The government of Norway formalized an agreement with the Brazilian government to contribute USD 1 billion to the Fondo Amazonia through 2015. Norway is the first investor in the fund, which was created to mobilize international resources to protect the world’s largest tropical forest. The Brazilian government must invest these resources in forest conservation initiatives and in the upkeep of environmental conservation areas. This fund differs from other large donations for the Amazon in that delivery is contingent on a verifiable reduction in deforestation rates. The initiative represents a new type of cooperation based on incentives to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions produced by deforestation in the region. Tasso Azevedo, AVINA partner since 2001 and currently director of the Brazilian Forest Service, has been the prime promoter behind the idea for the Amazon fund, which AVINA backed from the outset with strategic support for its development and communication.

The O Eco web portal has contributed to a paradigm shift within Brazilian environmental journalism, placing the environment at the heart of discussions on development issues. O Eco, led by AVINA partner Marcos Sá Correa, is responsible for quality journalism that encourages an environmental perspective in the interpretation and understanding of events in the news. O Eco, launched in 2004 with AVINA support, is now the primary reference and source of inspiration for federal authorities in the environmental field, as well as for environmental professionals in large Brazilian companies.

A group of rural business people in Paraguay have set aside portions of their properties for the establishment of five new private nature reserves, increasing the amount of protected areas in private hands by 20%. There are currently 16 landowners who have committed a total area of 272,956 hectares to biodiversity conservation in the country. Thirteen additional reserves are in the approval process. The Paraguayan Network for Environmental Conservation on Private Lands and AVINA partners such as the Moisés Bertoni Foundation, the Environmental Law and Economics Institute, Guyrá Paraguay and the DeSdel Chaco Foundation, among others, have actively promoted private conservation that combines productive activities and biodiversity conservation.