The event was attended by representatives from Pará State Secretariat for Environment and Sustainability (SEMAS), Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (MPEG), Federal University of Pará (UFPA), National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Amazon Institute of People and the Environment (Imazon), Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ/USP), International Institute for Sustainability (IIS), WRI Brazil, Socioenvironmental Institute (ISA), and the Amazon Restoration Alliance, among others.
Dr Joice Ferreira, co-founder of the Sustainable Amazon Network, highlighted that the event built on earlier co-construction efforts under the State Plan for Native Vegetation Recovery (PRVN), where Embrapa has played an active role.
“We’re now turning our attention to the spatial planning side of restoration,” she explained. “Our research is focused on identifying where restoration efforts can deliver the greatest impact—boosting climate action, enhancing biodiversity, and addressing critical challenges like water scarcity and food security.”
Professor Jos Barlow, Principle Investigator from the Lancaster Environment Centre, emphasized that the longstanding collaboration with Embrapa, and strong partnerships with Brazilian institutions, has been key to bridging restoration and forest conservation efforts. “Through this workshop,” he noted, “our goal was to sharpen the focus of our research, ensuring it responds directly to local challenges and supports practical, place-based solutions.”
Pará Aligns with Global Commitments
Pará currently has around 23.2 million hectares of open areas lacking native vegetation cover, equivalent to 18.6% of its territory. These environmental liabilities are concentrated in private lands (12.8 million ha), rural settlements (5 million ha), Indigenous territories (424,000 ha), quilombola territories (337,000 ha), protected areas (1.6 million ha), and undesignated public forests (2.9 million ha).
Many of these areas are used for low-productivity pasture and agriculture, especially in the eastern and southeastern parts of the state. On private lands alone, 2.88 million hectares are legally required to be restored under the Brazilian Forest Code, including Legal Reserves (RLs) and Permanent Protection Areas (APPs).
As a major South American country facing complex land-use challenges, Brazil has committed to restoring 12 million hectares by 2030, in line with international frameworks such as the Paris Agreement, the New York Declaration on Forests, and the Latin American 20×20 Initiative. For Pará, connecting to this global goal and restoring part of its environmental liabilities is both a legal obligation and a strategic move to reduce deforestation, recover ecosystem services, and promote a forest-based economy.
According to Andrea Coelho, Cabinet Advisor at the Secretaria de Meio Ambiente, Clima E Sustentabilidade (SEMAS), forest restoration in the Amazon requires a holistic, multi-scalar approach. “This is why coordination among public institutions, the productive sector, local communities, academia and civil society is so critical. Such collaboration allows for harmonisation of data, methodologies and capacities, and alignment of policies, funding programmes and on-the-ground efforts.”
Andrea added that this collaboration also strengthens governance and supports joint restoration efforts aligned with shared goals such as climate neutrality, biodiversity conservation and social inclusion. “It also improves resource allocation efficiency and avoids duplication, ensuring that restoration plans are grounded in technical evidence, social legitimacy, and territorial feasibility.”
