Meta, Rockefeller and Sylvera back Brazil Carbon Data Project. * Sylvera will create high-resolution, open-access carbon data across Brazil's Atlantic Forest to strengthen carbon measurement and verification. * The project aims to reduce participation costs for smallholders and community-led projects while improving investor and corporate buyer confidence. * The dataset will be released under a CC BY 4.0 license and hosted by World Resources Institute, giving developers, registries and policymakers free access. Sylvera has launched an open-data initiative designed to strengthen carbon market investment across Brazil's Atlantic Forest. The project will generate high-resolution forest carbon data for one of the world's most complex and threatened ecosystems. The Open Carbon Data Project is supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, Meta, World Resources Institute, Symbiosis Coalition and Brazilian research institutions. Its central objective is to improve the quality and availability of forest carbon data. Better data could strengthen measurement, reporting and verification, or MRV, while lowering the cost of participating in carbon markets. For investors and corporate buyers, the project addresses a persistent market weakness. Nature-based carbon projects depend heavily on accurate estimates of forest carbon stocks. Weak or inconsistent datasets can increase uncertainty and make projects harder to finance. Building the data behind carbon markets. Sylvera will combine field measurements with remote sensing to create a detailed picture of biomass and carbon stocks across the Atlantic Forest. "Carbon markets cannot scale without trust, and trust starts with ground truth data. Through our work combining field measurements and advanced remote sensing, we're helping build the biomass data foundation that more accurate, transparent, and scalable carbon markets depend on," said Allister Furey, CEO, Sylvera. The project will also support the development of digital MRV systems. These systems can reduce the cost of monitoring projects and make verification easier to scale. However, digital systems still depend on reliable field data. Satellite models need accurate ground measurements for calibration and validation. The new dataset is intended to provide that foundation. Lowering barriers to nature finance. The initiative could have particular relevance for smaller forest projects. Smallholders and community-led developers often face higher relative costs when entering carbon markets. Improved open-access data could reduce those costs while giving investors greater confidence in project-level carbon claims. "High-quality, accessible data is critical infrastructure for scaling nature-based climate finance and ensuring it delivers real benefits to communities on the ground," said Carli Roth, Director of Innovative Finance at The Rockefeller Foundation. "This initiative shows how open, more accurate data can unlock investment, building investor and buyer confidence while helping local stakeholders accelerate equitable access to capital for underserved communities that depend on healthy forests for their lives and livelihoods." Nature-based climate solutions are attracting capital from companies seeking credible carbon removal and conservation projects. Yet concerns about methodology, additionality and measurement continue to shape buyer decisions. Open scientific datasets could help registries, developers and investors test project assumptions more consistently. Brazilian institutions anchor the research. Sylvera said local participation will remain central to the project. Brazilian universities, research institutions, government agencies, landowners and implementation partners will contribute to the work. Prof Deborah Faria, Permanent faculty member of the DCB and coordinator of the Laboratory of Ecology Applied to Conservation (LEAC), UESC, said: "The Open Carbon Data Project initiative strengthens global knowledge regarding forests and the carbon cycle. In Bahia, the project will enable more accurate estimates of carbon stocks in Atlantic Forest remnants and cocoa agroforestry systems, generating benefits for rural producers. By bringing together scientists, communities, and landowners, the initiative produces knowledge aligned with local realities and contributes to the region's sustainable development." The approach is intended to build scientific capacity inside the region rather than rely solely on externally developed models. Open access expands global use. The dataset will be released later this year under a CC BY 4.0 open license. World Resources Institute will host the data. That structure will allow researchers, carbon registries, developers and policymakers to use and build on the information globally. "Scaling credible carbon markets requires the same foundation as any good science: open, high-quality data that anyone can build on. We've seen firsthand through our AI-powered forest mapping work with WRI how open-source tools can dramatically improve our understanding of forest ecosystems. This initiative will help lower barriers for new and community-led projects to begin receiving carbon financing, and ultimately build the trust that carbon markets need to attract investment at scale," said Blair Swedeen, Global Head of Net Zero and Sustainability, Meta. For carbon market participants, the wider significance lies in market infrastructure. Better data can reduce uncertainty, strengthen verification and make smaller projects more investable. If the Atlantic Forest initiative succeeds, its open-data model could also inform carbon measurement in other complex ecosystems. That would give investors, regulators and project developers a stronger common basis for directing capital toward credible forest protection and restoration. Subscribe & Follow for daily ESG insights. Join the Conversation: Follow ESG News on LinkedIn to engage with its global community of 50K+ sustainability leaders and C-suite executives.

Sylvera launches Open Carbon Data Project to unlock investment in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and Meta. Press Releases Published Date July 30, 2026 With a combined $900k in funding from The Rockefeller Foundation and Meta, Sylvera partners with the State University of Santa Cruz, World Resources Institute, and Symbiosis Coalition, to create the world's first open-access, benchmark-grade forest carbon dataset London / New York / São Paulo | July 30, 2026 - Sylvera today announced the Open Carbon Data Project, a first-of-its-kind initiative to generate high-resolution, open-access forest carbon data across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, Meta, World Resources Institute, Symbiosis Coalition, and leading Brazilian research institutions, the initiative targets one of the most critical barriers - increasing the amount of trusted, scientifically rigorous data to underpin credible measurement, reporting and verification at scale. By enabling accurate measurement and verification of forest carbon stocks, the dataset will lower barriers to carbon market participation, particularly for smallholders and community-led projects - and increase investor confidence, helping to scale financing for forest restoration and protection. "Carbon markets cannot scale without trust, and trust starts with ground truth data. Through our work combining field measurements and advanced remote sensing, we're helping build the biomass data foundation that more accurate, transparent, and scalable carbon markets depend on," said Allister Furey, CEO, Sylvera. "High-quality, accessible data is critical infrastructure for scaling nature-based climate finance and ensuring it delivers real benefits to communities on the ground," said Carli Roth, Director of Innovative Finance at The Rockefeller Foundation. "This initiative shows how open, more accurate data can unlock investment, building investor and buyer confidence while helping local stakeholders accelerate equitable access to capital for underserved communities that depend on healthy forests for their lives and livelihoods." Nature-based climate solutions are attracting growing investment and delivering real climate outcomes. Establishing an open-sourced dataset of ground truth data in complex ecosystems like the Atlantic Forest will enable more sophisticated verification systems - accelerating deployment and reducing costs, which will enable the market to scale. Digital MRV (dMRV) systems offer a path to scalable, lower-cost verification, but they require robust data to model accurately. This initiative is designed to provide that foundation. The dataset will enable accurate measurement and verification of forest carbon stocks, improving the calibration and validation of satellite-based monitoring models. This will lower the barrier to entry for carbon market participants, particularly smallholder and community-led projects, and will increase confidence in verification results among investors and corporate buyers, helping to scale financial flows into forest restoration and protection. The data will be released later this year under a CC BY 4.0 open license and hosted by World Research Institute (WRI), ensuring it is freely available to developers, registries, policymakers, and researchers globally. A core principle of the initiative is that the work is locally anchored and steered by local experts. Through partnerships with Brazilian universities, research institutions, local implementation partners, and government agencies and landowners, the initiative ensures both scientific integrity and equitable participation, building long-term data capacity and institutional trust in the region. Brazilian / Local Partner Prof Deborah Faria, Permanent faculty member of the DCB and coordinator of the Laboratory of Ecology Applied to Conservation (LEAC), UESC "The Open Carbon Data Project initiative strengthens global knowledge regarding forests and the carbon cycle. In Bahia, the project will enable more accurate estimates of carbon stocks in Atlantic Forest remnants and cocoa agroforestry systems, generating benefits for rural producers. By bringing together scientists, communities, and landowners, the initiative produces knowledge aligned with local realities and contributes to the region's sustainable development." Brazilian / Local Partner Prof Daniel Piotto, Permanent faculty member of the Graduate Program in Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation, UESC "The partnership with Sylvera will generate robust estimates of carbon stocks in the southern Bahia region, in addition to enabling scientific exchange and training for academics from southern Bahia on the most advanced research methods focused on forest carbon." World Resources Institute John Brandt, Data Science Lead, WRI "Open, high-quality datasets are critical to ensuring credibility in the monitoring and management of forests with remote sensing technology. This initiative will strengthen the tools available to policymakers, researchers, and market participants alike." Blair Swedeen, Global Head of Net Zero and Sustainability, Meta "Scaling credible carbon markets requires the same foundation as any good science: open, high-quality data that anyone can build on. We've seen firsthand through our AI-powered forest mapping work with WRI how open-source tools can dramatically improve our understanding of forest ecosystems. This initiative will help lower barriers for new and community-led projects to begin receiving carbon financing, and ultimately build the trust that carbon markets need to attract investment at scale." Symbiosis Coalition Julia Strong, Executive Director and Founder, Symbiosis Coalition "Nature-based solutions are some of the most important, near term, cost effective climate solutions we have, and the market is maturing faster than many people realize. Establishing high-quality, open datasets to set benchmarks and standards for measurement is key to giving buyers the confidence they need to act and unlock the market at scale." This dataset builds on Sylvera's broader work in forest biomass data and is being collected with local partners through a combination of advanced airborne and ground-based measurements, including terrestrial laser scanning, airborne laser scanning and gamma spectrometry, as well as conventional field inventory and soil coring. Field campaigns are underway, with data collection expected to be completed by Q3 2026 and the open dataset targeted for release in Q4 2026. The dataset will have immediate real-world applications, including improving the accuracy of the Meta and WRI Canopy Height Maps, one of the most widely used open-access forest monitoring tools globally. Notes to Editors About the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: One of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems, the Atlantic Forest once covered approximately 330 million acres along Brazil's eastern seaboard. Today, more than 85% has been cleared, leaving a highly fragmented landscape that nonetheless supports over 148 million people and accounts for approximately 70% of Brazil's GDP. It is a UN-designated World Restoration Flagship and a priority region for both conservation and climate finance. About multi-scale lidar (MSL): MSL combines terrestrial, airborne, and satellite-based laser scanning to generate high-resolution, three-dimensional measurements of forest biomass. It provides significantly greater accuracy than traditional plot-based sampling and is used to calibrate and validate satellite-based monitoring models at biome scale. About dMRV: Digital monitoring, reporting and verification (dMRV) refers to the use of remote sensing, AI, and computational tools to automate and standardize the measurement of carbon stocks and emissions reductions, replacing manual field-based approaches that are costly, slow, and difficult to scale. About the Open Carbon Data Project The Open Carbon Data Project is a multi-partner initiative to create the first open-access, benchmark-quality forest carbon datasets, initially focusing on the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Combining advanced multi-scale lidar field campaigns with satellite remote sensing, the project aims to improve the accuracy, accessibility, and credibility of forest carbon data - and in doing so, lower the cost and raise the confidence of carbon market participation for developers, registries, investors, and policymakers worldwide. About Sylvera Sylvera is the leading carbon intelligence company providing independent ratings, market data, and geospatial analytics to incentivize investment in real climate action. Using proprietary data, machine learning, and on-the-ground expertise, the company has assessed over 700 projects and provides unmatched visibility into more than 27,000 projects. Trusted by corporates, investors, project developers, and policy-makers worldwide, the company is backed by leading investors including Balderton Capital, Index Ventures, Insight Partners, and Salesforce Ventures. About The Rockefeller Foundation Investing $30 billion over the last 113 years to promote the well-being of humanity, The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on unlikely partnerships and innovative solutions that deliver measurable results for people in the United States and around the world. The Rockefeller Foundation leverage scientific breakthroughs, artificial intelligence, and new technologies to make big bets across energy, food, health, and finance. For more information, sign up for its newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow The Rockefeller Foundation on X @RockefellerFdn, Instagram @rockefellerfdn, YouTube @RockefellerFdn, and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation. Media contacts. Javier romualdo perez. The Rockefeller Foundation

Sylvera launches Open Carbon Data Project to unlock investment in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. July 30, 2026 Table of contents Summary. With a combined $900k in funding from The Rockefeller Foundation and Meta, Sylvera partners with the State University of Santa Cruz (UESC), World Resources Institute, and Symbiosis Coalition, to create the world's first open-access, benchmark-grade forest carbon dataset in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest to lower the barrier to entry for carbon market participants, particularly smallholder and community-led projects. Sylvera today announced the Open Carbon Data Project, a first-of-its-kind initiative to generate high-resolution, open-access forest carbon data across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, Meta, World Resources Institute, Symbiosis Coalition, and leading Brazilian research institutions UESC, the initiative targets one of the most critical barriers - increasing the amount of trusted, scientifically rigorous data to underpin credible measurement, reporting and verification at scale. "Carbon markets cannot scale without trust, and trust starts with ground truth data. Through our work combining field measurements and advanced remote sensing, we're helping build the biomass data foundation that more accurate, transparent, and scalable carbon markets depend on." said Allister Furey, CEO, Sylvera. "High-quality, accessible data is critical infrastructure for scaling nature-based climate finance and ensuring it delivers real benefits to communities on the ground," said Carli Roth, Director of Innovative Finance at The Rockefeller Foundation. "This initiative shows how open, more accurate data can unlock investment, building investor and buyer confidence while helping local stakeholders accelerate equitable access to capital for underserved communities that depend on healthy forests for their lives and livelihoods." Nature-based climate solutions are attracting growing investment and delivering real climate outcomes. Establishing an open-sourced dataset of ground truth data in complex ecosystems like the Atlantic Forest will enable more sophisticated verification systems - accelerating deployment and reducing costs, which will enable the market to scale. Digital MRV (dMRV) systems offer a path to scalable, lower-cost verification, but they require robust data to model accurately. This initiative is designed to provide that foundation. The dataset will enable accurate measurement and verification of forest carbon stocks, improving the calibration and validation of satellite-based monitoring models. This will lower the barrier to entry for carbon market participants, particularly smallholder and community-led projects, and will increase confidence in verification results among investors and corporate buyers, helping to scale financial flows into forest restoration and protection. The data will be released later this year under an open licence, made accessible at no cost to developers, registries, policymakers, and researchers globally. A core principle of the initiative is that the work is locally anchored and steered by local experts. Through partnerships with Brazilian universities, research institutions, local implementation partners, and government agencies and landowners, the initiative ensures both scientific integrity and equitable participation, building long-term data capacity and institutional trust in the region. Brazilian / Local Partner Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Prof Deborah Faria, Permanent faculty member of the DCB and coordinator of the Laboratory of Ecology Applied to Conservation (LEAC)"The Open Carbon Data Project initiative strengthens global knowledge regarding forests and the carbon cycle. In Bahia, the project will enable more accurate estimates of carbon stocks in Atlantic Forest remnants and cocoa agroforestry systems, generating benefits for rural producers. By bringing together scientists, communities, and landowners, the initiative produces knowledge aligned with local realities and contributes to the region's sustainable development." Prof Daniel Piotto, Permanent faculty member of the Graduate Program in Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation"The partnership with Sylvera will generate robust estimates of carbon stocks in the southern Bahia region, in addition to enabling scientific exchange and training for academics from southern Bahia on the most advanced research methods focused on forest carbon." World Resources Institute John Brandt, Data Science Lead "Open, high-quality datasets are critical to ensuring credibility in the monitoring and management of forests with remote sensing technology. This initiative will strengthen the tools available to policymakers, researchers, and market participants alike." Blair Swedeen, Global Head of Net Zero and Sustainability "Scaling credible carbon markets requires the same foundation as any good science: open, high-quality data that anyone can build on. We've seen firsthand through our AI-powered forest mapping work with WRI how open-source tools can dramatically improve our understanding of forest ecosystems. This initiative will help lower barriers for new and community-led projects to begin receiving carbon financing, and ultimately build the trust that carbon markets need to attract investment at scale." Symbiosis Coalition Julia Strong, Executive Director and Founder "Nature-based solutions are some of the most important, near term, cost effective climate solutions we have, and the market is maturing faster than many people realize. Establishing high-quality, open datasets to set benchmarks and standards for measurement is key to giving buyers the confidence they need to act and unlock the market at scale." This dataset builds on Sylvera's broader work in forest biomass data and is being collected with local partners through a combination of advanced airborne and ground-based measurements, including terrestrial laser scanning, airborne laser scanning and gamma spectrometry, as well as conventional field inventory and soil coring. Field campaigns are underway, with data collection expected to be completed by Q3 2026 and the open dataset targeted for release in Q4 2026. The dataset will have immediate real-world applications, including improving the accuracy of the Meta and WRI Canopy Height Maps, one of the most widely used open-access forest monitoring tools globally. What is Open Carbon Data Project? The Open Carbon Data Project is a multi-partner initiative to create the first open-access, benchmark-quality forest carbon datasets, initially focusing on the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Combining advanced multi-scale lidar field campaigns with satellite remote sensing, the project aims to improve the accuracy, accessibility, and credibility of forest carbon data - and in doing so, lower the cost and raise the confidence of carbon market participation for developers, registries, investors, and policymakers worldwide. Where is the project taking place and why? The project is taking place in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. As one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems, the Atlantic Forest once covered approximately 330 million acres along Brazil's eastern seaboard. Today, more than 85% has been cleared, leaving a highly fragmented landscape that nonetheless supports over 148 million people and accounts for approximately 70% of Brazil's GDP. It is a UN-designated World Restoration Flagship and a priority region for both conservation and climate finance. What is multi-scale lidar (MSL)? MSL combines terrestrial, airborne, and satellite-based laser scanning to generate high-resolution, three-dimensional measurements of forest biomass. It provides significantly greater accuracy than traditional plot-based sampling and is used to calibrate and validate satellite-based monitoring models at biome scale. What is dMRV? Digital monitoring, reporting and verification (dMRV) refers to the use of remote sensing, AI, and computational tools to automate and standardise the measurement of carbon stocks and emissions reductions, replacing manual field-based approaches that are costly, slow, and difficult to scale.