Symbol of the national fauna, the golden lion tamarin remains a focus of ExxonMobil. The company, one of the largest in the oil and gas sector and present in Brazil for 110 years, announced the renewal of support to Associação Mico-Leão-Dourado (AMLD), in the interior of Rio de Janeiro, with a contribution of R$ 1 million to help preserve the species in its natural habitat, which currently has only about 2,500 animals.

The transaction is brokered by the Brazilian Fund for Biodiversity (FUNBIO). With the contribution, AMLD, located in the municipality of Silva Jardim, in addition to taking care of the maintenance of the park open to the public and the planting of native forest seedlings, will focus on environmental education aimed at raising awareness of environmental preservation, increasing the number of children and producing educational materials, without neglecting the development of projects together with local communities. The golden lion tamarin is still considered an endangered animal that lives only in the Atlantic Forest in the interior of the state of Rio de Janeiro, the only nursery of the species in the world.

"We have supported this project since 2019 and it is a source of great pride for our company. ExxonMobil has a long history of responsibly meeting society's growing energy needs in a reliable and sustainable way. Our commitment is to provide essential energy and chemicals to modern life and economic development, while protecting people, the environment and the communities where we operate," said Alberto Ferrin, president of ExxonMobil in Brazil.

"This year we celebrate 30 years of AMLD. This partnership has allowed the institution to be strengthened in the achievement of several conservation goals", says Luis Paulo Ferraz, Executive Secretary of the Mico-Leão-Dourado Association.

"AMLD's work has been instrumental in recovering a species that was on the brink of extinction. It is encouraging to see the growth of the golden lion tamarin population return. ExxonMobil's support will expand people's access to the park and information about these rare primates", says Rosa Lemos de Sá, Secretary General of FUNBIO.

The Golden Lion Tamarin Park

Located in the municipality of Silva Jardim, about 130 kilometers from the city of Rio de Janeiro, the park is now open regularly for visitors, from Thursday to Saturday, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Visitation takes place by prior appointment through the park's website, on the AMLD website: https://micoleao.org.br/o-parque/. All resources collected from the visitation are reinvested in the species conservation program.