About us
For a resilient and lasting production system. For a world in transition.
We believe that by designing versatile and reliable regenerative systems, we can shorten the path between investors and ecosystem projects, building an assertive and dynamic portfolio of regenerative assets.
What we do
We are the stem cell of agroforestry.
We work across the entire regenerative agroforestry process. We analyze, plan and restore landscapes. We design complex systems integrated with innovative financial models. We assess soil and climate feasibility and build accurate forecasts of ecosystem services, carbon and agricultural production. We implement, monitor and manage agroforests. We train farmers, multipliers and professionals at different levels, and produce scientific and technological knowledge for resilient systems.
The founders
Paula Costa and Valter Ziantoni.
Valter Ziantoni
Agroforestry designer, Forestry Engineer and MSc. in Agroforestry, Valter did his master's research at Lake Tanganyika (Zambia), working with local indigenous knowledge in agroforestry. He has more than 20 years of experience, including project management, forest inventories and monitoring, and the promotion of non-timber forest products in the Amazon. He has broad experience in rural economics and sustainable development models, with international experience (UNDP and FAO) in management and leadership roles. He has done extensive volunteer work, mainly in Africa and Asia, and coordinated the project that helped establish the large-scale center of excellence at Fazenda da Toca (Brazil). An enthusiast of transparency, sharing, empowerment and collaboration between people, Valter is also passionate about wildlife and ancestral land management practices. Valter is a farmer and a founder of PRETATERRA. In his search for resilient systems he has traveled to more than 100 countries, learning about ancient food production practices and sustainable forms of organization.
LinkedIn →
Paula Costa
Forestry Engineer, Environmental Management Specialist and Biologist, Paula received an award from the Brazilian Society of Silviculture in 2016. Passionate about forests and complex production systems, Paula is a specialist in agroforestry design and silviculture. She has coordinated teams and led research and innovation in several large-scale agroforestry production systems. Paula has developed projects in forest restoration, environmental compliance, horticulture and fruit production in agroforestry systems, and has taken part in extension and technical assistance projects with rural communities. She has broad experience facilitating training courses and hands-on workshops on regenerative production systems. Fascinated by forest management and biodiverse production systems, Paula is a farmer and a founder of PRETATERRA. She lived in the Brazilian Amazon and learned from native peoples how to manage the largest forest on the planet, becoming one of Brazil's leading specialists in agroforestry systems, biodiverse silviculture and the restoration of degraded land.
LinkedIn →Intelligence hub
We are an intelligence hub, working in squads with the best and most versatile professionals in the market, academia and renowned research institutes. PRETATERRA has talent all over the world, bringing excellence from many different fields and joining forces to build the regenerative world we believe in.