Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled this week a collaborative plan to invest €1 billion in the Amazon rainforest. The initiative, announced on Tuesday, would also cover parts of the Amazon located in French Guiana.
According to the joint statement issued by the governments of Brazil and France, the funds — allocated over the next four years — would come from state-run Brazilian banks and France’s investment agency; opportunities for private sector involvement are also encouraged, both nations emphasized.
Marcon and Lula, the statement adds, are hoping to promote “a great public and private global investment plan into the bioeconomy” in the Amazon.
President Lula emphasized the global significance of Macron’s visit, characterizing it as part of a concerted effort to bolster rainforest protections worldwide: “We want to convince those who have already deforested that they need to contribute in an important way to countries that still have their forests to keep them standing.”
The leaders’ plan proposes the creation of a carbon market that would reward countries investing in natural carbon sinks like the Amazon. It also includes support for “Indigenous people and local Amazon communities, which have an essential role in protecting biodiversity through their traditional knowledge and forest management practices,” the statement adds.
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The historic announcement comes amidst a broader agenda to revitalize the relationship between Brazil and France, which had been strained during the tenure of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
President Macron’s three-day visit to Brazil, which started in the Amazonian city of Belem (host of the 2025 UN climate talks), marks the first visit to Brazil by a French president in 11 years. It is meant to symbolize a renewed commitment to deepening cooperation in protecting the rainforest and enhancing trade ties.
According to Macron’s office, the collaborative efforts between France and Brazil extend beyond environmental concerns: the leaders will work on “set[ing] a common course” to address climate change and poverty ahead of Brazil’s hosting of the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro and the upcoming UN climate talks in Belem.
