Addressing the urgent climate and biodiversity crisis through strategic ecosystem restoration in Brazil

Luisa Fernanda Liévano-Latorre, Juliana M. de Almeida-Rocha, Alberto Akama, Hernani Alves Almeida, Ricardo Teixeira Gregório Andrade, Marcelo Rodrigues dos Anjos, Yasmine Antonini, Thaise de Oliveira Bahia, Flavia Rodrigues Barbosa, Reinaldo Imbrozio Barbosa, Claudia Franca Barros, Helena Godoy Bergallo, Liliane Souza Brabo, Andre Restel Camilo, Renata Capellão, Rainiellen de Sá Carpanedo, Carolina Volkmer Castilho, Larissa Cavalheiro, Rui Cerqueira, Carlos Leandro Cordeiro, Milton Omar Córdova, Renato Crouzeilles, Cátia Nunes da Cunha, Arnaud Desbiez, Elisandro Ricardo Dreschler-Santos, Viviane Dib, Carolina Rodrigues da Costa Doria, Leandro de Oliveira Drummond, Geraldo Wilson Afonso Fernandes, Vanda Lúcia Ferreira, Erich Fischer, Luciana de Campos Franci, Stela Rosa Amaral Gonçalves, Carlos Eduardo de Viveiros Grelle, Gabby Neves Guilhon, Marcia Patricia Hoeltgebaum, Mariana de Andrade Iguatemy, Álvaro Iribarrem, Catarina C. Jakovac, André Braga Junqueira, Ricardo Koroiva, Joana Madeira Krieger, Eduardo Lacerda, Agnieszka Latawiec, Alessandra Monteiro Lopes, Júlia Lins Luz, Tatiana Lemos da Silva Machado, Veronica Maioli-Azevedo, Stella Manes, Angelo Gilberto Manzatto, Ana Carolina Lacerda de Matos, Lara M. Monteiro, Manuel Comes Muanis, Marcelo Trindade Nascimento, Selvino Neckel-Oliveira, Julia Niemeyer, Janaina da Costa Noronha, Alessandro Pacheco Nunes, Alex Eugênio Oliveira, Jane C.F. Oliveira, Luiz Gustavo Oliveira, Susamar Pansini, Marcos Penhacek, Ricardo de Oliveira Perdiz, Luciana Regina Podgaiski, Antonio Rossano Mendes Pontes, Ananza Mara Rabello, Danilo Bandini Ribeiro, Diogo Rocha, Domingo de Jesus Rodrigues, Fabio de Oliveira Roque, Bruno H.P. Rosado, Carolina Ferreira Santos, Fabiane Carolyne Santos, Patrícia Marques Santos, Carlos A.M. Scaramuzza, Ana Carolina Lins Silva, Barbara Rúbia Silveira, Marcos Silveira, Maria Aurea Pinheiro de Almeida Silveira, Bernardo Strassburg, Walfrido Moraes Tomas, Julian Nicholas Garcia Willmer, Rafael Loyola

Biological Conservation, 302, 110972

February 01, 2025

Ecosystem restoration is crucial worldwide to address environmental challenges. Many countries, including Brazil, have committed to restoring degraded landscapes at national and international levels. Brazil aims to restore twelve million hectares of degraded areas by 2030, which requires strategic decision-making to allocate resources effectively and balance biodiversity gains with societal benefits. Our modeling approach uses extensive biodiversity field data to identify priority areas for restoration across Brazil's diverse phytogeographic domains. By focusing on expanding native species habitats and enhancing connectivity, we aim to maximize ecological returns. Precisely, we pinpoint areas within each Brazilian phytogeographic domain with the greatest potential for habitat enhancement, including the Amazon's arc of deforestation, central Cerrado, the limits of Caatinga, Pampa, and Pantanal, and the coastal areas of the Atlantic Forest. Restoring 30 % of these areas—approximately 76 million hectares—could significantly benefit 11,028 species by increasing available habitat by up to 10 % and improving landscape functional connectivity by 60 %. Moreover, this restoration effort would capture up to 9.8 million tons of atmospheric carbon, contributing to global climate goals. As Brazil strives to meet national and international targets, we also advocate for economic incentives to support restoration practices within each phytogeographic domain. Integrating prioritization modeling into decision-making ensures optimal biodiversity and carbon stock outcomes to guide more effective restoration efforts. This comprehensive strategy helps advance restoration goals and underscores the vital role of science-based planning in safeguarding our planet's natural heritage.

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CITATION

Liévano-Latorre, L. F., de Almeida-Rocha, J. M., Akama, A., Almeida, H. A., Andrade, R. T. G., dos Anjos, M. R., Antonini, Y., Bahia, T. de O., Barbosa, F. R., Barbosa, R. I., Barros, C. F., Bergallo, H. G., Brabo, L. S., Camilo, A. R., Capellão, R., Carpanedo, R. de S., Castilho, C. V., Cavalheiro, L., Cerqueira, R., … Loyola, R. (2025). Addressing the urgent climate and biodiversity crisis through strategic ecosystem restoration in Brazil. Biological Conservation, 302, 110972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.110972