The Green Diamond: SELVA's revolutionary approach to amazon primary rainforest restoration

SELVA: WHISPER OF THE PINK DOLPHIN

21/03/2025

Introduction

The Green Diamond is an original and exclusive creation of SELVA–Vida Sin Fronteras (SELVA) and a registered trademark of our reforestation program, successfully implemented in the Ecuadorian Amazon for over a decade.

This pioneering project takes root within SELVA’s Agua Rico and Aguas Negras Flora and Fauna Reserves, designated by UNESCO as the Amazon Reserves for Peace. Situated at the heart of one of the most biodiverse and species-rich rainforests on Earth, these reserves are globally recognized for their ecological significance.

For over 30 years, SELVA has played an important role in Amazon conservation, following three institutional development pillars: (1) Reclaim, Reforest, Protect; (2) Research, Monitor, and Mediate; and (3) Support Vital Guardian Communities. Our efforts have been acknowledged by both UNESCO and the World Conservation Congress (IUCN).

This recognition highlights SELVA’s contributions to biodiversity conservation, the protection of endemic and endangered species, and the empowerment of ancestral inhabitants who have made the rainforest their home over centuries. By ensuring their active participation remains central to conservation efforts, SELVA promotes a sustainable and inclusive approach to environmental protection.

Within this context, the Green Diamond emerges as a living expression of SELVA’s mission—restoring ecosystems, empowering Indigenous communities, and safeguarding the Amazon for future generations. Central to our concept and reforestation technique is the principle that reforestation must respect and maintain the intricate balance and interconnectedness of flora and fauna in Amazon primary forests. More than just a restoration effort, it represents a holistic approach that integrates ecological harmony with long-term sustainability.

As deforestation and climate change accelerate, initiatives like the Green Diamond are not only necessary but imperative, offering a replicable model for restoring degraded ecosystems while safeguarding the intricate balance that sustains the world’s last vast tropical rainforest

  The Green Diamond: A Living Blueprint of the Amazon

The Green Diamond is not just a reforestation model—it is a living blueprint of a primary Amazon rainforest. Rather than imposing human designs onto the land, it follows the logic of the forest itself, recreating the intricate web of relationships that sustain its biodiversity.

To understand and shape this blueprint, we at SELVA were privileged and honoured to be students of  the  Governor-Shamans  of  the Cofan,  Secoya, and Siona communities—Aurelio, Cesario, and Delio. For over 25 years, they guided us through the untouched rainforests of Cuyabeno and Yasuní National Parks, as well as the vast regions that form our project area. Their knowledge, passed down through generations, is not simply an understanding of individual trees, animals, or ecosystems—it is an intimate awareness of the rainforest as a vast, living intelligence, where every creature and plant plays a role in maintaining balance.

Cofan Shaman Aurelio

Secoya Shaman Cesario

Siona Shaman Delio

From them, we learned that reforestation is not about planting trees; it is about restoring relationships—between seed-dispersing birds and the canopy giants they give birth to, between

soil-dwelling insects and the fertility of the land, between the cycles of water, light, and decomposition. The Green Diamond is the result of this knowledge, an evolving landscape where nature is given the space to regenerate itself, with careful guidance rather than control.

The Birds That Plant Forests

Shaman Aurelio never taught us with words alone. He led us into the forest at dawn, when the air was cool and filled with the sharp scent of wet leaves. “To understand the forest,” he said, “you must listen before you see.”

Above us, the tucán de garganta blanca (Ramphastos tucanus), the white-throated toucan, called out—a deep, croaking song that echoed through the canopy. “This one,” Aurelio explained, pointing to a half-eaten fruit on the ground, “feeds on yarumo (Cecropia spp.) and cumala (Virola surinamensis). It swallows the fruit whole, carries the seeds in its belly, and scatters them far from the mother tree. In the rainy season, from December to April, it becomes the forest’s gardener.”

A sharp, metallic rattle followed—high in the branches, a cotinga azul (Cotinga cayana), the spangled cotinga, perched like a piece of the sky turned to feathers. “It favours the copaiba (Copaifera officinalis),” Aurelio said. “This bird feeds in the dry season, when the rivers shrink and the air thickens with heat. Without it, the copaiba’s seeds would not travel far enough to take root.”

Further ahead, Aurelio motioned for us to stop. In the undergrowth, a paujil negro (Crax alector), the black curassow, moved silently, its dark feathers barely visible in the dappled light. When it finally let out its low, flute-like call, Aurelio nodded. “It carries the seeds of almendra silvestre (Dacryodes peruviana). These are heavy fruits, meant for the strong-billed. Without the curassow, this tree would struggle to spread beyond its own shadow.”

As the morning light filtered through the branches, a flash of red and blue cut across the sky—a guacamayo rojo (Ara macao), the scarlet macaw, its powerful beak cracking open the tough shell of a chonta (Attalea maripa) palm fruit. “Macaws,” Aurelio said, watching it disappear into the trees, “are forest architects. They do not just eat—they design what will come next.”

By midday, the birds had moved on, leaving behind scattered seeds, half-chewed fruit, and the promise of future trees. Aurelio turned to us. “The birds plant the forest as they move. If we learn their patterns, we can work with them—not against them.”

And so, in the rhythm of their calls and the flight of their wings, we saw the blueprint of reforestation, drawn not by human hands, but by the very creatures that have shaped this land for millennia.

 

The Gardeners of the Forest Floor

Shaman Cesario walked slowly, his bare feet pressing into the damp earth, his silence as measured as his steps. He did not need to tell us to follow—we simply did, drawn by the quiet authority of a man who knew the forest like one knows the lines of their own hands.

“Above, the birds plant with the wind,” he finally said, his voice barely louder than the rustling leaves. “But here, below, the forest is sown in footsteps, in buried hunger, in forgotten meals.”

At that moment, a shadow moved in the undergrowth—a majaz (Cuniculus paca), the lowland paca, its spotted coat blending seamlessly with the dappled light. It froze, its nose twitching at a fallen fruit, then snatched it up and disappeared into the thicket. “It takes the seeds of shihuahuaco (Dipteryx micrantha) and huayo (Myrciaria dubia),” Cesario whispered. “But it does not eat them all. Some it buries and never finds again. When the rains come, the forgotten ones awaken.”

Further ahead, the slow, deliberate scratching of claws against bark revealed the hunched form of an añuje (Dasyprocta fuliginosa), the black agouti. It gnawed at the hard shell of a castaña nut (Bertholletia excelsa), the prized Brazil nut, before tucking one away in the earth. “It has patience,” Cesario murmured. “It does not know it, but it plants the future.”

A sudden flurry of leaves sent a small sajino (Tayassu pecari), the white-lipped peccary, trotting through the underbrush, its blunt snout rooting through the soil. “This one,” Cesario continued, watching its restless search, “turns the forest upside down. It feeds on the fruits of huicungo (Astrocaryum murumuru), scattering its seeds as it roams. Without it, the palms would not spread.”

A rustling at the base of a fallen tree revealed a motelo (Chelonoidis denticulata), the yellow-footed tortoise, its ancient gaze indifferent to our presence. It clamped its jaws onto a half-rotten sachamango (Grias peruviana), its beak cracking the soft fruit, swallowing the pulp and letting the seeds fall where they may. “The tortoise,” Cesario said, nodding toward the slow-moving creature, “is the last of the planters. When all others have gone, it carries the seeds through time.”

By midday, the creatures had vanished back into the forest, their work unfinished but unceasing. Cesario turned to us, tapping his walking stick against the earth.

“We plant with our hands,” he said. “They plant with their lives.”

And in that moment, we understood: the forest was not simply a place to be restored, but a living rhythm of creatures, each one unknowingly shaping the world that would come after them.

The Alchemists of the Earth

Delio knelt in the damp soil, pressing his fingers into the 15- to 20-centimeter humus layer of the Amazon Rainforest. “The forest eats itself,” he said, rubbing the earth between his hands. “And from its own death, it is reborn.”

He pointed to a mound of rotting leaves, where movement was barely perceptible—a slow, patient shifting of decay. “Look closely,” he whispered. And so, we did.

The ishanga (Atta cephalotes), the leafcutter ant, moved in perfect lines, their tiny jaws slicing through the greenery with a precision that seemed almost deliberate. “They do not eat the leaves,” Delio explained, watching as they carried their stolen fragments into the dark tunnels below. “They feed them to a fungus, Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, which they farm beneath our feet. The fungus breaks the leaves down, and in return, the ants harvest its fruiting bodies. Without them, the cycle of decomposition would falter.”

Nearby, a termite mound rose from the ground like a miniature fortress, its walls hardened by the alchemy of saliva and soil. “And here,” Delio continued, pointing to the industrious swarms of comején (Nasutitermes spp.), the termites, “the silent engineers. They break down dead wood and return its nutrients to the earth. Their tunnels aerate the soil, but when the land is cleared, their work is undone. The rainforest renews itself, but its soil is thin—when trees are removed for farming, the earth quickly loses what little fertility it has.”

He then gestured upward, toward a dark knot clinging to a high tree branch—a second kind of comején (Neocapritermes spp.), arboreal termites, living in nests built into the trees themselves. “These ones,” he said, “feed on what the forest no longer needs—fallen leaves, dead wood, forgotten fibres. But their work does more than clean the canopy. When the rain comes, their nests break apart, and their waste becomes food for the earth below.”

A few paces away, the ground shifted, and a carachupa (Dasypus novemcinctus), the nine-banded armadillo, nosed its way through the litter, its armoured back gleaming under the filtered sunlight. “This one does not plant trees,” Delio said, “but it tills the earth. Every burrow it makes turns the soil, allowing water and air to seep in. It moves the buried nutrients where they are needed.”

Then, just beneath a fallen branch, a slow, rhythmic pulsing revealed a gusano de tierra (Rhinodrilus priollii), a giant Amazonian earthworm, as thick as a child’s wrist. “It swallows the soil and excretes it richer than before,” Delio murmured. “It is the true architect of the forest floor. Without it, there would be no humus, no fertility, no trees.”

A sudden vibration in the air made him glance up. The buzzing was low, insistent, coming from a cloud of mojojoy (Rhynchophorus palmarum), the larvae of the palm weevil. They writhed inside a decaying aguaje (Mauritia flexuosa) fruit, feeding on its soft, fermenting pulp. “They break down what is too thick for the earth alone,” Delio said, tapping the fallen fruit with his knuckle. “And when they finish, the nutrients return to the soil.”

He swept his hand over the ground, where the life we rarely see was at work, unseen and unceasing. “The jaguar walks above,” he said, “but the real kings of the forest are below. The ants, the termites, the worms, the beetles—they do not hunt, they do not roar, but without them, even the mightiest tree would crumble.”

And with that, he stood, brushing the soil from his palms, as if returning it to the ones who needed it most

The Layers of the Rainforest and Reforestation

A significant lesson we learned from the Shamans is the deep connection between reforestation and the natural structure of the rainforest. A primary Amazon rainforest is not a random collection of trees but a layered ecosystem, where each stratum supports distinct forms of plant and animal life. This insight forms the foundation of The Green Diamond.

The Green Diamond transforms small, degraded plots of land into self-sustaining ecosystems modeled after the primary Amazon rainforest. It merges Indigenous wisdom with ecological science to restore biodiversity and natural resilience. Designed with precision, its four outer points span eight meters apart—the minimum space needed for tropical hardwoods to develop their expansive root systems and towering canopies. This arrangement encourages natural succession, allowing species to take hold without competing for light or nutrients. Carefully chosen plants attract key animals, setting in motion the cycles of seed dispersal, soil enrichment, and ecological regeneration.

Over time, this microhabitat is designed to evolve into a mature primary forest, mirroring the biodiversity, structure, and ecological functions of its natural counterpart.

SELVA’s reforestation program demonstrates that this transformation is not only possible but viable. Independent studies conducted over one- to two-year periods have confirmed its success. Articles by Dr. Lori Neuman Lee, Professor of Biology at Kansas State University, and Dr. Giles Jackson, Professor of Environmental Sustainability at Shenandoah University, have validated the approach. In addition, the Green Diamond has been the focus of postgraduate seminars led by Brendan Buckley Lamont, Research Professor at Columbia University’s Tree Ring Lab, further affirming its scientific foundation and ecological impact.

Amazon Rainforest Layers: A Living Ecosystem

A primary Amazon rainforest consists of distinct layers, each supporting a unique range of life. The Green Diamond carefully integrates these layers, recreating a balanced and evolving ecosystem.

Emergent Layer (Altissimum Tegimen)

The tallest trees, exceeding 50 meters, rise above the canopy to reach full sunlight. This layer includes species such as Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) and kapok (Ceiba pentandra). Exposed to wind and sun, these giants offer nesting and hunting grounds for harpy eagles, hawks, and scarlet macaws. Epiphytes like orchids and bromeliads often cling to their trunks, drawing moisture and nutrients from the air.

Canopy Layer (Mediana Corona)

Forming the primary roof of the rainforest, this dense canopy of trees—typically 30 to 45 meters high—regulates temperature and humidity. Notable species include the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), red and white mahogany (Swietenia spp. and Carapa spp.), chicle (Manilkara spp.), and guayacán (Tabebuia chrysantha). The canopy teems with life: spider monkeys, howler monkeys, sloths, toucans, and pollinators like bats and bees thrive in this vibrant zone, sustaining the reproductive cycles of numerous flowering trees.

Understory Layer (Subter Corona)

Located just below the canopy, this dimly lit layer hosts smaller trees, shrubs, and climbing plants adapted to low light. Species such as the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), açaí palm (Euterpe precatoria), and Heliconia species—with their colourful bracts—draw hummingbirds and butterflies. Amphibians like poison dart frogs and seed-dispersing mammals like agoutis shelter here, supporting plant propagation.

Forest Floor (Decomposition & Regeneration)

The base of the forest is a dense mat of ferns, mosses, fungi, and decomposing matter. Leaf litter and fallen logs are broken down by fungi, bacteria, and invertebrates, enriching the soil and fueling the rainforest's nutrient cycle. Leafcutter ants, earthworms, and other detritivores accelerate decomposition. Tapirs forage here, and climbing vines like passionflower (Passiflora spp.) create essential links between the ground and the canopy above.

 

Soil Enrichment and Regenerative Growth

Healthy soil is the foundation of successful reforestation, especially on degraded or deforested land. The Green Diamond approach begins by restoring this foundation, ensuring the land can support long-term ecological regeneration. SELVA’s program integrates natural composting techniques to establish a self-sustaining nutrient cycle.

Mycorrhizal fungi—underground networks that connect with tree roots—enhance the absorption of water and nutrients. Decomposers such as leafcutter ants and microbial organisms break down organic matter, enriching the soil in the process.

Adaptable to various conditions, the Green Diamond functions effectively in nutrient-depleted, clay-heavy, or sandy soils. It incorporates biochar—a carbon-rich soil amendment made by burning plant material in a low-oxygen environment. Acting like a sponge, biochar retains moisture, improves soil structure, and stores nutrients. When combined with organic compost, it restores fertility and accelerates regenerative growth. 

Amazon Reserve for Peace-Aguas Negras: A Testament to Ecological Renewal

Aguas Negras stands as powerful proof that even the most degraded lands can be brought back to life. Once written off as unrecoverable due to its highly acidic, nutrient-poor red clay, this landscape had lost its organic matter and the ability to regenerate on its own.

Through SELVA’s Green Diamond approach—combining natural enrichment, microbial activation, and patient, hands-on restoration—we have sparked a remarkable ecological revival. Native trees are returning, biodiversity is reemerging, and regeneration is now expanding into the buffer zone of Cuyabeno National Park, strengthening one of the Amazon’s most vital conservation corridors.

As the visionary conservationist Aldo Leopold once said:“Land is not merely soil, it is a fountain of energy flowing through a circuit of soils, plants, and animals.”

At Aguas Negras, that fountain is flowing once again.

Tree Reforestation and Distribution Strategy

Reforesting following the Green Diamond technique, requires a carefully planned distribution of tree species to promote natural succession and long-term ecosystem balance. The reforestation process follows five key steps:

1. Initial Planting Phase

Fast-growing pioneer species—such as rubber trees and Euterpe palms—are introduced to establish a foundational canopy. These species quickly create a favourable microclimate, providing shade and moisture necessary for the next wave of succession.

• Note: Genetically diverse seed sources are prioritized to increase resilience against pests, diseases, and climate variability.

  
  

2. Layer Development

Upper canopy giants, including kapok and Brazil nut trees, are planted alongside middle and lower canopy species that require shaded, humid conditions to establish themselves. This stratification mirrors the vertical complexity of a mature rainforest and encourages natural niche occupation.

• Mycorrhizal fungi are introduced or stimulated in the soil to foster mutualistic relationships with tree roots, enhancing water and nutrient uptake.

  
  

3. Biodiversity Integration

Pollinator-attracting plants and seed disperser-friendly species are strategically distributed to encourage natural regeneration. This stage promotes vital ecological interactions, such as plant-pollinator networks and seed dispersal corridors.

• Indicator species—such as bromeliads, orchids, or sensitive amphibians—are monitored to assess habitat quality and ecological progression.

  
  

4. Soil Restoration

Decomposers—including fungi, ants, and leaf-litter organisms—are encouraged to accelerate the breakdown of organic matter and enhance nutrient cycling. A healthy detritus layer supports long-term soil fertility.

• Attention is given to promoting microbial diversity, further stabilizing the soil ecosystem.

5. Ongoing Maintenance and Monitoring

The system is continuously observed, with adaptive management strategies applied to support ecological balance, respond to disturbances, and ensure long-term resilience.

• Special consideration is given to edge effects, with buffer species planted along boundaries to reduce wind exposure, desiccation, and invasive species intrusion.

Fostering Biodiversity and Animal Integration

A thriving rainforest depends on its fauna. The Green Diamond is designed to attract and support key animal species through natural ecological processes such as seed dispersal, pollination, and nutrient recycling. By planting endemic fruit-bearing trees and nectar-rich plants, the system naturally draws in:

• Pollinators – Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, essential for plant reproduction.

  
  

• Seed Dispersers – Agoutis, monkeys, and toucans, which facilitate forest regeneration by spreading seeds.

  
  

• Decomposers – Fungi, ants, and insects, which break down organic matter, completing the nutrient cycle.

  
  

These animals also serve as ecological indicators, reflecting the success of the habitat in supporting trophic relationships and biodiversity.

Hardwood Nurseries and the Green Diamond Approach

SELVA’s Unique Role in Restoring Primary Forests

SELVA stands apart among Amazonian NGOs as the only organization operating nurseries specialized exclusively in native hardwoods and primary forest tree species. These nurseries are carefully structured to reflect the layered architecture of a mature Amazon rainforest, following the Green Diamond Reforestation technique. Each species is cultivated to represent a specific ecological stratum—from the towering emergent trees to the understory—ensuring that reforestation efforts rebuild the complexity and resilience of a true primary forest.

A Slow and Deliberate Process

Reforestation is a gradual and labor-intensive undertaking that begins with the careful collection of seeds. SELVA harvests hardwood seeds only twice a year, in sync with the natural fruiting cycles of native trees within its Amazon Reserves for Peace. This brief window underscores the importance of long-term planning and highlights the vital role of conserving intact primary forests as irreplaceable sources of biodiversity and regeneration.

Every seed gathered carries the potential to restore the forest. But before it can take root, it requires careful, species-specific handling—guided by science and carried out with dedication.

Once harvested, seeds require expert care to ensure successful germination. Species like mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) and Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) have hard, protective seed coats that must be carefully soaked or scarified—a delicate process that mimics nature’s own methods of breaking dormancy. Others, such as cacao (Theobroma cacao) and rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), are highly sensitive and must be planted almost immediately, as their seeds lose viability within days.

In our nurseries, each seed receives thoughtful attention. Some are sown in clusters within nutrient-rich soil, where they rest for weeks—sometimes months—before showing the first signs of life. Others are planted individually in biodegradable containers that allow for careful monitoring of root development.

Once the first leaves appear, the seedlings remain in these containers for several months, building strength below the surface. As they grow, they are gently transplanted into larger bags, giving their roots room to expand and mature—preparing them for their eventual journey into the forest.

This early care is crucial: it lays the foundation for resilient trees that will one day stand tall in the heart of the regenerated forest.

Creating the Right Conditions for Growth

To maximize seedling success, SELVA’s nurseries replicate the unique conditions of the rainforest understory—where nature has perfected the art of regeneration.

• Shade Regulation: Young seedlings require balanced light exposure. SELVA uses shade nets and natural vegetation to filter sunlight, protecting tender growth from heat stress while ensuring sufficient light for photosynthesis.

  
  

• Precision Watering: Watering is managed with accuracy and consistency. Carefully timed irrigation cycles maintain soil moisture—critical for healthy root development and for preventing diseases caused by drought or overwatering.

  
  

• Soil Composition: SELVA recreates the rainforest’s fertile forest floor using a carefully crafted blend of organic compost, biochar, and mycorrhizal fungi. This enriched mix enhances microbial life, improves nutrient retention, and supports vigorous root growth—even in degraded or nutrient-poor soils

  
  

• Fostering Biodiversity: SELVA nurseries cultivate more than trees. Companion species, such as nitrogen-fixing legumes, naturally replenish soil nutrients. Beneficial insects and decomposers are encouraged, creating a living, balanced micro-ecosystem within the nursery—laying the groundwork for ecological resilience in the field.

“I have been monitoring SELVA’s reserves for over five years, and the data consistently show that 80 to 85 percent of their nursery-raised hardwood seedlings survive the critical first two years after transplantation. In reforestation, survival is only the first success—but true success occurs when a tree integrates into a functioning ecosystem. That is what SELVA’s nurseries are designed to achieve. They are not simply cultivating plants; they are restoring ecological processes from the ground up.”— Professor Laura Mendes, Forest Biologist

A notable case study in the buffer zone of Cuyabeno National Park revealed that areas reforested using the Green Diamond model began attracting seed-dispersing birds and small mammals within the first three years, accelerating natural succession.

Long-term monitoring has shown that nurseries supplying a diverse range of plant layers—from canopy trees to undergrowth species—lead to resilient ecosystems that require less human intervention over time.

 

Expansion, Indigenous Collaboration, and Growing Demand

SELVA’s nurseries currently maintain a permanent stock of approximately 2,000 trees ready to be planted. To meet increasing demand, we are expanding to 5,000 trees, in accordance with agreements made  with  the  Cofan,  Secoya, and  Siona  Indigenous  communities. These communities actively participate in reforesting their lands, with SELVA providing technical assistance to ensure the success of the Green Diamond model. 

Reforesting the Amazon, One Diamond at a Time

In the buffer zones of Ecuador’s Cuyabeno National Park, something extraordinary is growing. Plots reforested using the Green Diamond model—an eight-by-eight-metre restoration unit—are beginning to mirror the complexity and vitality of natural Amazonian forest. And they are doing so faster than expected.

Within just three years, these compact forests have begun to attract seed-dispersing birds, small mammals, and native pollinators, jumpstarting the process of natural succession. The return of biodiversity is not only symbolic—it is a measurable sign that the forest is healing.

What Makes the Green Diamond Different

At the heart of the model is planting diversity. Each Green Diamond includes a carefully curated mix of native species across all forest layers, from emergent canopy trees to shade-tolerant undergrowth. This design mimics the vertical structure of primary rainforest and reduces the need for long-term human intervention.

Each eight-by-eight-metre unit (64 square metres) typically contains:

• Two to three canopy-level trees

• Four to five mid-storey trees or large shrubs

• Eight to ten undergrowth plants, such as small palms or shade-tolerant species

• And four Guadua bamboo plants, one planted along each side of the square border

  
  

This layered composition results in approximately 18 to 22 planted individuals per Green Diamond, creating a dense, vertically structured micro-ecosystem that evolves over time.

One of the most impactful features is the living border: the perimeter of each Green Diamond is planted with Guadua bamboo—a fast-growing, high-carbon-absorption species native to the region.

Guadua bamboo is among the most efficient carbon sinks in the tropics, capable of absorbing up to one and a half times more carbon dioxide per hectare than many traditional tree species. These bamboo borders not only stabilise the soil and provide habitat, but they significantly enhance the climate benefits of each planting.

Indigenous Collaboration at the Core

The Green Diamond model is implemented through formal partnerships with Cofan, Secoya, and Siona Indigenous communities, who bring traditional ecological knowledge, seed selection expertise, and on-the-ground conservation leadership rooted in Indigenous knowledge and collaboration.

These partnerships are guided by:

• Co-designed reforestation plans

• Shared benefit agreements

• Local employment, training, and nursery management

• Inclusion of culturally significant and edible plant species

This approach supports both ecological regeneration and community resilience, ensuring that restoration is deeply rooted in cultural context and local leadership.

The Numbers That Matter

Impact Snapshot (as of 2024):

• Trees planted per year: 2,000 (target: 5,000 by 2025)

• Green Diamonds deployed: 250 (target: 625 by 2025)

• Indigenous partners involved: 3 communities (expanding to 5)

• Local labour hours supported: 1,800 annually (target: over 4,000)

• Average three-year tree survival rate: 78 percent (target: 80 percent or higher)

Carbon Sequestration Estimates with Bamboo Borders

Based on tropical native tree reforestation, measured over a twenty-year period:

1. Native Trees Only

• 2,000 trees: 400 to 600 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide sequestered

• 5,000 trees: 1,000 to 1,500 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide sequestered

  
  

2. Including Guadua Bamboo Borders

Assuming four bamboo plants per Green Diamond, the additional carbon benefit is:

• For the 2,000-tree scenario: approximately 180 to 240 metric tonnes of additional sequestration

• For the 5,000-tree scenario: approximately 450 to 600 metric tonnes of additional sequestration

  
  

Updated Total Including Bamboo

• 2,000 trees with bamboo: 580 to 840 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide over 20 years

• 5,000 trees with bamboo: 1,450 to 2,100 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide over 20 years

• Average annual sequestration: 29 to 105 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year depending on scale

The chart below compares the estimated carbon impact of trees alone versus trees combined with bamboo borders over twenty years:

Carbon Sequestration Comparison Chart

Reforestation Scenario	Trees Only (tCO₂)	Trees + Bamboo (tCO₂)
2,000 Trees	500	710
5,000 Trees	1,250	1,775

These estimates are conservative and based on field research showing 25 to 35 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide absorbed per hectare annually by Guadua bamboo, adjusted for planting density within the model.

Why It Works

The Green Diamond model is simple enough to replicate, rich enough to restore, and inclusive enough to last. By combining:

• Layered ecological planting

• High-carbon bamboo borders

• Conservation leadership rooted in Indigenous knowledge and collaboration

• Science-based monitoring and evaluation

This model offers a path forward for reforesting the Amazon that is climate-smart, community-rooted, and ecologically sound.

An Invitation to Visionary Donors

The Green Diamond is more than a reforestation initiative—it is a bold step toward restoring the Amazon’s primary rainforest. By supporting this groundbreaking program, you are investing in a science-based model that brings degraded land back to life with the richness, resilience, and biodiversity of an original forest.

Each contribution helps plant and nurture native species, rebuild soil health, and revive the complex ecological networks that define one of Earth’s most essential ecosystems.

Designed to scale across wide regions of the Amazon, the Green Diamond offers an efficient, sustainable, and deeply impactful path to conservation.

Join us in restoring the Amazon’s primary rainforest—creating a living legacy, one Green Diamond at a time.

Eloiza: SELVA Amazon Reserve for Peace Operational Base Coordinator

 Editorial Review

The Green Diamond: Restoring the Pulse of the Amazon, by James Byrd Anthony

In an era where environmental degradation is often measured in hectares lost and species vanished, SELVA’s Green Diamond reforestation model offers not only a restorative gesture—but a refined and rigorous blueprint for ecological renewal. It is neither gesture nor experiment; it is strategy, rooted in science and animated by a deep reverence for the Amazon’s primary forest.

Fundamentally, the Green Diamond is deceptively simple: an eight-by-eight metre diamond-shaped plot, bordered by carbon-absorbing bamboo and planted with a carefully curated selection of native species. Yet within this geometric clarity lies a complex ambition—to replicate, on a microcosmic scale, the structure and function of a primary rainforest.

The brilliance of the model lies in its restraint. Rather than sprawling plantations or monocultural greening, SELVA has chosen to work within a minimal footprint, maximising impact through density, biodiversity, and ecological intelligence. This is not a nod to nature, but an embrace of its architecture: soil building, species layering, microclimate shaping. Each Green Diamond is not merely planted—it is composed.

Importantly, the initiative is not isolated in intent. It is inherently scalable. These modest units of regeneration are designed to tessellate, each one a living cell in what could become a vast and interlinked organism of restoration. The vision is both local and systemic—a forest reimagined, not remembered but imagined.

Where so many environmental programmes rely on symbolic value, the Green Diamond distinguishes itself through measurability and intention. Its outcomes are tangible: carbon sequestered, habitat established, ecosystems rebalanced. Yet what sets it apart is the quality of its aspiration—not to return the land to some romanticised past, but to reintroduce its evolutionary future.

In a time when urgency too often supplants thoughtfulness, SELVA has delivered something rare: a model of restoration that is both ambitious and precise. It invites donors not merely to give, but to invest in a methodology—one that holds the potential to reshape degraded lands with the intelligence of the forest itself.

The Green Diamond is not a symbol. It is a system. And in that lies its extraordinary promise.

 A Voice from the Forest

By Siona Shaman Delio Payaguaje

In our village, we grow up with the forest. It is our teacher, our healer, and our home. Every tree has a spirit. Every bird has a story. We do not see the forest as a place to use—we see it as family.

When the land is sick, we feel it in our hearts. The sun is hotter, the rain comes wrong, the animals go quiet. It is like the forest is trying to speak, but no one listens.

Then SELVA came. They did not come with machines or loud voices. They came with respect. They sat with us, they listened. They asked, not told. That is why we opened our hearts to SELVA.

Together we planted trees that remember the old ways. We called back the birds. We saw the soil breathing again. The children play near it now and ask, “Will this grow into a big forest one day?” I tell them, “Yes. If we care for it.”

To me, the Green Diamond is not a project. It is a promise. A promise that the forest can return. A promise that the world has not forgotten us.

I thank those who help this dream grow.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Hola Humming bird,

Thank you for this enlightening piece of work.

I have read your work in two parts, early morning and the second part in the afternoon.

On both occasions it left me intrigued, inspired and impressed with how well written it is and how deep the reforestation strategy is rooted in the entire SELVA ecosystem approach. Like the rainforest itself, and the green diamond vision to reforestation, the work of Marian and SELVA's tram on the Amazon Reserves for Peace, has been setting up a mirroring ecosystem tapping into natural wisdom and the ancient ways kept by the people that live as an integral part of it.

It is so heartwarming to see how the relations build, and the respect for people, flora and fauna mirror into the layers of the canopy symbolizing the meaning of the Selva work so well reflected in this article. 

On a personal note it makes me feel small and in awe of nature and its mystical ways. It feels as my daily life stands far from these undeniable forces of life.

At the same time it reassures me and motivates me to advocate the truths often denied in the ‘modern’ world. And when I say ‘modern’ I do so with the intention to refer to the Greek philosophers we still follow today in reverence of their principles of logic. The wrong turn we took then, leaving natural guidance and mysticism in exchange for ratio and science still haunts us today.

Bringing back into play how everything is connected and deserved to be seen as a luminescent guide to life is beautiful and moves me.

The clarity of the layers and fundament  of fauna and canopy roles, the way they are connected to our partner people guiding us the way through their ancient, and very much so, alive wisdom is evidently written down with deliberate clarity.

The testimonials bringing both science and wisdom together, testifying to the unique Selva approach to reforestation, give energy in line with the ambition to scale this towards the future. 

Thank you, it makes me proud to be a tiny part to this mission.

Un fuerte abrazo,

Frank Pon

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Dear Hummingbird,

I find your central thesis to be especially significant within the discussion of reforestation.

Namely:

The Green Diamond is not just a reforestation model - it is a living blueprint of a primary Amazon rainforest. Rather than imposing human designs onto the land, it follows the logic of the forest itself, recreating the intricate web of relationships that sustain its biodiversity.

Beautifully said and revolutionary in the sense that Nature is necessarily a qualifying and determining factor within any sustainable development process.

Regards, Alexandra