The Atlantic Rainforest is one of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots. It ranks among the planet’s richest regions in species richness—boasting high levels of endemism and numerous species threatened with extinction. Less than a quarter of its original forest cover remains, and only 12.4% of this highly fragmented biome is classified as old- growth forest. Yet, the Atlantic Rainforest remains one of the 33 most under-studied terrestrial regions on Earth, making botanical collection efforts a critical priority.
Reversing this degradation depends, in part, on the quality of ecological restoration executed across Brazil. However, achieving high-quality restoration remains a significant challenge. Many restoration projects rely on a limited selection of fast-growing pioneer species, failing to reintroduce the structural and species diversity necessary for the forest to develop autonomously over time.
For Viveiro Muda Tudo (aptly translated as the ‘Seedlings of Change’ Nursery), a socio-environmental initiative based in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, this bottleneck is structural. Within the ecological restoration sector, native seedlings are frequently treated as mere commodities. Plants are viewed as simple inputs to be procured at the lowest possible cost, rather than living organisms with intrinsic genetic and ecological value. This market logic drives the large-scale production of very few species, propagated from a narrow pool of parent trees. While this drives down unit prices, this practice severely compromises the long-term ecological resilience and biodiversity of the restored rainforest.
An Approach Rooted in Science and Geography
The Muda Tudo nursery was designed specifically to counter this commodity-driven logic. Established in 2016, the initiative functions as a decentralized research center—conducting botanical expeditions, mapping seed sources (parent trees), depositing botanical specimens in herbaria, and maintaining a robust phenological database. This rigorous scientific fieldwork, conducted in partnership with researchers from various academic institutions, is precisely what gets left out of the equation when seedlings are commercialized as mere inputs. Additionally, the project runs an education center that hosts lectures, workshops, and cultural activities aimed at mobilizing the community around ecological restoration and environmental stewardship.
A Framework for Scaling Up Scientific Research
The Viveiro Muda Tudo Philanthropic Fund was established in partnership with Sitawi Finanças do Bem to secure greater sustainable backing for this ongoing work.
Ongoing field research, recurring expeditions, and the maintenance of phenological databases are part of a long-term strategy that expands the nursery's impact far beyond seedling production. To strengthen and ensure greater sustainability of this operation, the Muda Tudo Nursery Fund relies on the structured financial and philanthropic management of Sitawi Finanças do Bem, which acts as the fiscal sponsor of the initiative, ensuring consolidated governance standards and contributing to transparency in the allocation and accountability of resources.
In practice, this framework enables the nursery to access national and international funding with the institutional security that larger donors require, without having to manage complex tax and regulatory hurdles.
For Barbara Pellegrini, founder of the Muda Tudo nursery, establishing the Fund is an important step to sustain the work that has been carried out for years. “The Fund is born from the understanding that the ecological restoration of the Atlantic Rainforest needs to go beyond seedling production," Pellegrini states. "For a forest to exist with autonomy once again, we must deeply understand the species, their parent trees, their reproductive cycles, and their relationships with local fauna and the territory. We are very happy with our partnership with Sitawi because it allows us to structure this Fund with the governance, transparency, and security required by those who wish to support our purpose.”
Fernanda Pessoa, Senior Philanthropy Manager at Sitawi Finanças do Bem, underscores the vital role of strategic philanthropic mechanisms in biodiversity conservation. “Projects like the Muda Tudo nursery demonstrate that ecological restoration relies on funding structures capable of supporting what a standard seedling price simply cannot cover: research, land management, technical expertise, community mobilization, and long-term continuity," Pessoa notes. "For us, this partnership reinforces philanthropy as a powerful tool to unlock environmental solutions that are deeply rooted in local territories and aligned with global biodiversity challenges.”
Behind the name Muda Tudo —a clever wordplay in Portuguese blending "change everything" with "planting seedlings"—lies a fundamental belief: lasting ecological restoration cannot happen without a profound shift in the values that guide human behavior. The project was intentionally designed to be small-scale and deeply community-rooted, making it uniquely replicable in other regions facing identical ecological and structural challenges.
The Muda Tudo initiative is also integrated into the UMMA Regenerative Business Hub, a network that brings together organizations and professionals dedicated to driving regenerative impact. This collaboration strengthens local capacities, fosters collaborative networks, drives circular economies, and refines landscape-scale strategies. For the nursery, this ecosystem broadens its synergy with peer organizations working at the intersection of conservation, ecological restoration, culture, and sustainable local development.
