A pioneering reforestation company receives BrazilFoundation’s award for a model that blends science, climate finance, and local development in Bahia.
Symbiosis, a reforestation company founded by entrepreneur Bruno Mariani, has been named the honoree of the first edition of Gala Trancoso. The philanthropic event, organized by BrazilFoundation and Instituto Capim Santo, takes place on April 20 at the Teatro L’Occitane in Trancoso, Bahia.
A model that reinvents the forest
The award recognizes Symbiosis’s groundbreaking work in restoring the Atlantic Forest in one of its most degraded regions. Operating in southern Bahia, the company developed an innovative native-species silviculture system capable of recreating biodiverse forests that are also economically productive.
The model combines forest science, climate finance, and sustainable land management to restore soils, water resources, and biodiversity — while generating high-value timber and reducing pressure on remaining forest fragments.
Ecological corridors and climate capital
Around Trancoso, Symbiosis builds ecological corridors and maintains seed banks sourced from native mother trees, preserving the Atlantic Forest’s genetic diversity at scale. The strength of this model has drawn private investors and, most recently, funding from the Green Climate Fund, managed by Brazil’s national development bank, BNDES.
Our pioneering journey built knowledge and technologies that did not exist when we started. Today, we deliver more than restored areas that capture carbon, preserve biodiversity, and create jobs. We are about to deliver high-quality timber to a market where Brazil has immense potential. Restoring degraded land is a development opportunity for investors, communities, and the state. That is the vision of the future that Gala Trancoso celebrates. — Bruno Mariani, founder, president, and CEO of Symbiosis
Philanthropy meets environmental impact
Gala Trancoso is held annually by BrazilFoundation in New York and São Paulo. In this special edition, part of the proceeds supports the foundation’s mission to fund social and environmental organizations across Brazil. The remainder benefits Instituto Capim Santo, an NGO founded 17 years ago in Trancoso by chef Morena Leite, whose national-scale work focuses on social gastronomy, productive inclusion, and the promotion of Brazilian biodiversity.
Over 25 years, BrazilFoundation has mobilized international resources to support Brazilian civil society, investing more than US$ 60 million across more than 1,000 initiatives, including environmental protection and forest restoration projects across multiple biomes.
Event Info
- Event: Gala Trancoso — 1st edition
- Date: April 20, 2026
- Venue: Teatro L’Occitane, Trancoso, Bahia
- Organizers: BrazilFoundation and Instituto Capim Santo
- Honoree: Symbiosis
