Agronomist Pedro Brancalion of the University of São Paulo (USP) and colleagues studied employment in Brazil’s ecosystem restoration chain with the aim of determining the total number of jobs associated with existing restoration activities and estimating how many more could be created. Representatives of 356 associations from across Brazil that carry out environmental recovery work, such as the cultivation of native plant seedlings, were interviewed. According to the survey, there were 8,200 jobs in this area in Brazil in 2020 (57% temporary and 43% permanent). The study revealed that 44% of these jobs were associated with restoration of the Atlantic Forest (People and Nature, June 29). The Southeast had the most positions at 5,026, equivalent to 61% of the total (see map). The conclusion: the data indicate that the distribution of jobs is more closely associated with economic factors and occupation of the region than to the area of native vegetation to be recovered according to environmental legislation. The researchers also estimated that Brazil has the potential to create one million jobs in the sector by 2030 for the restoration of 12 million hectares, a goal established by Brazil’s National Native Vegetation Recovery Plan, linked to the Paris Agreement.
Alexandre Affonso
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