This action represents an important step towards attracting more investment to conservation initiatives in the Biome and highlighting its importance on the international stage.
Despite its significant economic, environmental, and social importance to Brazil and the world, the Cerrado biome remains on the margins of strategic investments for its conservation and restoration on the international agenda. Current mechanisms operate in isolation and are difficult for the people and communities of the biome, who are key players in the conservation of the Brazilian savanna, to access. In this context, ISPN and partner organizations presented a motion to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) proposing greater integration, prominence, and attention to the Cerrado biome in the political agenda and in investments from International Cooperation and Global Environmental Funds.
The motion was approved on the 04th of this month, in an electronic voting process at the World Conservation Congress, and now becomes an IUCN Resolution. The document recognizes the rights and leading role of traditional peoples and communities in the defense and conservation of the Brazilian savanna. According to the text, indigenous peoples, quilombola communities, artisanal fishermen, among others, manage natural resources sustainably, contributing to the promotion of productive eco-social landscapes, that is, to the maintenance of the Cerrado ecosystems as alive and productive.
Similarly, the document recommends the development and implementation of incentive mechanisms and public policies that promote traditional agricultural systems, socio-biodiversity products, and other sustainable livelihoods for these populations and family farmers.
The document also highlights the need to guide global environmental and climate funds, international cooperation agencies, and other public and private mechanisms to strengthen and invest in initiatives to defend the Biome and its peoples. According to Guilherme Eidt, public policy advisor at ISPN, "the approval of the Motion opens a field for future action with policymakers, public managers, and the private sector to effectively include non-forest ecosystems, such as the Cerrado, in commitments to biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, and restoration of native vegetation."
Eidt also comments on the importance of increasing the visibility of the Cerrado on a global scale, highlighting the need for cooperation among the different actors working towards global climate balance. "It is important to advance a communication strategy and institutional approach among networks and organizations within the international community to broaden the recognition of the Cerrado's value in relation to biodiversity and climate change mitigation agendas," he points out.