Brazil’s Cerrado restoration network earns UN global recognition

A Brazilian alliance working to restore the Cerrado has been named a UN World Restoration Flagship, placing its community-led model among three global initiatives recognized in 2026.

The UN Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization announced the recognition at the COP17 conference on desertification in Mongolia. Araticum brings together more than 180 organizations, including Indigenous and Quilombola groups, local communities, farmers, researchers and public institutions. The network has mapped and monitors 27,000 hectares of restoration work.

Its methods reflect the Cerrado’s varied landscapes of forests, savannas and grasslands. They include natural regeneration, direct sowing, ecological restoration and agroforestry with native plants. Seeds from more than 150 native species have already been collected and used, with over 1,700 seed collectors involved.

The challenge remains vast. The Cerrado has lost more than half of its native vegetation, largely through large-scale land conversion. Araticum aims to restore 2 million hectares by 2030, roughly the area of Brazil’s Sergipe state.

The network also links ecological recovery with jobs, income and greater autonomy for people living in the region. Organizers hope the international recognition will help draw lasting investment and public policy support. It is the second initiative involving Brazil to receive the flagship designation, after a trinational Atlantic Forest restoration pact in 2022.