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In October and November 2024, Pilot Projects team member Milla Lopes-Luchak traveled from our Montreal offices to Brazil to lay the groundwork for upcoming initiatives ahead of COP30. Her journey spanned multiple cities, meetings with academic and business leaders, and site visits, focusing on fostering partnerships and identifying key locations for impactful projects. Along the way, Milla participated in the Colóquio Organizações, Desenvolvimento e Sustentabilidade (CODS), the Amazon Business Encounter, and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) conferences.
A Bio-Based Pavilion in Belém
The journey began in Belém, a historic city at the mouth of the Amazon, renowned for its leadership in forest stewardship and home to prominent research institutions. As the host city of COP30, Belém offers a unique platform to unite stakeholders committed to addressing climate challenges, forest conservation, sustainable urban construction, and community livelihoods.
We’re pleased to be building new partnerships with the Federal University of Amazonas, Federal University of Para (UFPA), and the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) and the Brazilian agricultural research corporation (Embrapa) Amazônia Oriental. COP30 will be a unique opportunity to convene organizations and leaders focused on climate, forests, and the built environment.
In Belém, plans are underway for bio-based and timber building demonstrations to be unveiled at COP30. These will showcase a strategic mix of sustainable timber sources such as native conservation timber, certified plantation timber, and circular/reused timber. These structures will amplify the momentum of global initiatives like the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (Global ABC) and the Forest & Climate Leaders' Partnership, continuing from COP27, COP28, and COP29 in Baku. During her visit to Belem, Milla explored possible sites near the COP venue, including the UFPA campus, and the bustling Estacao das Docas.
São Paulo as a Forest-Positive Innovator
São Paulo provides a striking example of the urbanization expected in developing countries worldwide. The case for bio-based urban construction is that global urbanization built in concrete and steel will swamp all climate targets. São Paulo shows the urgent need to integrate forest-positive solutions into the fabric of urban development to build a truly sustainable future.
Milla met with leaders from BIOTA Synthesis and the University of São Paulo (USP) to discuss the creation of a hub for Atlantic Forest restoration linked to the urban energy of this great city of 23 million people. This initiative envisions connecting local communities and academic institutions to develop scalable solutions for climate resilience and sustainable urban growth.
Milla also visited Urbem, a pioneer in Brazil’s mass timber industry. With urban construction traditionally dominated by emissions-heavy materials like concrete and steel, Urbem’s innovations offer a sustainable alternative that could transform how cities build for the future.
Preparing for COP30: Cities and Forests in Harmony
As global cities strive to meet net-zero goals, their role in co-creating, testing, and scaling forest-positive solutions cannot be overstated. COP30 presents a critical opportunity to showcase Brazil’s leadership in conservation, sustainable timber use, and urban innovation.
Our efforts in Belém include:
Learning more about the unique urban and ecological challenges and opportunities of Brazil.
Developing urban infrastructure pilots that showcase sustainable timber from the region.
Advancing both conservation and restoration initiatives in the Atlantic and Amazon forests.
Join Us in Building a Forest-Positive Future
We’re convinced there’s no better place than Brazil to showcase the synergy between the world’s most charismatic forests and cities. COP30 in Belem will be an event of extreme importance for international collaboration towards net zero goals; we believe that showcasing the possibility of wood as a low-carbon sustainable building material, especially in the Amazonian region, will have a very high impact on action plans of participating countries.
If you’re interested in collaborating on ambitious projects involving forest conservation, community livelihoods, and sustainable timber innovations, we’d love to hear from you. Let’s build a future where cities and forests thrive together!
Panel held at the Amazon and New Economies conference held in Belém on the theme of “Forest Restoration: Role in the Amazon economy and neutralizing emissions”. This international event discussed the paths of the national and international economy while maintaining sustainability as a main pillar. Through the conference, there was no discussion about the use of wood as a driver of conservation, emissions reduction and economic development in Brazil. We intend to bring this international priority to Belem in a big way for COP30.
PreciousWoods Amazon is one example of a conservation timber enterprise that supports dozens of community livelihoods while protecting nearly 500,000 hectares of native Amazon Forest. Satellite images show that after 25 years of continuous harvest the forest cover inside this concession is significantly better than the surrounding area. We used PreciousWoods Amazon timber for our Partner Forest Program with Galway, Ireland.
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