THE CHALLENGE & OPPORTUNITY
Latin America holds some of the world’s richest biodiversity and biocultural knowledge. Yet, these ecosystems require renewed pathways that ensure their regeneration and resilience.
To address this, the NaturaTech LAC initiative, spearheaded by BID Lab and co-led by C Minds, fosters innovation and investment for biodiversity — bridging cutting-edge technology with Indigenous and local knowledge. Their mission: scale innovative solutions for biodiversity that restore ecosystems, strengthen nature-positive economies, and build community resilience.
At the same time, Savimbo, a social enterprise rooted in community agroforestry, is working to regenerate degraded land, create tangible livelihoods, and make biodiversity finance more accessible to Indigenous and local farmers. Their collaboration represents a powerful example of how cross-sector partnerships can spark systemic change.
MEET THE INNOVATORS FROM SAVIMBO
Savimbo’s “Sexy Trees” project reimagines agroforestry as a microtised and scalable climate solution. By integrating traditional knowledge, Inga Alley Cropping, Indigenous chagras, carbon markets, and new financing models, the initiative restores ecosystems while ensuring that communities are not just beneficiaries but active leaders of change.
“We're a social enterprise. We think for-profit moves faster, disintermediates better, is nimbler, and leaner, and innovates quicker. BUT (and its a big but), it's not about profit for us, profit is a tool to protect Nature.”
MEET NATURATECH LAC (C MINDS)
For NaturaTech LAC, innovation for biodiversity is key to catalyzing scalable solutions, connect relevant actors and regenerate ecosystems across the region. Through its platform, NaturaTech LAC identifies solutions, supports ecosystem actors and promotes finance schemes that are capable of delivering measurable nature-positive economies across the region.
Savimbo’s proposal was selected as one of NaturaTech LAC’s prize winners for its strong alignment with its mission. With an initial USD 100,000 grant, NaturaTech LAC has provided support to Savimbo to kickstart its agroforestry methodology initiative.
"At C Minds, through NaturaTech LAC, we see the biodiversity crisis as one of the greatest global challenges. We believe the path forward requires scaling solutions that embed local voices, regenerate ecosystems, and create lasting value for communities."
A REGENERATIVE COLLABORATION
How the partnership works
Savimbo applied to NaturaTech LAC’s Prize and was selected for its “Savimbo Agroforestry Protocol” proposal. Since 2024, NaturaTech LAC has provided funding and strategic support, allowing Savimbo to carry out agroforestry pilots and design methodologies for biodiversity credits led by Indigenous and local communities.
Impact at a glance
Thanks to the funds provided by NaturaTech LAC, Savimbo has achieved the following:
in catalytic funding secured
launched under the 'Sexy Trees' programme
on degraded lands
engaged in nature-positive enterprise
Challenges and lessons learned
The collaboration highlighted both practical and cultural lessons. Building true nature-positive partnerships requires not only financial alignment but also the ability to bridge languages, contexts, and worldviews. For NaturaTech, it reinforced the importance of listening deeply to community perspectives. For Savimbo, it underscored how shared values can overcome barriers — even if that means learning to communicate in “Spanglish” as the common ground.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Savimbo is preparing to publish the first results of the “Sexy Trees” project, expanding visibility and attracting further investment to scale its agroforestry model. The aim is to access financial markets for tangible outcomes in four dimensions of a holistic solution: carbon, biodiversity, water, and tree credits. NaturaTech LAC continues to support ventures like Savimbo as part of its mission to build a Latin American portfolio of high-impact, community-driven nature solutions.
WORDS OF ADVICE
