Why data is so important for Brazilian restoration and reforestation

Brazil’s ecosystems are facing an unprecedented threat. According to MapBiomas, 11-25% of the country’s remaining native vegetation – amounting to 60-135 million hectares – is experiencing some level of degradation.

The government response is still in its early stages. Launched in November 2024, its new National Plan for the Recovery of Native Vegetation (Planaveg) sets a target to restore 12 million hectares of vegetation by 2030.

This is the same goal Brazil committed to in its nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement, reaffirmed during the Baku Climate Conference (COP29). This commitment will also be incorporated as part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework target 2 – restore 30% of all degraded ecosystems.

Inaction would have consequences. Beyond failing to meet international commitments, Brazil would jeopardize the conservation of its ecosystems, unique biodiversity and global weather patterns. It would also limit its potential for carbon storage, a critical asset in times of climate crisis.

However, public-private collaboration would help Brazil take the lead on its ecological restoration agenda.

Fulfilling this requires consolidation and capacity-building efforts, such as mapping the various ecological restoration initiatives across the country and mobilizing, training and funding the restoration supply chain.

Doing so could also provide professional and economic opportunities by way of service providers, seed collectors and seedling producers.

The potential outcome is promising: Brazil is well-positioned to steer this prosperous activity globally, supported by public policies and ambitious projects identified through a robust monitoring tool.

The Observatory for Restoration and Reforestation, established by the Brazil Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture – a network of over 400 representatives from the private, financial, academic and civil society sectors – centralizes data on restoration efforts in Brazil.

The platform has achieved significant outreach by organizing restoration collectives active across the country’s six biomes and training them to report activity data using the same methodology.

This engagement enables the Observatory to quantify the impact of regional initiatives accurately. To ensure up-to-date and accurate data, it is crucial that all stakeholders – civil society organizations, businesses, financial institutions, subnational authorities and academic institutions – engaged in restoration activities report their data.

The Observatory collects and consolidates this data with minimal effort from users. The resulting dataset then helps develop statistical analysis that supports decision-making at various levels.

The Observatory has so far mapped restoration efforts covering 150,000 hectares, an area equivalent to the city of São Paulo.

Of this total, 77% is in the Atlantic Forest, 13% in the Cerrado and 9.5% in the Amazon. Biomes such as the Caatinga, Pampa and Pantanal, where data collection is still in its infancy, account for less than 1% of the identified area.

Most of the compiled restoration projects occur in small areas of up to five hectares, though some span up to 3,000 hectares. Each represents valuable efforts and should be captured.

The data published by the ORR platform is connected to international datasets through interoperability with the FERM (Forest Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring) tool managed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Another key international partner, Restor, represents the world’s largest online network of restoration and conservation efforts, as well as data and professionals. The exchange of information within the network supports the generation of scientific data at various levels (landscape, region, state, country) for registered initiatives in Brazil.

Sharing data globally will be crucial for knowledge dissemination, building trust across stakeholders and facilitating direct financing of farmers, indigenous peoples and local communities, as restoration for climate action has global benefits.

Locally, restoration projects also generate jobs and income. Efforts to restore 12 million hectares of vegetation have the potential to create over 2.5 million jobs.

Brazil’s leadership in advancing international cooperation in the ecological transition, especially through its recently launched G20 Bioeconomy initiative and COP30 presidency, demonstrates its capacity to establish global pathways for sustainable land use and financing for restoration and conservation​.

The country is uniquely positioned to align ecological restoration with economic growth, leveraging impact investment funds such as the Moringa Fund. The agroforestry focused fund has restored 25,000 hectares, created 9,000 jobs, supported 20,000 farmers​ and helped deliver the REDD+ Amazon Fund.

It also launched its Tropical Forest Forever Facility, which will be made operational at the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil.

Highlighting existing restoration projects, such as Belterra Agroforesty, will exemplify the potential of this economic activity, initiating new public policy and driving further investments into restoring degraded lands.

Understanding ongoing initiatives is vital to boosting the country’s green economy.

By showcasing these success stories through platforms such as the Observatory and Restor, Brazil can inspire similar efforts worldwide and provide a blueprint for scalable, high-impact restoration.

The Observatory welcomes new restoration project data, however big or small, via email at observatorio.restauracao@coalizaobrasil.org.

Renato Grandelle, Communications Coordinator of the Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture, also contributed to this article.