Brazil is home to the greatest biodiversity on the planet: its vast territory, distinctive biomes, and favorable climatic and soil conditions result in a huge wealth of flora and fauna. It is estimated that the country holds 20% of the world’s biodiversity and 30% areas of tropical forest. When it comes to the use of land for productive farming, whether this is for agriculture, forestry, or other uses, there is the frequent and incorrect perception that production and conservation cannot go hand in hand. Biodiversity has gained force in the development strategies of companies and governments. In this context, government policies and mechanisms to combat deforestation and create protected areas are essential.
But government actions alone are not enough. Studies show that if the high rates of tropical deforestation are maintained, in 100 years 40% of the species that currently exist on Earth will be extinct. The planted tree sector believes that the solution to conserving biodiversity should be in line with economic development projects, and recognizes the importance of biodiversity to supplying products (such as medicines and cosmetics) as well for ecosystem services, such as quality and maintenance of water flow. The industry has been working on initiatives to demonstrate and value biodiversity and the role of the industry in conserving this fundamental asset. Despite having a different structure than natural forests, trees planted for productive purposes play an important role in conserving biodiversity and inducing the recovery of natural forests through techniques such as mosaic planting. These in turn form so-called “ecological corridors” that comprise planted and natural areas and serve as habitat for animals, plants, and micro-organisms.
As a result, appropriate landscape management goes against the idea that planted forests are green deserts. Large investments in technology and best practices in management guarantees the Brazilian tree industry a groundbreaking position in efficient production, allowing sustainable intensification: producing more with less. These forests are planted in areas that are suited for efficient production, preserving fundamentally important areas for this purpose. Over the following pages you will explore some concepts, practices and initiatives promoted by the sector in order to conserve biodiversity.
This infographic consists of
- DISTRIBUTION AND CONSERVATION OF PLANTED FORESTS BY THE PLANTED TREE INDUSTRY
- THE ROLE OF THE FOREST SECTOR IN RESTORING DEGRADED LAND
- LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT AND BIODIVERSITY
- BIODIVERSITY in THE NUMBERS
- CONTRIBUTIONS BY THE INDUSTRY
