Know to transform

Making environmental protection actions part of everyone's life is urgent. 

In line with the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Perene Institute seeks to get involved with the proposals of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration started in July 2021 .

The Decade aims to inspire and support governments, multilateral organizations, civil society, private sector companies, youth, women's groups, indigenous peoples, farmers, local communities and society at large to promote restoration initiatives.

A sustainable society is only possible when there is a collective involvement with solutions. Spreading this concept, creating alternatives and motivating practical actions are part of the efforts of international and national governments, public and private institutions, social organizations and communities in a broad way. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, released in 2021, brought a “red alert” to society about the need to ensure effective solutions to curb global warming. Making environmental protection actions part of everyone's life is urgent.

The biosphere includes all ecosystems on Earth that are home to terrestrial, aquatic and aerial living organisms. Preservation policies are guided by the international scientific cooperation program Man and the Biosphere (MaB), created by Unesco in 1968, to conduct mechanisms of sustainable coexistence between man and ecosystems. 

MaB instituted Biosphere Reserves, areas recognized as priorities worldwide for the application of biodiversity conservation programs. In Brazil there are seven Biosphere Reserves: Atlantic Forest; São Paulo's Green Belt; Thick; wetland; Caatinga; Central Amazon and Serra do Espinhaço.


Biome is a set of plant and animal life, integrated by similar geological and climatic conditions and that, historically, underwent the same processes of landscape formation. In Brazil, six biomes are identified: Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Caatinga, Pampa and Pantanal. Brazilian biomes are among the most relevant for the planet's biological reserves.

These are forest areas interrupted by natural or anthropic barriers (human action), capable of significantly reducing the flow of animals, pollen or seeds in the region. Fragmentation causes these parts to acquire different environmental conditions. This process creates precarious habitats for species in the fragmented area, causing a reduction in the biodiversity of the place. Due to the dependence of species, these changes can trigger a process of extinction of animals and plants.

The term is related to the protection of areas where human interaction risks generating any kind of interference in the local ecosystem. In areas intended for environmental preservation, the use of natural resources is not allowed, even in a sustainable manner. This term is commonly used in the same context of Environmental Conservation, however they refer to different ways of protecting an ecosystem.

The term is related to the rational, planned and sustainable use of natural resources, ensuring that human interference does not cause ecosystem degradation. In areas intended for environmental conservation, economic activities are allowed, for example, as long as they have the proper legal guarantees of protection. These concepts and their applications are regulated, in Brazil, by the National System of Conservation Units (SNUC).

Also known as Nature Based Solutions, it is an expression created by the largest international organization dedicated to the conservation of natural resources, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The term is used to encompass projects aimed at replacing ecologically aggressive human interventions with sustainable practices, inspired by healthy ecosystems and that serve to address urgent environmental challenges.

Also known as Nature Based Solutions, it is an expression created by the largest international organization dedicated to the conservation of natural resources, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) é uma expressão criada pela maior organização internacional dedicada à conservação dos recursos naturais, a ). The term is used to encompass projects aimed at replacing ecologically aggressive human interventions with sustainable practices, inspired by healthy ecosystems and that serve to address urgent environmental challenges.

The recovery of degraded areas is the process of human assistance to the restoration of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. It is considered recovered when it contains enough biotic and abiotic resources to continue its development without human interference. Restoration occurs when that area returns as close to its original condition as possible. 

The UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration aims to inspire and support governments, multilateral organizations, civil society, private sector companies, youth, women's groups, indigenous peoples, farmers, local communities and individuals around the world, to collaborate, develop and catalyze restoration initiatives around the world. The framework was initiated in July 2021, under the leadership of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

According to the definition of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the term eco-efficiency refers to the production of goods and services with less consumption of natural resources and less generation of pollutants. The term is also being adopted for social initiatives that promote environmentally sustainable livelihoods. According to the definition of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the term eco-efficiency refers to the production of goods and services with less consumption of natural resources and less generation. of pollutants. The term is also being adopted for social initiatives that promote environmentally sustainable livelihoods.

According to the United Nations (UN), sustainable development is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. This concept was presented in a study carried out by the UN in 1987, called “Our common future”. In order to build sustainable societies, it is necessary to have, as a principle, economic equity, social justice, the encouragement of cultural diversity and the defense of the environment.Nosso futuro comum”. Para construir sociedades sustentáveis é necessário ter, por princípio, a equidade econômica, a justiça social, o incentivo à diversidade cultural e a defesa do meio ambiente.

Global recognition by countries of climate change and its consequences took place for the first time in 1992, during the United Nations Conference on the Environment (ECO-92), which brought together 190 countries in Rio de janeiro Brazil). In 1994, the UN established the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, through which the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP) has been held annually since 1995, when countries review the targets. 

In 1997, at COP-3, in Kyoto (Japan), one of the most important climate agreements between the countries was signed, the Kyoto Protocol, which established goals for the reduction of greenhouse gases. In 2015, at COP-21, it was replaced by the Paris Agreement. The most recent Conference, COP-26, took place in November 2021 in Glasgow (UK). Countries have committed to increased efforts to achieve Nationally Determined Contributions and targeted targets by 2030. 

In 2015, the UN proposed to its member countries a new sustainable development agenda for the next 15 years, the 2030 Agenda, consisting of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A call to action by countries to end poverty, protect the environment and climate, through this interconnected agenda. The SDGs are:poverty eradication 

  1. Poverty eradication
  2. Zero hunger and sustainable agriculture
  3. Health and wellness
  4. quality education
  5. Gender equality
  6. Clean water and sanitation
  7. Clean and affordable energy
  8. Decent work and economic growth
  9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure
  10. Reduction of inequalities
  11. Sustainable cities and communities
  12. Responsible consumption and production
  13. Action against global climate change
  14. Life in the water  
  15. Terrestrial life
  16. Peace, justice and effective institutions
  17. Partnerships and means of implementation

Ways of using forest areas at the local, national and global levels, which preserve biodiversity. The concept is disseminated by initiatives that seek to achieve a balance between society's growing demands for forest products, in a way that benefits the preservation of forests. This balance represents a model of biodiversity survival in a context of socioeconomic development of communities dependent on forest areas for their survival.

Fontes consultadas: Ministério do Meio Ambiente; Serviço Florestal Brasileiro; Instituto Chico Mendes (ICMBio); União Internacional para Conservação da Natureza; ONU Brasil; ODS Brasil; SOS Mata Atlântica.