The Juruena Valley (Juruena and Cotriguaçú municipalities), located in the Northwest of Mato Grosso state, has great conservation relevance for being an ecotone, a transition area between two biomes, Cerrado (Savannah) and Amazon. This biome transition condition has many peculiarities but the fundamental one is to be a hotspot with a rich variety of endemic species. These neighboring municipalities are located on the margins of Juruena river, around 930 km north of Cuiaba, Mato Grosso state capital. 

The region is considered the new agricultural frontier since its colonization occurred recently – around 30 years ago – and consequently the deforestation culture is still strong and present within local community. Juruena Municipality has a total area of 319.000ha, of which 191.400ha are preserved with native vegetation and the other 127.600ha are mainly used for livestock activities. The municipality of Cotriguaçu has a total area of 912.358ha, of which 711.000ha is still preserved with its native vegetation (being 168.938ha an indigenous land) and the other 200.640ha are used for livestock activities. Juruena Valley is considered one of the breeding cradles of Mato Grosso, being responsible for the production of 35% of calves in the state.

IDH, together with Natcap and local stakeholders, have conducted a process designed to build a sustainable development vision for the Juruena Valley region, comprising the municipalities of Juruena and Cotriguaçu. This process, which took place in the second half of 2017, had as its main stages the engagement of local stakeholders, the agreement on intentions regarding the priorities for the region, the set-up of goals, and the consolidation of the common vision for the municipality through the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on  May of 2018. The PCI Regional Compact in the Juruena Valley aims to develop a d-free sourcing area for local products, through public and private partnership, enabling conditions to promote sustainable intensification, while reducing deforestation and generating income.