“We cannot be spectators of destruction. We must be agents of change.”

When I first met Sebastião Salgado, I was struck by his vision to heal the planet. A company like ours cannot stand aside. We must act, and do real things. Partnering with Sebastião and Lélia to help restore part of the Atlantic Forest was not only the right step, it was the right time. Zurich supports Instituto Terra because its work embodies care: the commitment to nurture a forest back to life – slowly, deeply, and sustainably. This forest is more than trees. It is water and air, soil and shelter. It is past and future, woven together. Above all, it shows that recovery is possible if we care enough to begin.

A lot has happened in the five years since the ‘Zurich Forest Project’ was born. Our partnership grew into a friendship. Even as we had to say our good-byes to Sebastião this year, I know that his courage and persistence, this ‘force of nature,’ will be carried into the future by Lélia and their son Juliano, as we embark on the next chapter.

This book celebrates a project that will outlast us. The forest will stand for generations we will never meet. My hope is that it inspires action. That others, too, will plant, restore and protect in their own way. Because lasting change is never left to others; it starts with us.

Mario Greco, CEO Zurich Insurance Group