Organizational Identity

Mission

To stimulate sustainable development through the recuperation and conservation of forest land, the promotion of environmental education and the correct use of natural resources.

Vision

To become a national role model in:

- Reforestation of the Valley of the River Doce;

- Production of seedlings native to the Atlantic Forest;

- Environmental education of children and young people; and

- Management of NGO’s.

Our Values

To achieve these goals, we are guided by the following principles.

- Our work can make a significant contribution to improving the material circumstances of all living beings.

- Respect for ethical and moral precepts should stand above each and every personal interest or individual benefit.

- Transparency must be the driving-force of all our actions.

- We will share with our partners solutions that make use of the best technical-management expertise available at the lowest prices compatible with the proper execution of the activities and the survival of our institution.

- We must strive for constant improvement of our technical and managerial abilities and their implementation, with the aim of improving our internal procedures and transmitting this expertise to other organizations.

- We will cultivate a working environment to maximise cooperative efforts and the pooling of ideas (with respect for diversity of opinion); this encourages creativity and initiative.

- Our career planning is based on performance, seniority and knowledge.

Fields of Activity

The primary geographic region for our activity is the Valley of the River Doce that extends between the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo. The river flows through 229 municipalities – of which 26 are in Espírito Santo and 203 in Minas Gerais. It covers an area of 344,403 square miles.

Our fields of interest are:

- Restoration of the ecosystem;

- Production of seedlings native to the Atlantic Forest;

- Environmental expansion;

- Environmental education;

- Applied scientific research.

We approach these objectives from two perspectives: those that are permanent (schemes to be followed continuously and without interruption in search of solutions) and those that are circumstantial (proposals made in accordance with environmental changes, resulting from new or variable internal or external factors).

The tool used for defining and monitoring our objectives is the Balanced Scorecard, an instrument developed in 1992 by the Harvard professors Kaplan and Norton; it provides a clear and articulated view of all the Instituto Terra’s efforts.

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Management Model

We have adopted a management model that conforms to our values; this makes it possible for us to realize our objectives in accordance with our own vision - and, ultimately, with the mission of our institute.

Our Management System can be seen in the diagram below:

The term ‘Management System’ is used here to describe how interlinked activities promote the aims of the organization.

The management system of the Instituto Terra is oriented towards results, with Operational Protocols, or methods of standardization, guiding its policies. The Balanced Scorecard is the tool used to define and monitor its strategic objectives. And the Project Office (conceived according to the best practices recommended by the Project Management Institute) supports its activities (the planning, execution and control of projects) in accordance with the system of Zero Based Budgeting, associated with the ‘Rolling Forecasting’ technique.

The management of corporate risk, which is being introduced in 2013, monitors the risks - once identified - of failing to reach strategic objectives outlined in the Balanced Scorecard; it also calculates the possibility of not being able to provide the “deliverables” of the projects in line with their scope, cost, time frame, etc.

To remain true to its institutional mission, the Instituto Terra counts on partnerships with private firms, NGO’s and national and foreign governments. These partnerships are firmly established through agreements of technical-financial cooperation.

It should also be noted that, in line with its principles, the Instituto Terra offers maximum transparency as to the proper use of its resources. Accordingly, since 2002, its financial performance has been analysed and certified by well-known companies in the field of external auditing: PwC (2002-2004), KPMG (2005-2006) and Baker Tilly (2007-2012) as well as by a Fiscal Council since the institute’s foundation.

(i) Organizational unit to which they are assigned various responsibilities related to the centralized and coordinated management of those projects under its domain, operating continuously promoting and supporting the functions of project management in the form of training, software and standardized policies.

(ii) Management tool for the preparation and budget control which does not consider the baseline of previous years with implicitly approved, as in a traditional ornamentation.

(iii) Methodology for continuous review of the budget that aims to identify possible distortions and review them.