Preserving natural areas and maintaining species balance to protect life on the planet

This is a crucial area of focus, dedicated to preserving flora and fauna and maintaining a balanced, healthy environment. It also serves as a space for scientific research, environmental studies, and educational initiatives.

Conservation
units

We support the creation and implementation of new Conservation Units (UCs) to protect natural ecosystems and preserve their species as a whole.

These UCs play a crucial role in safeguarding natural areas across the country, contributing to the preservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in all Brazilian biomes. Maintaining these areas provides numerous benefits to society, particularly through vital ecosystem services such as protecting springs and water sources, ensuring quality of water resources for communities, sequestering carbon, and safeguarding endemic and endangered species. Additionally, these efforts help prevent landslides and other natural disasters.

Amid the extreme impacts of climate change, it is urgent to ensure the existence and strengthening of these areas, which play a direct role in protecting water sources, securing water supplies, and promoting the resilience of coastal and marine zones.

Additionally, conserving these areas is essential for advancing scientific research, fostering environmental education, and supporting sustainable tourism—activities that generate both social and economic benefits for local communities.

Despite progress in establishing conservation units, the current coverage is still insufficient to fully protect the ecosystem services these areas offer.

To support improved legislation and the effective application of policies, as well as to advance the expansion, implementation, and management of the National System of Conservation Units, the Foundation focuses on increasing and influencing the flow of financial resources to the system—particularly through the Environmental Compensation mechanism. This work contributes to the strengthening of these protected areas.

The importance of conserving natural vegetation in all ecosystems

Brazil maintains 497 million hectares of native forests, making it the country with the greatest diversity of forest species—more than 9,000 in total. Brazil is home to 12% of the world’s forests.

However, the same report highlights that Brazil has been the country with the highest forest loss over the past decade, losing 1.5 million hectares annually.

Globally, 10 million hectares of forest are lost each year, resulting in a significant reduction in the forest’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂). As a consequence, between 12% and 20% of global CO₂ emissions are no longer absorbed by forests and are instead released directly into the atmosphere.

In addition to forests, other ecosystems, like the Cerrado, also need protection through the creation and implementation of Conservation Units (UCs) and deserve greater attention from society. 

Known as the savannah with the richest biodiversity in the world, the Brazilian Cerrado covers about 22% of the country’s territory. It is home to stunning landscapes and vital water resources, supplying 70% of the nation’s water.

However, according to an assessment by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), deforestation in the Cerrado has been increasing rapidly since 2019. In 2023, the biome lost 11 thousand km², equivalent to seven times the size of the city of São Paulo.

The initiatives and efforts of the Boticário Group Foundation on this issue increasingly aim to combat the loss of natural vegetation in the Cerrado and other biomes, prevent and fight fires, and establish conservation areas. These actions are essential for helping Brazil meet its climate commitments and minimize environmental disasters.