With the motto “All forests matter”, the Nossas Terras Firmes (NTF) project is using blockchain to preserve forests, in addition to teaching Web3 technologies to indigenous peoples and excluded groups.
Any private area from 1 hectare can be eligible to participate in the program, anywhere in the world.
Decentralized and preserved forest reserves
The Nossas Terras Firmes project works to create an innovative ecosystem for environmental conservation in Brazil, combining technologies such as blockchain with the protection of Private Natural Heritage Reserves (RPPNs). The initiative involves the tokenization of these areas, allowing the digital recognition of ecosystem services.
Our Lands: How it all began
BeInCrypto Brazil spoke with Iara Vicente, born in the heart of the Amazon, in the state of Acre, where she grew up “deeply connected to the socio-environmental reality of the region.” The sociologist, graduated from the University of Brasília (UnB) and has a master’s degree in Public Administration in Science and Environmental Policy from Columbia University, is responsible for the NTF.
Iara began her career as a researcher at the Amazon Institute of Man and the Environment (Imazon). She was also the first sociologist on a team predominantly made up of engineers and environmental technicians.
I contributed to designing sustainable land use strategies for the Calha Norte region of the Amazon River, one of the largest continuous extensions of tropical forest in the world, covering more than 22 million hectares, he reveals.
The experience allowed Iara to work closely with indigenous, quilombola and riverside communities, “learning from their realities and challenging myself to integrate their voices into transformative policies”.
Iara, in fact, also contributed to the development of public policies in Pará, where she developed, in partnership with IdeflorBio, the technical subsidies that culminated in the Community Environmental Agents Program (PAAC-PA).
This innovative project of co-management of conservation units continues to impact the region, and was a milestone for me. This experience motivated me to found my own company, Nossa Terra Firme Consultoria, to expand my work on several fronts and contribute to the training of new professionals in the environmental field in Brazil and the Global South, says Iara.
After three years at the helm of Nossa Terra Firme and completing her master's degree, the sociologist was nominated by Columbia University to participate in the UNLEASH Innovation Lab in Denmark. In fact, she was one of 1,000 professionals selected globally to accelerate the achievement of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This experience broadened my vision and, as a result, we expanded the consultancy’s services to the Global South, with projects in Haiti, Nigeria and several regions of Africa. At the same time, we strengthened our presence in Brazil, promoting indigenous and bioeconomy businesses, with applied research as the cornerstone of all our work.
After learning about blockchain, the manager began to explore the enormous potential of technology to scale the corporate and public socio-environmental impact approach.
This is how the blockchain front emerged in the company, where we developed disruptive solutions such as Okan Impact Reporting, the first solution on the market for producing ESG reports directly on the blockchain. In addition, we created the Nossas Terras Firmes project, which creates voluntary nature reserves, bringing innovation to environmental conservation in Brazil, he adds.
NFT represents preserved area
All areas that become “Our Firm Lands” reserves will be represented by the NFT “NTF – Our Firm Lands”. The token guarantees functionalities, such as, for example, raising funds in crypto to structure, above all, new sustainable businesses.
Our approach is unique: we combine traditional knowledge from the Amazon with the most advanced data technology in the world, says Vicente.
Preservation of archaeological heritage in the Amazon
Unlike many projects in the tech space, NTF already has the first tokenized reserve. It is located in Monte Alegre, Pará, and is the first private area in the country dedicated to preserving archaeological heritage in the Amazon.
Located in an environment under strong pressure from soy and livestock farming, the first Nossa Terras Firmes Voluntary Reserve currently preserves 17 archaeological sites in the region, explains Iara.
Cave paintings dating back approximately 11,000 years have been found in at least five archaeological sites. Data from the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan) shows more than 37,000 archaeological sites in Brazil. Many are at risk of disappearing due to the acceleration of recent fires in the Amazon and throughout the country.
cave paintings in a preserved area in Monte Alegre of the Nossas Terras Firmes Project
With the Okan blockchain, the sociologist simplifies the data disclosure process, increasing transparency and, most importantly, the reliability of companies' socio-environmental information. In addition, it promotes a positive impact by giving visibility to relevant issues regarding good governance practices, environmental and social issues.
The next steps for the reserve in Monte Alegre include, for example, connecting environmental preservation with decentralized financing mechanisms.
Nossas Terras Firmes wants a voluntary protection network for forests
Furthermore, among the objectives of Terras Firmes is to create a voluntary protection network in the country's forests.
We want to work to promote additional conservation, that is, the conservation and protection of forest areas, mangroves, cerrado and other original biomes that are not covered by the protection mechanisms provided for by law (Conservation Units, Legal Reserves or Permanent Protection Areas).
The areas mentioned by Vicente are places where “legal” deforestation is still permitted. The idea is for the owners of these lands to make a voluntary commitment to preserve them.
Forests act as refuges for countless species of fauna and flora, many of which are endemic or endangered. These areas also act as ecological corridors, connecting larger habitats and allowing the migration and dispersal of species, which is essential for genetic exchange and population resilience.
Furthermore, small forests contribute to local climate regulation, soil water retention, and provide ecosystem services such as pollination and agricultural pest control.
According to Iara, even in urban areas, the presence of forest fragments helps to mitigate the effects of heat islands and improve air quality, benefiting both nature and the human populations living nearby.
Project builds bridge to hiring indigenous people
Another aspect of the project is to promote Web3 by providing ESG solutions for large companies in the sector. In fact, this is how NTF participated in the first hiring of an indigenous programmer in Brazil.
Amanda Puyanawa Costa began to understand crypto in 2022 and was the first indigenous programmer hired by a big tech company. At the time, she graduated from the CriptoDev program, while studying between her village and the city of Rio Branco, in Acre. Trained as an Ethereum programmer, the young woman worked at Mercado Bitcoin for two years.
Amanda Puyanawa, indigenous programmer.
Puyanawa revealed to BeInCrypto that when she was invited by Iara to participate in the program, she thought it was a prank.
Today I am working and trying to create a system to optimize and provide more security in the local agroindustry sector, says Puyanawa.
The developer also reveals that, before participating in the Crypto Dev Program, she was a young woman with no prospects. Today, “he highly recommends that people learn about web3 and new technologies”.
The CriptoDev affirmative action program, despite being a successful pilot that inspired other initiatives in the ecosystem, is no longer active. The NTF manager points out that one of the challenges of keeping the indigenous public studying is the lack of initiatives for indigenous peoples.
Polygon meet up with indigenous students and Terras Firmes partnership
Inclusion is also a priority for the NTF
In addition to indigenous people, the NTF wants to guarantee access and Web3 tools to black populations, people from terreiros, peripheral areas, women and the LGBTIAQPN+ population.
And this is how we start to contribute to this agenda in the crypto sector, explains Iara.
Unexplored layers between ReFi and the crypto world
Furthermore, the project aims to raise funds through crypto assets to support small sustainable businesses in vulnerable areas. These crypto assets will be issued in partnership with Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), communities, exchanges, and companies in the crypto industry. This allows these entities to contribute to environmental preservation.
We seek to expand ReFi initiatives by combining traditional crypto investments with conservation strategies. The company Nossas Terras Firmes will work by connecting areas with conservation potential, such as ecotourism and carbon credits, to companies specialized in ReFi or DeFi, aiming to launch assets and generate resources to strengthen the local economy, concludes Iara Vicente.
The article Project uses Web3 to preserve forests and create opportunities in the Amazon was first seen on BeInCrypto Brasil.
