A long road to resilience: Large-scale forest recovery but limited persistence in the Atlantic Forest
This study maps forest recovery across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest using 30‑m land‑cover data from 2011–2021. While 1.67 million hectares of forest regenerated and persisted to 2023, substantial losses highlight the vulnerability of young forests and the importance of protection policies, incentives, and natural regeneration for long‑term restoration.
Subject Tags
- Ecosystem management
- Forest
- Climate resilience
Abstract
Spatially explicit identification of forest recovery at large scales plays a key role in revealing spatial patterns of forest regrowth and assisting the achievement of ambitious restoration targets. We assessed forest recovery across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest domain using annual high-resolution (∼30 m) land cover maps. From 2011 to 2021, 1.67 million hectares were recovered and persisted until 2023. Nevertheless, 568 thousand hectares of recovered forest were subsequently lost and did not persist until 2023, underscoring the vulnerability of young forests and the need for effective protection. Strengthening legislation and incentive mechanisms, such as Payment for Ecosystem Services, are critical to protect recovering forests. As most recovered forests likely result from natural regeneration, our findings highlight its strategic role in enabling large-scale, cost-effective restoration in Brazil.
Citation
Tonetti, V., Rosa, M. R., dos Santos Paes, B. R., Mendes, A. F., de Oliveira, C. D. C., Molin, P. G., ... & Reverberi-Tambosi, L. (2026). A long road to resilience: Large-scale forest recovery but limited persistence in the Atlantic Forest. Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, 24(1), 23-28.
TNC Authors
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Julio Tymus
Forest Restoration Coordinator II. Brazil
The Nature Conservancy
Email: jtymus@tnc.org -
Rubens de Miranda Benini
Forest & Restoration Strategy Lead. Brazil
The Nature Conservancy
Email: rbenini@tnc.org