Brazil

Mata Viva^®

BASF launched Mata Viva^® in Brazil in 1984 as a voluntary initiative, going beyond regulatory requirements, to protect water, conserve soil and restore native vegetation and wildlife. Its first milestone was the restoration of 128 hectares of riparian forest along the Paraíba do Sul River, next to the Guaratinguetá chemical complex, BASF’s largest in South America. Over four decades, the program has restored approximately 900 hectares and planted more than 1.4 million native seedlings, while conserving private forests at BASF sites as permanent habitat for native biodiversity.

Why

Since 2005, Mata Viva^® has been coordinated by Fundação Eco+ (formerly Espaço ECO Foundation), created by BASF with the support of the German government. The program works on two complementary fronts: the conservation of private forests – the Mata Viva^® forests inside BASF sites, managed as permanent conservation areas – and restoration plantings on rural properties and partner areas, carried out with farmers and local partners in more than 150 Brazilian municipalities.

On farms, restored native vegetation protects the water and soil on which agricultural production depends and creates habitat for wildlife within productive landscapes. The Mata Viva Dashboard maps the program’s restoration plantings.

How

Private forest conservation at BASF sites. Four BASF sites in São Paulo state host Mata Viva^® forests: Guaratinguetá, Jacareí, Batistini and the Experimental Station in Santo Antônio de Posse. These private forests are managed as permanent conservation areas, with ongoing monitoring and biodiversity assessments of fauna and flora that provide baseline data for adaptive management. They shelter Atlantic Forest species such as the Brazilian tanager and the brassy-breasted tanager, recorded at the Jacareí reserve. The Mata Viva^® reserves in Jacareí and Guaratinguetá hold WHC Conservation Certification^®, awarded in 2025 and 2026 respectively, in recognition of their governance, habitat management and biodiversity conservation.

Restoration on rural properties. Beyond BASF sites, Mata Viva^® supports farmers and partners in restoring degraded areas on rural properties, including through the Mata Viva^® Emissions Compensation Program. Plantings are monitored for at least two years to verify seedling establishment and vegetation development. Between 2020 and 2022, 16 hectares were restored in areas inhabited by endangered fauna species, and the areas planted in 2020 and 2021 have already reached their expected success indicators. In 2023, the program supported the development of a native seed network with family farmers and planted 33,000 seedlings across three regions of São Paulo state.

Recent milestones. In 2024, Mata Viva^® celebrated its 40th anniversary by planting 40,000 native seedlings with BASF employees across BASF sites and partner areas. In 2025, the program planted 30,855 native seedlings and restored 15.6 hectares: 18,000 seedlings (10.8 ha) on rural properties in Ribeirão Bonito (São Paulo), under the Emissions Compensation Program and support to farmers, and 12,855 seedlings (4.8 ha) in the Mata Viva^® forest at BASF Guaratinguetá. BASF also supported the book “Vale do Paraíba: Natureza, Cultura e Sustentabilidade”, which features Mata Viva^®: 3,000 copies were distributed across the region, together with teacher training in Jacareí and Guaratinguetá.

Results

SDGs