US$48 Million Growing from the Forest: The Story Behind the Amazon Brazil Nut
The Amazon Brazil nut occupies a unique place in the international trade of non-timber forest products. Unlike most agricultural crops, it is not cultivated in large-scale commercial plantations. Instead, it depends entirely on standing, healthy forests where the trees grow naturally across Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil.
In Peru, production is concentrated primarily in the Madre de Dios region. Each harvest season supports a value chain that includes nut collection, processing, and export. According to the Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCRP), Brazil nut exports reached US$48 million in 2025, representing a 27.6% increase compared to 2024.
The presence of Brazil nut trees in the Amazon long predates their incorporation into international markets. Harvesting relies on extensive knowledge of forest cycles, the location of productive trees, collection routes, and the ecological dynamics that sustain production. In Madre de Dios, this knowledge forms part of practices passed down through generations and reflects the traditional knowledge systems developed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Peru's Ministry of Culture recognizes the importance of this traditional knowledge as part of the cultural heritage and living memory of Amazonian peoples.
© Vico Mendez / WWF-Peru
Because Brazil nuts depend on intact forests, this activity has become a leading example of sustainable management of non-timber forest resources. In Madre de Dios, Brazil nut concessions and Indigenous territories are part of a productive landscape that spans more than one million hectares of Amazon rainforest.
"An Amazon Brazil nut tree can take approximately 20 to 30 years before it begins producing fruit and requires complex ecological conditions to complete its life cycle, including the presence of pollinators and seed-dispersing wildlife. This makes Brazil nuts a resource intrinsically linked to the conservation of mature forests: every nut that reaches the market is the result of ecological processes that take decades to develop and depend on healthy Amazon ecosystems", said Milton Huanca, Sustainable Value Chains Specialist.
For this reason, WWF promotes the sustainable use of non-timber forest products such as Brazil nuts through its work with more than 90 forest concessions, six Indigenous communities, and other stakeholders across the Amazon landscape. Strengthening dialogue among producers, forest authorities, companies, and civil society organizations is essential to advancing the sustainable use of forest resources.
© Vico Mendez / WWF-Peru
As part of these efforts, WWF participated in the event "Let's Talk About Forests: Brazil Nuts that Conserve and Drive Sustainability," organized by OSINFOR in Puerto Maldonado with support from HP. The event brought together Brazil nut producers, representatives from public institutions, the private sector, and local citizens through a producers' fair, a photography exhibition, and dialogue sessions highlighting the role of Brazil nuts in both the regional economy and the conservation of Amazon forests.
"At HP, we work alongside organizations like WWF to advance solutions that contribute to forest conservation while addressing the needs of the communities that depend on them. We believe that partnerships among the public sector, civil society, and private companies are essential to strengthening sustainable local economies", said Frinee Cano, Sustainable Impact Lead for Latin America at HP.
Through initiatives like this, WWF, OSINFOR, and HP aim to contribute to more sustainable forest management, strengthen opportunities linked to the responsible use of non-timber forest products, and promote development models that are compatible with the conservation of the Amazon.
© Vico Mendez / WWF-Peru
