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.
.......
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.