When Belém Became the Capital of the World—and Governance Became Our Biggest Challenge
Sunset at Estação das Docas, where Belém meets the Guamá River: the city’s waterfront was renovated to host the event. PHOTO: Lia Domingues/RSX
Children and a seed muvuca during an agroecology collective action we joined at Irmã Dorothy Stang Square, named after the activist who was murdered in Pará in 2005. PHOTO: Lia Domingues/RSX
Some of the people involved with community seed-collecting networks in Brazil: governance is both a challenge—and a strength—in our sector. PHOTO: Lia Domingues/RSX
We quickly realized that the best way to capture people’s attention in a space as full of stimuli as COP30 was to place a seed in their hands. PHOTO: Lia Domingues/RSX
A roundtable on ecological restoration in Brazil, held at Casa Belterra, brought together community seed-collecting networks, nursery growers, investors, auditors, and a select group of people in one of the most productive conversations I took part in. PHOTO: Lia Domingues/RSX
In Belém, simply breathing was enough to feel good: the same warmth found in the streets—in every sense—warmed the hearts of those who opened themselves to receive what the city had to offer. PHOTO: Lia Domingues/RSX
May good seeds be planted. PHOTO: Lia Domingues/RSX
Seed collectors share their life stories and answer questions from the audience in one of the presentations held throughout COP30: here, we are in the Green Zone, at the pavilion of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples. PHOTO: Lia Domingues/RSX
For the first time, the United Nations Conference of the Parties—COP30—was held in the Amazon. For the first time, it was held in Brazil. And, to the surprise of many, it was held in Belém: the capital of Pará, one of the largest states in Brazil and the one with the highest number of murders of grassroots leaders fighting for land rights.
For two weeks in November, 2025, part of the world turned its eyes to Belém, hoping that new commitments for the planet’s climate salvation would be made.
Unfortunately, the “Roadmap”—a kind of collective strategy for transitioning away from fossil fuels, and one of the biggest promises of COP30, the “implementation COP”—did not materialize.
There was simply no consensus among countries—and, as a result, something unexpected unfolded:, in the Santa Marta mountains, in a bold attempt to move forward with the design of this roadmap outside the official United Nations space.
As the communications coordinator of the, to participate in and follow agendas related to ecological restoration. I had the privilege of moving through a diversity of spaces—from the most restricted ones, such as the Blue Zone and some private houses of civil society organizations, to the more open ones, such as the Green Zone, and the most popular spaces, such as and.
These are the lessons I learned during those days.
- Working in networks is the best strategy: the bigger our, the more powerful it becomes. Bringing sectors closer and together is still the most important strategy if we want to increase our impact, reach, capacity for action, and ability to collaborate.
- Governance is a universal challenge: from community collectives to global coalitions, finding ways for large groups of people to function together remains one of humanity’s biggest challenges—just look at the obstacles in major international negotiations and, who knows, even within our own organizations.
- Seeds are an ancestral means of communication: in our events, placing seeds in people’s hands made all the difference—suddenly, with seeds in their palms, everyone softened, childhood memories resurfaced, curiosities appeared, andsomething shifted. People begin to speak naturally when they receive seeds because these grains of life communicate with them. Seeds are affection, heritage, ancestry, future, power, potential, enchantment.
- Restoration in Brazil still has a long road ahead: although we are a global reference in ecological restoration, we remain far from reaching the goal of restoring 12 million hectares. From what I’ve observed, seed networks and seedling nurseries are ready to meet a demand much larger than the current one—in an intimate roundtable with key actors in this sector, I learned that we all operate at only 60% of our delivery potential. This clearly means we have a future of much work (and, perhaps, many opportunities) ahead.
- Brazil is incredible—and Belém is even more incredible:, everyone loved being in Belém. Just stepping into the streets, looking at people, and opening your senses to everything the city had to offer was enough. Food, warmth, kindness, joy, diversity: wow, Belém delivers everything!!! There’s nothing better than leaving a negotiation room, a presentation, or a networking space and stepping straight into acarimbó dance with a bowl oftacacá.
- The COP belongs to the “big players,” but this time it was a people’s COP—and there is great power in that:beyond what may or may not be decided at the highest levels, Belém became a stage for a diversity of community leaders and social movements. This warms the heart of those who are fighting on the frontlines—keeping activists motivated and optimistic is essential for us to remain defenders of the future, of the forest, of life.
All that said, it was truly beautiful to see seed collectors — women and men — taking the stage, sharing their stories, receiving standing ovations, and moving audiences to tears. In that sense, for us — community seed-collecting networks in Brazil — COP30 was also a great school, preparing our seeds and seed keepers for the world, for the stage, and for decision-making spaces.