Conserving and Restoring Biodiversity in Brazil

Abstract

As the country with the greatest biodiversity on the planet, Brazil must take on a major challenge in confronting deforestation, the primary problem facing the Amazon, one of the world's most important ecosystems. Brazil also ranks fourth among countries emitting greenhouse gases (GHG). Of total emissions, two-thirds are due to deforestation and degradation in the Amazon. Biodiversity represents enormous potential for humanity, whether through the use of extracted materials (pharmaceuticals and chemicals) or through forest composition and structure (biological control). Conserving and restoring biodiversity is therefore a national priority in Brazilian public policy. A project for forest restoration and carbon sequestration quantification is currently underway, whose main goal is to provide technical and scientific support at various stages of species selection, seedling production, and restoration planting, in order to maximize reforestation, atmospheric carbon reduction, and biodiversity restoration.