The Cerrado has 6 million hectares of deforested lands that need to be restored. This represents half of the commitment assumed by Brazil in the 2015 Paris Agreement: to reforest 12 million hectares by 2030.
According to a report by the Instituto Escolhas, titled “How much does Brazil need to invest to restore the Cerrado?” published on February 25, the restoration of native vegetation in Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) and Legal Reserves could generate net income of 781.3 billion reais.
Economic, environmental, and social benefits of restoring deforested lands
Known as the “granary of the world” and “Brazil’s water tank,” restoring the Cerrado would not only contribute to the country’s climate goals but also promote food production, job creation, and the recovery of vital sources for agriculture and hydroelectric power plants.
For example, the recomposition of Legal Reserves through timber production systems could generate 942 thousand cubic meters of wood, while restoring APPs with agroforestry systems could produce 26.6 million tons of food, requiring the planting of 3.7 billion seedlings. With an estimated investment of 132 billion reais, the restoration of the Cerrado has the potential to create 1.8 million jobs.
The research also estimates that the recovery of vegetation in the Cerrado could remove 2.38 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, equivalent to all emissions generated in Brazil during 2023.
The importance of the Cerrado and its current state
The Cerrado, the second-largest biome in Brazil, covers 198.5 million hectares, representing 23.3% of the national territory. It is distributed across several administrative regions, including the states of Goiás, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, and Bahía, among others.
According to MapBiomas (Collection 9, 2024), agricultural use in the Cerrado increased from 28% in 1985 to 47.2% in 2023, resulting in the loss of 38 million hectares of native vegetation since 1985, a decrease of 27%.
In 2022, the biome lost 1.5 million hectares, with 61% of this deforestation occurring in primary vegetation areas. In contrast, Conservation Units, Indigenous Lands, and Quilombola Communities preserve over 93% of their native vegetation, while privately owned areas with georeferenced land titles barely reach 44.9%.
An urgent call to meet climate commitments
According to Rafael Giovanelli, research manager at Instituto Escolhas, “Brazil aims to restore 12 million hectares of native vegetation, and half of that goal – 6 million – is in the Cerrado, which is the source of Brazil’s waters and the granary of the world.”
Giovanelli stated: “We need a productive restoration strategy that harnesses the biome’s capabilities, restores vital sources, produces food, and generates jobs and income.” However, he emphasizes that, although the goal was set in 2015, the country has made little progress and could reach COP30 in Belém without significant achievements to show.
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