Spatial planning for restoration in Cerrado: Balancing the trade‐offs between conservation and agriculture

A significant trade-off exists between restoring degraded Cerrado pastures and agricultural expansion, with 16 million hectares of land suitable for agriculture also being critical for ecosystem service recovery and biodiversity. This study modeled seven restoration scenarios across the biome to evaluate conflicts between conservation priorities—such as biodiversity, water-related services, carbon stock, and agricultural suitability—and found that local-scale planning can mitigate these trade-offs by addressing regional heterogeneity. The findings highlight the need for nuanced policy approaches to balance large-scale restoration goals with agricultural demands in this globally important savanna.

Schüler, J., & Bustamante, M. M. C. (2022). Spatial planning for restoration in Cerrado: Balancing the trade‐offs between conservation and agriculture. Journal of Applied Ecology, 59(10), 2616–2626. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14262