De Potencial a Ação: Omecs e Conservação Inclusiva no Brasil

The report examines the potential for implementing OECMs (meccs) in Brazil to achieve the '30x30' biodiversity goals. It analyzes various spatial mechanisms, including protected areas (UCs), Indigenous lands (TIs), Quilombola territories (TQs), and private lands. The document highlights that while formal protected areas are established, significant conservation occurs in traditional territories and private lands that lack formal recognition. It identifies land tenure insecurity as a primary obstacle to inclusive conservation and proposes that the mecc framework be used to prioritize land regularization for traditional peoples and communities (PCTs). The report concludes with recommendations to integrate meccs with social policies, ensure equitable governance, and provide technical and financial support to local actors.

• Brazil's national biodiversity target for 2030 (Meta Brasileira 3) aims to conserve and manage at least 80% of the Amazon biome and 30% of all other biomes, including coastal-marine systems, through an integrated system of protected areas, traditional territories, and OECMs.
• The Brazilian government is developing a specific national framework for OECMs, termed 'medidas complementares efetivas de conservação' (meccs), which adopts international CBD criteria but adds considerations such as the requirement for free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) for areas occupied by traditional peoples and communities (PCTs).
• Indigenous lands (TIs) and Quilombola territories (TQs) are highly effective for biodiversity conservation; for example, between 1985 and 2022, native vegetation loss in Quilombola territories was only 4.7%, compared to 17% in private areas.
• Land tenure insecurity is identified as the most significant structural obstacle to conservation in Brazil, with an estimated 100 million hectares of public lands lacking clear designation or title, which facilitates illegal land grabbing ('grilagem') and deforestation.
• The 'Marco Temporal' (Time Limit) thesis represents a central risk to inclusive conservation by attempting to restrict Indigenous land rights to territories occupied on October 5, 1988, which ignores historical forced displacements.
• Private lands, including voluntary reserves and areas under legal obligations like Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) and Legal Reserves (RLs), have high potential as meccs, provided they have regular land tenure and demonstrate in situ conservation.
• Traditional peoples and communities (PCTs) other than Indigenous and Quilombola groups—such as ribeirinhos, geraizeiros, and extractivists—lack the same legal security and institutional apparatus for land demarcation, making them prime candidates for mecc recognition to stimulate land regularization.
• The report argues that mecc recognition should not be a mere accounting exercise for global targets but should be linked to 'inclusive conservation,' which integrates biodiversity protection with basic social policies (health, education, energy) and the valuation of traditional knowledge.

APA

Maretti, C. C., Lobo, R., Gajardo, O. B., & Pacheco, P. (2025). De Potencial a Ação: Omecs e Conservação Inclusiva no Brasil. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1805/Final_Brazil_Country_Report.pdf

Chicago

Maretti, Cláudio C., Rafaella Lobo, Osvaldo Barassi Gajardo, and Pablo Pacheco. De Potencial a Ação: Omecs e Conservação Inclusiva no Brasil. WWF International, 2025. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1805/Final_Brazil_Country_Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Maretti |first1=Cláudio C. |last2=Lobo |first2=Rafaella |last3=Gajardo |first3=Osvaldo Barassi |last4=Pacheco |first4=Pablo |title=De Potencial a Ação: Omecs e Conservação Inclusiva no Brasil |publisher=WWF International |date=December 2025 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1805/Final_Brazil_Country_Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{maretti2025potencial, author = {Maretti, Cláudio C. and Lobo, Rafaella and Gajardo, Osvaldo Barassi and Pacheco, Pablo}, title = {{De Potencial a Ação: Omecs e Conservação Inclusiva no Brasil}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1805/Final_Brazil_Country_Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }