In 2022, during the COP15 on Biodiversity, leaders from 196 countries agreed to establish 23 goals for the protection of global biodiversity. This is the world’s current attempt to curb the loss of biodiversity on the planet, which has only been increasing for decades. 

IPÊ’s actions directly contribute to the achievement of most of these goals and are in addition to other actions in favor of global objectives, whether from other civil society organizations (CSOs), government initiatives, businesses or academia. Of the 23 global biodiversity goals, IPÊ contributes to 17, more than 70%, within a range of 20 projects. In addition, the Institute contributed to the construction of the National Strategy and Action Plan for Biodiversity in Brazil (EPANBs), an instrument necessary to implement actions to achieve these goals, and has been supporting its implementation and development. 

Below we highlight some of the global biodiversity targets and the projects that contribute to their achievement. 

Participatory planning to strengthen sustainable livestock farming in the Pantanal and identify gaps in the sustainable management of the biome together with local stakeholders, carried out by Pontes Pantaneiras, is one of the activities that contribute to target 1, which focuses on ensuring that all areas are under participatory spatial planning and integrated with biodiversity and/or effective management processes that address changes in land and sea use. The target aims to reduce the loss of areas of high importance for biodiversity, such as ecosystems of high ecological integrity, to almost zero by 2030, respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. 

This goal also includes forest restoration actions and the implementation of productive systems for the connectivity of fragments of high ecological relevance, based on the planning of rural properties and priority areas for conservation, such as the projects in the Cantareira System and the participatory planning of rural properties in the South of Bahia and Pontal do Paranapanema. The same occurs in the actions we have performed with more than 100 rural producers settled in Espírito Santo state. This participatory planning in the construction of conservation solutions is, in fact, a premise of all IPÊ projects that aim to conserve territories through a forest management or rural production approach. 

The projects also connect to goal 2: “Ensure that, by 2030, at least 30% of the areas of degraded terrestrial ecosystems, inland, coastal and marine waters are under effective restoration, in order to promote biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services, ecological integrity and connectivity”. In the Cantareira System region, 500 hectares of restoration have already been established, in Espírito Santo, 600 hectares. In the south of Bahia, we have already carried out forest restoration and implemented sustainable production systems in 510 hectares and in Pontal do Paranapanema, where we have been operating for over 30 years, more than 5,100 hectares have already been restored, reaching 10 million trees planted in the Atlantic Forest. 

30×30 Goal 

The restoration and management actions carried out also contribute to the most prominent goal in the COP15 agreement, dubbed 30×30 (goal 3), which essentially seeks to guarantee and enable that, by 2030, at least 30% of terrestrial areas, and 30% of inland, coastal and marine waters with particular importance for biodiversity are effectively conserved and managed through protected area systems (…) recognizing and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, including over their traditional territories. 

Here we also highlight LIRA – Integrated Legacy of the Amazon Region, which generates a positive impact on 58 million hectares of 59 protected areas, including 30 conservation units and 29 indigenous lands, supporting projects and organizations in the Amazon territories, strengthening their populations and promoting local development. The same occurs with Participatory Biodiversity Monitoring, a project also developed in the Amazon for over 10 years, which has covered over 12 million hectares of 18 Conservation Units. In the Pantanal, Pontes Pantaneiras supports the improvement of the management effectiveness of the Pantanal Mato Grosso National Park, which covers approximately 135,000 hectares. 

Wildlife research 

IPÊ’s scientific research work on fauna aims first and foremost to reduce the risk of extinction by maintaining and restoring genetic diversity within and among native populations. This work directly addresses goal 4, in which countries must take urgent management actions to halt the human-induced extinction of known threatened species and to recover and conserve threatened species. 

We have already made significant progress in this regard, such as improving the threat category of the black lion tamarin and obtaining complete information on the ecology and behavior of the lowland tapir in almost all biomes, in addition to unprecedented information on the giant armadillo. Projects for the conservation of these species include in situ and ex situ conservation practices and sustainable management and contribute to minimizing conflicts between humans and wildlife for coexistence. 

Climate action is also part of biodiversity conservation 

Among the global goals established for biodiversity conservation is number 8, to minimize the impact of climate change and ocean acidification on biodiversity and increase its resilience through mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk reduction actions, including nature-based solutions and/or ecosystem-based approaches, while minimizing negative impacts and promoting the positive impacts of climate actions on biodiversity. 

All IPÊ projects are connected to the climate issue, whether they involve forest restoration, support in the management of strategic territories for biodiversity or wildlife research. There are, however, actions aimed at combating and adapting to climate change, such as the Climate Landscapes project; the Climate Schools education initiative, which mobilizes public schools to teach based on a new moment in the life of the planet, the climate crisis; and the Volunteering in Integrated Fire Management, which collected information that facilitated the understanding of the contribution of civil society and volunteers to integrated fire management (prevention, fighting and other conservation actions), in a way that complements the efforts of the government; strengthening the approach of integrated fire management as a nature-based solution. 

Education as an instrument 

The goal of CBD Goal 16 is to ensure that people are encouraged and empowered to make sustainable consumption choices, including establishing supportive policies, legislative or regulatory frameworks, improving education, and access to relevant and accurate information and alternatives. In all IPÊ projects, education and sharing of information that contribute to this demand are essential to achieving the Institute’s conservation goals. At ESCAS – School of Environmental Conservation and Sustainability, training people as leaders in the field is the Institute’s greatest contribution to this goal.