Compliance to Brazil's Forest Code will not protect biodiversity and ecosystem services

Enforcing Brazil's Forest Code could potentially rescue the Cerrado biome from significant biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. The study finds that establishing restoration programs on private properties with insufficient native vegetation could create habitat for 25% more threatened species, enhance water security, and increase carbon stock by 56.6 million tons. Additionally, strategic expansion of protected areas and trading environmental reserve quotas could further bolster conservation efforts. This is the first assessment evaluating the impacts of the Forest Code on biodiversity and ecosystem services across 200 million hectares of the Cerrado, highlighting both challenges and opportunities for compliance.

Vieira, R. R. S., Ribeiro, B. R., Resende, F. M., Brum, F. T., Machado, N., Sales, L. P., Macedo, L., Soares‐Filho, B., & Loyola, R. (2017). Compliance to Brazil’s Forest Code will not protect biodiversity and ecosystem services. Diversity and Distributions, 24(4), 434–438. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12700