julho, 19 2024

By Mauricio Voivodic, Executive Director of WWF-Brazil 
 
The year 2023 saw some victories on the socio-environmental agenda in Brazil. With the return of inspections, deforestation in the Amazon has declined. The Federal Executive has committed to achieving zero deforestation in all biomes by 2030. There was also progress in the fight against illegal mining, including the suspension of the presumption of good faith in the purchase of gold. 

Not without threats and setbacks, including strong opposition in Congress, Brazil has returned to the conservation path that brought it to the forefront of international debate. However, merely maintaining targets is no longer enough. In the last decade, the planet has degraded, and the current global warming scenario is more dire than predicted. 

Faced with this, it's not enough simply to make commitments. We need ambitious decisions, effective actions, and results achieved on the scale and at the speed required. The UN Climate Summit (COP 28) reiterated warnings, highlighting the tragedies of biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and the urgent need to replace fossil fuels. We must not open up new frontiers of oil and gas exploration in the country. Instead, we must halt the destruction of our natural landscapes. 

Another paradigm shift, essential to maintaining the 1.5°C warming target, is to halt the deforestation and conversion driven by commodities. The problem is especially serious in the soy and meat chains in the Cerrado, where much of the devastation is currently permitted by the Forest Code. 

These are urgent advances demanding commitment and leadership from the government and private sector representatives, if Brazil is to lead by example at the COP in Belém in 2025. 

We at WWF-Brazil have contributed by working on 74 projects focused on four pillars for 2023: Conservation and Restoration; Green Economy; Socio-environmental Justice; and Engaged Society. We do not work alone! We collaborate with 62 partners across various territories in the Amazon, Pantanal, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga and coastal zone. 

I would also like to highlight advances within our organization. We have established an area dedicated to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and improved our parenting policy, among other actions aimed at promoting the changes we are fighting to see throughout society. 

Access WWF-Brazil's 2023 Annual Report here and learn more about our work!