Brazil

Pictures made Valentina Calado Pompermaier

BACKGROUND

In northeast and southeast Pará, Indigenous and Traditional Territories are actively stewarded by communities. These territories form part of a large network of Protected Areas. This network includes Conservation Units, Quilombola Areas, and Legal Reserves on settlements. Together, they play a central role in conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services.

However, these forests face strong pressure from external drivers. Illegal logging, fire-based farming, and cattle ranching are major threats. Large-scale commodity plantations further accelerate deforestation. Environmental enforcement is important but not sufficient on its own. Long-term change requires viable economic alternatives and inclusive land-use governance.

Research activities

In Brazil, the project explores landscape approaches that link conservation and agriculture. It aims to avoid Indigenous territories becoming isolated “islands of conservation.” Research covers diverse land-use regimes across the landscape. These include Protected Areas, Indigenous territories, extractive reserves, and farms. Approaches such as agroecology, agroforestry, and regenerative agriculture will be examined.

The project seeks synergies between land uses to reduce deforestation drivers. Some interventions focus on governance, rights, and institutional arrangements. Others address technology, capacity building, and knowledge exchange. Different knowledge systems are brought together to address biodiversity loss.