1992Soka Amazon Institute
The Soka Amazon Institute (formerly the Amazon Ecological Research Center) was founded by SGI-Brazil in 1992, in line with Daisaku Ikeda’s environmental vision. In 1993, the Center launched a project to restore degraded forests together with the State of Amazonas Secretariat of Environment, Science and Technology and has planted tens of thousands of native tropical trees of more than 60 different species toward their restoration and preservation. In addition to reforestation, the Soka Amazon Institute’s activities include environmental education, contributions to the protection of endangered fauna, and a seed bank.
In 2020, the institute also launched the “Life Memorial” project, committing to planting over 100,000 native Amazonian trees to honor Brazilian victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Soka Amazon Institute is certified by Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources as a Private Natural Heritage Reserve.