Public Policies for Ecological Restoration in Brazil
Study produced by Agroicone, with support from the Land Innovation Fund, helps formulating an ecological restoration agenda for the Matopiba region
As an agricultural frontier known for its intensive use of technology and a succession of high yield records, especially for soybeans, the Matopiba region – covering areas in the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia – lost 13 million hectares of native vegetation from 2001 to 2020, according to data from INPE, accounting for 44.8% of deforested areas in the entire Cerrado biome. Agroicone's survey, carried out with support from the Land Innovation Fund – set up to foster innovation for a sustainable deforestation- and conversion-free soy supply chain – identified major challenges and opportunities for large-scale restoration in the region, and provides a new benchmarking of successful policies carried out in other Brazilian states. The study also highlights the need for greater coordination between public authorities and regional players to minimize the lag between the creation and the enforcement of norms and laws to stimulate ecological restoration.
How to align demands for better yields with responsible agricultural development and ecological restoration is one of agriculture’s major challenges in the 21st century, and part of the Land Innovation Fund's mandate to foster sustainability in the soy supply chain. "In partnership with Agroicone, the program engages with the United Nations principles and challenges for the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, and with Brazil's commitment under the Paris Agreement to restore 30 million hectares of land and ensure a 43% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030," says Land Innovation Fund Director Carlos E. Quintela. "We want to be part of creating the country’s restoration agenda, with an understanding of the importance of this issue for the international environmental conservation agenda," he adds.
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The study, entitled "An overview of ecological restoration in Matopiba and public policy benchmarking", provides a survey of 58 ecological restoration-related policies implemented by governments in all regions of Brazil, some of them in partnership with private organizations and international organizations, in 15 states and the Federal District. Gathered, described and analyzed systematically for the first time, the initiatives range from comprehensive policies to specific projects and regulations. "We want this to be just the starting point for ongoing surveys of similar initiatives. We know the information is dynamic and the analysis can be expanded into a permanent learning and collaboration environment for policy makers in Matopiba," explains the project's coordinator and partner at Agroicone, Laura Antoniazzi.
The survey came out of various meetings with the Secretaries of Environment of each of the Matopiba states, to map out challenges for landscape-scale ecological restoration projects in the region, as well as possible improvement actions. The initiative's novelty also involves the region chosen for the study: according to Agroicone, practically all existing knowledge on ecological restoration in Brazil has been based on the Atlantic Forest and other forest formations. Analyses of the Cerrado biome are more recent, and still underway. Little quantitative information has been consolidated on the size and scope of restoration actions in this region, nor is there much practical support material on practices and methods adopted in other regions for agents to use or adapt to this biome's needs.
This overview of challenges and opportunities draws on an evaluation of the value chain for the restoration of native vegetation, including the stages of planning, seed collection, seedling production, planting, management and monitoring, and marketing. Some of the weak points for restoration policies implemented in the region have to do with insufficient monitoring mechanisms, funding for restoration, technical assistance, periodic monitoring or previous experience in this field, as well as the total absence of regulations for public policies such as the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA), financial incentives or other economic benefits focused on the agenda, and difficulties for the analysis and validation of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR).
PATHWAYS TO RESTORATION
Agroicone's benchmarking classifies the initiatives covered in the survey as public policies, programs and projects. The first is run by the State, based on society's demands; the second is a group of jointly managed projects or actions; and the last relates to short-term activities for a specific purpose. It also categorizes the activities into 13 action areas, ranging from environmental education to the monitoring of recovered areas, including the planning of priority areas, technical assistance and training, payment for environmental services, environmental taxes, and the creation of a fund or financing. The survey, as an analysis of best practices, is expected to help set an agenda and formulate nationwide public policies for restoration, applicable to the Matopiba region.
One key point stressed in the study is that more restoration requires the elimination of mismatches and gaps in existing public policies, especially the slow pace of full enforcement of the new Forest Code. Clearer legislation, with monitoring and enforcement, are fundamental for environmental regularization – the biggest driver of restoration today. The survey also identified a need to strengthen the entire restoration production chain, with the participation of diverse social players and sectors, from the government to farmers, cooperatives, technical consultants, NGOs and research institutes. "The spread of technical knowledge, incentives for seedling production and seed collection, the encouragement of commercial seeding, and the development of communication strategies are a few of the possible ways to expand the reach and relevance of restoration actions in Brazil," says Agroicone's senior researcher responsible for the project, Laura Antoniazzi.
About Agroicone:
Agroicone is an organization that generates knowledge and solutions to transform the agriculture sector, and to respond to the global challenges it faces. It operates in five strategic areas: i) international trade and global issues; ii) sustainability and territorial intelligence; iii) public policies; iv) business, markets and finance; and v) technologies in agro-chains. Agroicone is staffed by a multidisciplinary team, with a wide range of expertise in the economic, regulatory/legal, territorial, socio-environmental, and communication fields. For more information: www.agroicone.com.br.