Ecological Restoration: Workshop Takes a Major Step Toward Monitoring Frameworks

December, 2024 – Advancing ecological restoration by integrating science and public policy is critical for Brazil to achieve its ambitious goal of restoring millions of hectares of native vegetation. Clear protocols must be established to evaluate implementation efforts, monitor progress, and assess project outcomes.

To this end, a significant milestone was achieved during the workshop “Indicadores da Vegetação para Monitoramento e Avaliação da Recuperação Ambiental (Vegetation Indicators for Monitoring and Evaluating Environmental Recovery).” 

The event was organized in November by Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), and Embrapa/Cenargen, in partnership with USAID and the U.S. Forest Service. 

The ASL Brasil - Paisagens Sustentáveis da Amazônia project, Mata Atlântica - Biodiversidade e Mudanças Climáticas and GEF Terrestre - Estratégias de Conservação, Restauração e Manejo para a Biodiversidade da Caatinga, Pampa e Pantanal is also a partner in this effort.

The workshop gathered 87 participants from diverse sectors, including Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, traditional communities, state and federal governments, and academia. This collaborative effort generated valuable knowledge and insights, which will be compiled into a comprehensive report.

Key outcomes included contributions toward defining standardized restoration indicators for Brazil's diverse vegetation types and biomes. Participants also emphasized the importance of integrating these guidelines into existing public policies and the need to invest in georeferencing technologies and data analysis tools for effective monitoring.

This initiative is part of the implementation of Brazil’s National Native Vegetation Recovery Plan (read more here in Portuguese), recently updated and announced at COP16. The development of standardized indicators and reference values will establish monitoring protocols for Ibama and ICMBio.

“This workshop reflects USAID's commitment to advancing ecological restoration in Brazil by integrating science, policy, and action to restore millions of hectares of native vegetation. By uniting experts knowledgeable across Brazilian biomes, we are helping establish a strong framework to monitor and evaluate restoration efforts, ensuring they are effective, measurable, and sustainable. USAID is proud to work with this diversity of Brazilian entities to strengthen environmental policies and natural resource management, fostering a resilient future for Brazil's unique biomes”, said Catherine Hamlin, Environment Office Director at USAID Brazil. 

Ana Luiza Violato Espada, U.S. Forest Service Officer, highlighted the importance of multi-sector collaboration in restoration efforts. “This workshop is a product of that collaboration, aiming to develop a comprehensive platform for monitoring and implementing restoration indicators, particularly across federal and state-managed areas,” she said.

Restoration goals - Brazil has pledged to restore 12 million hectares of native vegetation by 2030, reinforcing its commitment to biodiversity conservation. Planaveg supports this goal, identifying the potential recovery of 1.3 million hectares in federal conservation units, 1.7 million hectares in Indigenous Territories, and 20.7 million hectares on private rural lands.

USAID has been actively supporting these efforts through initiatives like the Regenerative Agriculture for Conservation of the Amazon program (read here) and other projects developed in partnership with Indigenous communities and local organizations (learn more).