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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 has announced a new NDC targeting a greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 59–67% by 2035 relative to 2005 levels. To achieve this, the government is developing a 2024-2035 Climate Plan consisting of an Adaptation Plan and a Mitigation Plan. The document argues that private sector investment is essential for success and recommends harmonizing sectoral policies, promoting corporate transition plans, and strengthening public-private dialogue. Key focus areas include halting illegal deforestation, decarbonizing agriculture, transitioning energy and industry away from fossil fuels, and implementing a national Emissions Trading System (ETS).

The ARCA project is a GEF-8 initiative focused on the Caatinga biome in Brazil, with a total GEF financing of $9,771,000. The project seeks to create approximately 100,000 hectares of new protected areas (PAs) and improve the management effectiveness of 4.58 million hectares across seven confirmed PAs. Key components include the implementation of National Action Plans for Endangered Species Conservation (PANs), combating illegal wildlife poaching and trafficking, and providing $732,155 for capacity building and sub-grants to Indigenous Peoples, Traditional Peoples, and Local Communities (IP/TP&LC). The project also aims to mitigate an estimated 48.8 million tons of CO2e over a 20-year period as a co-benefit of improved PA management.

The document details restoration monitoring efforts across four countries. In Brazil, the Brazilian Restoration and Reforestation Observatory (BRRO) tracks progress toward climate agreements using a multi-stakeholder platform and satellite data. Kenya has developed a monitoring framework with 30 indicators integrated into its 2024 National Ecosystem and Landscape Restoration Strategy. Burkina Faso utilizes the ONEDD platform for centralized data sharing among government and NGO partners. Vietnam employs the FORMIS system for forest status monitoring, though it faces challenges with data accessibility and consistency.

The report examines the high climate vulnerability of the Caatinga biome in Brazil, highlighting that family farmers—who manage 79% of rural properties in the region—suffer the most significant productivity losses during drought events. Using an aridity index, the study demonstrates that the Caatinga faces more frequent and intense droughts than other Brazilian biomes, leading to relative productivity drops of 16% for beans and 35% for corn. Beyond agriculture, the report establishes a correlation between increased aridity and severe socioeconomic declines, including a 13% increase in poverty, a 10% increase in child mortality, and a 19% increase in school delay rates for a one-unit increase in the aridity index. The authors argue that a rural just transition in the region requires integrating social development policies with low-carbon agricultural technologies to increase the resilience of the most exposed producers.

The report identifies the Caatinga biome in Northeast Brazil as highly vulnerable to climate change, with family farmers facing the greatest risks. Using an aridity index, the study demonstrates that increased drought leads to significant relative productivity losses in beans, corn, and cattle compared to other Brazilian biomes. These climate shocks are correlated with severe socioeconomic declines, including increased poverty, child mortality, school delay, and unemployment. The authors argue that a 'rural just transition' in the region must integrate social development policies with the adoption of low-carbon agricultural technologies to increase the resilience of the most exposed producers.

The report analyzes the socioeconomic and productive profiles of smallholders in the Caatinga and Cerrado biomes of Brazil. It highlights significant disparities in productivity, water access, and poverty levels between the two regions, noting that smallholders in the Caatinga are more likely to engage in subsistence farming and face higher poverty rates. The analysis emphasizes that a 'rural just transition' requires tailored policies that address these regional differences, specifically targeting the needs of women and black farmers who often manage smaller plots. It identifies critical barriers to sustainable transition, including low education levels, deficient technical assistance, and limited access to climate-resilient inputs. The report argues for a shift from extractive to regenerative models by supporting a subset of smallholders interested in commercialization through labor-intensive, low-carbon agricultural practices.

The report analyzes the disparities between family farmers in Brazil's Caatinga and Cerrado biomes, highlighting that those in the Caatinga face higher levels of poverty, lower productivity, and more restricted access to technical assistance. It argues that a just rural transition requires personalized policies that integrate social dimensions—such as education and gender equity—with technological solutions to move from extractive to sustainable agricultural models.

The report analyzes the disparities between smallholders in the Caatinga and Cerrado biomes, highlighting that those in the Caatinga face higher poverty, lower productivity, and greater climate vulnerability. It argues that a rural just transition in Brazil requires tailored policies that address these regional differences, specifically targeting subsistence farmers with social support and providing commercial-oriented smallholders with low-carbon technological and financial solutions.

WRI Brasil's 2023–2027 strategy focuses on transforming cities and food, land, and water systems to reduce inequality and protect ecosystems. Key goals include achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, expanding green urban infrastructure, and promoting a 'bioeconomy' in the Amazon. The strategy emphasizes a 'count it, change it, scale it' approach, leveraging research and partnerships to implement nature-based climate solutions and sustainable agriculture.

The document proposes the creation of the 'Brazilian Platform of sustainability', an integrated system and information toolkit designed to unify fragmented public and private traceability and certification data for cattle and soybeans in the Legal Amazon. The initiative aims to address information gaps that hinder the enforcement of deforestation-free supply chains and the effectiveness of existing moratoriums. By connecting databases like the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Brazilian Traceability Service of the Cattle and Buffalo Production Chains (SISBOV), the platform intends to increase transparency, attract private investment for low-emission agriculture, and support Brazil's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. The project, implemented by the FAO over 24 months with a budget of USD 449,510, will establish a governance model involving government agencies, industry associations, and NGOs to foster a sustainable agricultural economy.

The report finds that increased rural credit generally boosts agricultural production and productivity while reducing deforestation pressures, particularly in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. This occurs as credit enables producers to shift from extensive livestock ranching to more intensive crop cultivation. The analysis reveals that these positive land-use effects are most pronounced in the Amazon and Cerrado, while productivity gains are more significant in the Atlantic Forest, Pampas, and Caatinga. Additionally, the report notes that rural credit has a substantially higher positive impact on grain production compared to other crops.

The report analyzes how rural credit affects Brazilian agribusiness, finding that increased credit supply generally boosts agricultural production and productivity. In the Amazon and Cerrado biomes, credit specifically encourages the conversion of pasture to crop land, which reduces deforestation pressures and increases the area of native forests. The impact varies by biome and product, with grain production showing significantly larger increases in production and productivity compared to other crops.

The report identifies three distinct patterns of agricultural technology adoption in Brazil from 2006 to 2017. The Direct Planting System (DPS) is converging, becoming more widespread across the country. Tractor use is diverging, with increased concentration in wealthier, urbanized regions of the South and Southeast. Fertilizer use has increased overall but lacks a clear spatial pattern, with growth scattered across diverse regions including the Cerrado and Caatinga.

The document explains the mechanisms of Brazil's 2012 Forest Code, specifically the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Compliance Program (PRA). It argues that while the law provides tools for monitoring and restoration, effective implementation requires the active engagement of the private sector, financial institutions, and government agencies to move beyond mere legality toward zero net deforestation and degradation.

The report argues that Brazil's historical land abundance led to a misallocation of resources and land-intensive agricultural models. However, it demonstrates that productivity gains can be achieved without further deforestation by converting degraded pastures to crops and improving technology dissemination, credit access, and infrastructure. It highlights the success of the PPCDAm and DETER system in reducing Amazon deforestation but warns of new challenges, such as smaller-scale clearings and deforestation shifting to areas outside the Amazon and around protected zones.

In the semiarid Caatinga region of Brazil, farmers are adopting agroforestry by integrating native trees, specifically the umbu (Spondias tuberosa), into livestock pastures. This transition is driven by severe climate impacts, including a 50% decline in rainfall in the Jacuípe Drainage Basin since 1962 and increasing desertification. The establishment of the Ser do Sertão cooperative and its Delícias do Jacuípe factory has created a commercial market for umbu pulp, providing farmers with supplemental income that can exceed dairy revenues during the harvest season. Beyond economic gains, these practices help retain soil moisture and provide animal feed during droughts, offering a scalable model for restoring degraded landscapes and ensuring the livelihoods of subsistence farmers.

The ARCA Project aims to protect the Caatinga biome in Northeast Brazil by expanding and improving the management of the National System of Protected Areas (SNUC) and conserving endangered species. The project is funded by a $9,880,000 GEF grant and is executed by FUNBIO. It focuses on nine existing protected areas across Bahia, Pernambuco, Piauí, and Paraíba, targeting a minimum of 4,581,821 hectares. The framework outlines rigorous safeguards to protect Indigenous Peoples, Traditional Peoples, and Local Communities (IP/TP&LC), including a commitment to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and the development of Livelihood Restoration Plans (LRPs) to mitigate economic impacts from resource access restrictions. The project also includes a Gender Action Plan to address systemic inequalities and risks of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH).