World Environment Day 2024: PlanaFlor roadmap to tackle land restoration in Brazil

For the past three years, we have been working on PlanaFlor, a strategic plan to implement the Brazilian Forest Code. One of its eight macro objectives focuses on native vegetation restoration, which is this year’s World Environment Day theme. 

Brazil currently has a 10.7 million hectare Legal Reserve deficit and an 8.1 million hectare Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) deficit, areas that should have maintained their original vegetation according to the Forest Code. To address this, Brazil committed to restoring 12 million hectares of forests by 2030, leading to the launch of the National Plan for the Recovery of Native Vegetation (Planaveg) in 2017. BVRio is representing PlanaFlor in the Thematic Chamber for Implementation Arrangements in the process of revising Planaveg.

Since APPs deficits must be restored to comply with the Forest Code, PlanaFlor points that at least 8.1 million hectares of the Planaveg target would be in APPs, representing 67.5% of Brazil’s commitment. The remaining 3.9 million hectares would be restored in areas of Legal Reserve deficit or within Conservation Units, Indigenous Lands, Quilombola Territories, or undesignated public forests.

Within PlanaFlor, unprecedented spatial planning was conducted to identify priority areas for restoring APPs and Legal Reserves in Brazil. The restoration map prioritises micro-basins to begin implementing native vegetation restoration in different biomes and states, as these areas offer the best cost-benefit ratio. These areas are classified by priority levels to represent specific percentages of each state’s total deficit: “Extremely High,” “Very High,” “High,” and “Relevant.” Micro-basins without deficits are classified as “Not Applicable.” This innovative approach is set to impact restoration efforts significantly.

PlanaFlor also outlines strategies to scale restoration by providing financial and tax incentives, technical assistance, and strengthening the restoration production chain, among other actions and interventions. By implementing these strategies, Brazil can effectively scale its restoration efforts, contributing significantly to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem service provision, and sustainable development.

Learn more about PlanaFlor.