SOCIALCARBON methodology for the Conservation of Key Biodiversity Areas, with removals measured directly using flux towers and credits issued on net annual carbon removal.

Serra Bonita protects critical habitat for endangered species, including the Yellow-breasted Capuchin Monkey (fewer than 3,000 left in the wild) and the critically endangered Banded Cotinga (fewer than 1,000 globally). The project also focuses on the reintroduction of species that have gone extinct in the wild. Northern Brown Howler Monkeys were hunted to extinction in the region in the 1960s, but Serra Bonita was gifted a male that had been kept as a pet and now has a breeding pair for reintroduction.

Local landowners benefit directly from the project, receiving financial incentives to conserve forest. The project creates local employment as rangers and biodiversity monitors, with a focus on empowering women, and supports environmental education programmes that strengthen long-term stewardship.