ABSTRACT
The central motivation to restore ecosystems at a planetary scale has been to reverse degradation and provide multiple environmental benefits, but key global players like governments may be more interested in social outcomes from undertaking restoration, such as job creation. Assessing the job opportunities stemming from ongoing restoration programmes can leverage additional investments for their implementation and support their long-term maintenance. Here, we aimed to understand and quantify current and potential ecosystem restoration jobs in Brazil, based on a widely distributed online survey performed in 2020 and led by the main restoration networks in the country. We explored the structure, job distribution and outputs of the national restoration supply chain. At the beginning of 2020, 4713 temporary and 3510 permanent jobs were created, nearly 60% of which were generated by organizations specialized in restoration, mainly from the non-profit (48%) and private (37%) sectors. Restoration jobs were concentrated in organizations working in one (58%) or two (28%) biomes, and the vast majority were in the Atlantic Forest (85%). Similarly, most restoration jobs were concentrated in the southeast region (61%), with one-third in the state of Sao Paulo. This geographical distribution was more strongly associated with the states' GDP than with the legal deficit of native vegetation area. Nearly 20% of the restoration jobs were terminated during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We estimate that restoration activities can generate 0.42 jobs per hectare undergoing restoration, which could potentially create 1.0-2.5 million direct jobs through the implementation of Brazil's target of restoring 12 million hectares. We conclude by reinforcing the value of ecosystem restoration in promoting economic development and job creation, which can be crucial to promote countries' effective engagement in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. We also highlight the critical role of grassroots organizations to maximize restoration opportunities for socioeconomic development during the post-pandemic economic recovery. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
ABSTRACT
Forest restoration has attracted the attention of different organizations, investors, and donors with the launch of the UN Decade for Ecosystems Restoration (2021–2030), along with climate and biodiversity commitments. Restoration can address many of mankind's challenges, such as biodiversity loss, climate change, water security, and poverty. In the Brazilian Amazon, the ~28 million inhabitants are among the most vulnerable of the country, and this has only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, millions of hectares are suitable for forest restoration. The growing demand for large-scale forest restoration projects have been prioritizing biophysical objectives (e.g., number of trees, hectares of land, and carbon) while it should be prioritizing the local people's well-being and a fair transition to a sustainable economy based on forest services' recovery. Nonetheless, many challenges need to be overcome to realize this potential. Amazonian states need to control illegality, enforce the existing policies and promote innovative ones to halt deforestation and enable large-scale restoration. Better governance and social engagement are urgently needed but depend upon, recognition of indigenous peoples and local communities' rights, needs, and knowledge. Forest restoration represents an opportunity for the emergence of a more inclusive development paradigm, much needed in the Amazon region, especially in the post COVID-19 world.