News | CSRio

The cerrado seen from a 4-wheel

by Ana Castro 02/03/2023 0

Article originally published by Cíntia Borges on the Land Innovation Fund website What drives farmers in one of Brazil’s most productive agricultural regions to make decisions about land use? And what are the decisive factors when they choose to expand their crops or voluntarily conserve an area of native vegetation on their property? Entitled “Behavioral sciences applied to the sustainable soy chain”, the project coordinated by the International Institute for Sustainability (IIS) and carried out in partnership with the Center for Conservation Sciences and Sustainability (CSRio) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), with support from the Land Innovation Fund, set out to hear from farmers in the Matopiba agricultural frontier to understand the criteria they use to adopt good agricultural practices in the field. The first stage of the project is already complete. Researcher Fernanda Gomes and field assistant Wallas Calazans explored more than 15 thousand km2 in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle through the Cerrado biome areas of the four Brazilian states – Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia, which form the acronym Matopiba – to interview 60 farmers in the region. The data will be the basis for an unprecedented behavioral science study to map out financial incentives and public policies that interact with the concerns, needs, and challenges of farmers in the agricultural frontier that is making the greatest encroachment into Brazil’s remaining areas of native vegetation. The results of their analysis will be published by mid-2023. They used data and maps from the Brazilian Foundation for Sustainable Development (FBDS), the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the MAPBIOMAS project and Agrosatélite to map out, identify and prioritize field visits among the region’s 337 municipalities, based on three cut-off criteria: (a) surplus legal reserve areas available per municipality; (b) conversion rates of natural cover to anthropic uses in the last five years; and (c) soil and climate characteristics affecting the suitability for soy farming in the region. The field work was done in three trips, organized by region. In the first, in September, the researchers left Barreiras, in Bahia, and went halfway across the state of Piauí, from where they returned to western Bahia. In the second trip, in October, Fernanda and Wallas visited the north and central region of Maranhão, where they talked to soy growers, as well as to cattle ranchers and small farmers cultivating a variety of crops, in a region with a surplus of native vegetation, and very suitable for soy cultivation. The third trip, in November and December 2022, focused on Tocantins, with side trips to Bahia and southern Maranhão. Their initial planning was not enough, however, to locate and interview 60 farmers in the region. “We tried to contact people we knew or who had been suggested by others, but we couldn’t schedule the visits in time. Sometimes they were out in the field, or else the owner wasn’t on the farm,” explains Fernanda. “So we changed our approach. We mapped by satellite where the soy plantations are located, within our target municipalities, and started knocking on their doors, one by one. The difficulty was finding the owner, who was often in town or on another farm. But when we did, it was rare for someone to refuse to talk to us,” she adds. GETTING THERE: Taking makeshift back roads and even motocross tracks, the researchers overcame cartographic boundaries and farmers’ individual resistance – some busy, others suspicious – to get those interviews. Throughout the trip, they approached more than 200 farmers, to write down the results of long conversations with 60 of them, and to record in audio their own personal impressions after each meeting and interview. They received countless invitations for a cup of coffee or lunch, in addition to valuable travel tips for dirt roads that don’t even show up on the map. And they were in close-up contact with the diversity – and the reality – of the Cerrado biome in Matopiba, crossing marsh lands and tablelands, as well as areas of dense forest, close to the Amazon Forest, and other semi-arid areas, near the intersection with the Caatinga. With 91% of its area covered by the Cerrado biome, the Matopiba region shows growing rates of conversion of its native vegetation into farmland, especially for soy plantations. From 2000 to 2019, the area planted to soy in Matopiba grew 4.3 times, supplying 23% of this grain produced in the entire Cerrado biome. There are still another ten million hectares of native vegetation with high aptitude for agriculture at risk of deforestation in the region. Studies have shown that up to 34% of the remaining Cerrado could be converted to farming by 2050, especially in the Matopiba region. “We need to make it possible to reconcile Matopiba’s agricultural vocation with environmental conservation and the restoration of degraded areas. We know that the occupation of pasture areas, for example, is one possible way to contain the expansion of grain crops into Cerrado areas, and that financial mechanisms can stimulate the spread of sustainable practices in the biome. The International Institute for Sustainability (IIS) project will be fundamental for us to have a profile of rural landowners and to devise innovation solutions relevant to local needs,” says Carlos E. Quintela, director of the Land Innovation Fund. To approach the farmers, Fernanda used her own life story as a calling card and reason for the project. Like many farmers in the region, Fernanda was born in Paraná, the daughter of soy growers from Rio Grande do Sul. A journalist and designer by training, with a master’s degree in sustainability science and another undergraduate degree in biology now underway, she used her family background and personal interest as passports to introduce the research, and convince farmers to share their impressions, expectations, and plans for the future. The data was collected confidentially, using standardized questionnaires, and will be published without revealing the sources. In most cases, any initial mistrust gave way to warm welcomes and long conversations with the whole

CSRio Seminar: Solutions for cities: a successful case study of a polluted city in Europe

by Ana Castro 17/05/2022 0

Interested in research projects to improve air quality policies, Agnieszka Bartocha is the leader of the R&D team at ATMOTERM. In this webinar, Agnieszka talked about solutions and challenges of remediation projects in heavily polluted cities by presenting a successful case carried out in Krakow, Poland. The presentation took place on May 26 (Thursday), at 5:00 pm, via video conference on Zoom. Watch the recording below: – About the speaker • Agnieszka Bartocha – Agnieszka is a leader of the Research and Development Team in ATMOTERM Company. She completed her Master of Science in Energy and Environmental Systems at the Glasgow Caledonian University in 1996 and Master of Science in Environmental Engineering at the Wrocław University of Technology in 1998. With more than 20 years of experience in air quality management, since 2004 she has been the Air Quality Team Leader and has been involved in more than 30 Air Quality Action Plans for Polish Regions and many expertises and reports concerning air quality issues for the Polish government, i.e. the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Infrastructure and Development, Ministry of Economy or regional authorities. She worked for a local government as Head of the Environmental Protection Department implementing, among others, projects on subsidies for the replacement of solid fuel stoves with low-emission heat sources for two years. She took part in the research projects in the Company concerning using the air quality sensors and implementation of the mining data methods in air quality analyses. Now she leads the international projects in the company and for the past 2 years, she has been implementing tools to study air quality in Kosovo. She is interested in research projects concerning new strategies and tools for the improvement of air quality policy.

CSRio Seminar: Are new frameworks needed? Discussion in the scope of environmental projects

by Ana Castro 21/10/2020 0

Frameworks are tools that unite words, ideas and information about a research topic. The construction of a concept, approach, theory or method may involve the elaboration of one or several frameworks. In this seminar, the PhD in Environmental Sciences and CSRio coordinator, Agnieszka Latawiec, and the geographer and PhD student in Geography, Aline Rodrigues, will present and discuss the development of some frameworks and the utility (or not) of them related to ecosystem services and to Nature-Based Solutions (SbN). The presentation will take place on October 22, 2020 (Thursday), from 17:00 to 19:00 by videoconference on the LINK Meeting ID: 924 2805 469 | Access password: 058870 About the speakers: Agnieszka has a BSc. in Engineering of Environmental Protection, an MSc. degree in Environmental Protection (both from the University of Life Sciences, Poland), and a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the University of East Anglia, UK. She is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Geography and Environment at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Associate Professor at the Department of Production Engineering, Logistics and Applied Computer Science, Agricultural University Kraków an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia and co-founder and Executive Director of the International Institute for Sustainability (IIS). In recent years, has focused on broader aspects of land management, participating, or leading projects related to land-use change and decision-making. She seeks collaborative interdisciplinary research on various topics related to land management, sustainability, sustainability indicators, applied soil science, and environmental decision-making. She is also a Deputy Coordinator of Professional Master in Sustainability Science at PUC-Rio, Coordinator of CSRio, Leader of the Research Group “Integrated Landscape Management” and Leader of the Interinstitutional Research Group on Ecosystem Services. Aline has a degree and a Master in Geography and Environment at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. Currently, is a Ph.D. student in Geography at PUC-Rio and a research assistant at the International Institute for Sustainability (IIS). Has experience in the areas of environmental history, soil science, and forest restoration of the Atlantic Forest, and has worked and researched in soil characterization and evaluation of soil ecosystem services projects of agricultural, cattle ranching, and forest. The meetings are open to the public, and the debate followed by the presentation will be conducted in an open and participatory manner. No prior registration is required. For more information: contato@csrio.org

Restoring 30% of the world’s ecosystems in priority areas could stave off more than 70% of projected extinctions and absorb nearly half of the carbon built up in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution

by Ana Castro 14/10/2020 0

Returning specific ecosystems in all continents worldwide that have been replaced by farming to their natural state would rescue the majority of land-based species of mammals, amphibians and birds under threat of dying out while soaking up more than 465 billion tons of carbon dioxide, reveals a new study released in 14h October 2020. Protecting 30% of the priority areas identified in the study, together with protecting ecosystems still in their natural form, would reduce carbon emissions equivalent to 49% of all the carbon that has built up in our atmosphere over the last two centuries. Some 27 researchers from 12 countries contributed to the report, which assesses forests, grasslands, shrublands, wetlands and arid ecosystems. “Pushing forward on plans to return significant sweeps of nature to a natural state is critical to preventing ongoing biodiversity and climate crises from spinning out of control,” said Bernardo B. N. Strassburg, CSRio coordinator and the lead author of Global priority areas for ecosystem restoration, published in Nature . “We show that if we’re smarter about where we restore nature, we can tick the climate, biodiversity and budget boxes on the world’s urgent to-do list.” By identifying precisely which destroyed ecosystems worldwide should be restored to deliver biodiversity and climate benefits at a low cost, without impact on agricultural production, the study is the first of its kind to provide global evidence that where restoration takes place has the most profound impact on the achievement of biodiversity, climate and food security goals. According to the study, restoration can be 13 times more cost-effective when it takes place in the highest priority locations. In a first, the study focuses on the potential benefits of restoring both forest and nonforest ecosystems on a global scale. “Previous research has emphasized forests and tree planting, sometimes at the expense of native grasslands or other ecosystems, the destruction of which would be very detrimental for biodiversity and should be avoided. Our research shows that while reviving forests is critical for mitigating global warming and protecting biodiversity, other ecosystems also have a massive role to play,” said Strassburg, who is also professor of the departament of Geography and Environment at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). The new report in Nature builds on the UN’s dire warnings that we’re on track to lose 1 million species in coming decades and that the world has mostly failed in its efforts to reach globally-set biodiversity targets in 2020, including the goal to restore 15% of ecosystems worldwide. Nations are re-doubling efforts to stave off mass extinctions in the leadup to the Convention on Biological Diversity COP15 in Kunming, China, in 2021, when a global framework to protect nature is expected to be signed. The new Nature report, which includes as co-author David Cooper, Deputy Executive Secretary at the CBD, will inform the discussion around restoration and offer insight into how reviving ecosystems can help tackle multiple goals. Using a sophisticated multi-criteria optimization platform called PLANGEA—a mathematical approach that finds “slam dunk” solutions to address multiple problems— and mapping technologies, the researchers assessed 2,870 million hectares of ecosystems worldwide that have been converted to farmland. Of these, 54% were originally forests, 25% grasslands, 14% shrublands, 4% arid lands and 2% wetlands. They then evaluated these lands based on three factors, or objectives (animal habitats, carbon storage and cost-effectiveness) to determine which swathe—whether it’s five, 15 or 30% —of lands worldwide would deliver the most benefits for biodiversity and carbon at the lowest cost when restored. Researchers were further able to identify a global-level, multiple-benefits solution— unconstrained by national boundaries—that would deliver 91% of the potential benefit for biodiversity, 82% of the climate mitigation benefit, and reduce costs by 27% by focusing on areas with low implementation and opportunity costs. When researchers looked at the benefits if the restoration were to take place at the national level—which means that each country would restore 15% of its forests—they saw a reduction in biodiversity benefits by 28% and climate benefits by 29%, a rise in costs by 52%. “These results highlight the critical importance of international cooperation in meeting these goals. Different countries have different, complementary roles to play in meeting overarching global targets on biodiversity and climate,” Strassburg said. Responding to fears that restoring ecosystems will encroach on the land needed for crop production, researchers calculated how many ecosystems could be revived without cutting into food supplies. They found that 55%, or 1,578 million hectares, of ecosystems that had been converted to farmlands, could be restored without disrupting food production. This could be achieved through the well-planned and sustainable intensification of food production, together with a reduction in food waste and a shift away from foods such as meat and cheese, which require large amounts of land and therefore produce disproportionate greenhouse gas emissions. “As government officials gradually refocus on global climate and biodiversity goals, our study provides them with the precise geographic information they need to make informed choices about where to restore ecosystems,” said Robin Chazdon, one of the authors. The approach developed is already supporting implementation at national and local scales. It’s attracting the attention of policy makers, NGOs and the private sector due to the substantial cost-benefit increase of restoration efforts. “We intend to help restoration achieve massive scales by aligning socioecological and financial interests, simultaneously increasing impacts for nature and people while improving returns and reducing risks for investors,” said Strassburg. Overall, the study provides compelling evidence to policymakers seeking affordable, efficient ways to meet United Nations goals around biodiversity, climate and, additionally, desertification, that restoration, when well-coordinated and carried out in combination with the protection of intact ecosystems and the better use of agricultural lands, is an unmatched—though currently underused—solution. “Our results provide very strong evidence of the benefits of pursuing joint planning and implementation of climate and biodiversity solutions, which is particularly timely given the landmark meetings planned for 2021 of the associated UN conventions on climate biodiversity and land degradation,” Strassburg said. “The study also

Political overview of Ecosystem Services in Brazil: an Payment for Environmental Services approach

by Ana Castro 07/10/2020 0

On this seminar, the biologist and master in ecology, Thaís Pimenta de Almeida, talked about the political and legal arena of the ecosystem services concept, seeking to evaluate initiatives such as Payment for Environmental Services (PES) which can be used in order to expand and assist the transition to sustainability, especially in Brazil. The presentation took place on October 8, by videoconference. About the speaker: Thaís is a biologist, holds a master’s degree in ecology from UNICAMP, and is currently a Ph.D. student in Environment and Conservation from UFRJ. She has experience in plant ecology in the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado and Amazon, working in environmental monitoring and recovery activities. She currently works with socio-ecological governance, ecosystem services, and sustainability, having participated as co-author of the first Brazilian Diagnosis of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BPBES). The meetings are open to the public, and the debate followed by the presentation will be conducted in an open and participatory manner. No prior registration is required. For more information: contato@csrio.org.

Humanity at a crossroads, says ONU´s Global Biodiversity Outlook 5

by Ana Castro 18/09/2020 0

Despite encouraging progress in several areas, the natural world is suffering badly and getting worse. Eight transformative changes are, therefore, urgently needed to ensure human wellbeing and save the planet, the UN warns in a major report. The report comes as the COVID-19 pandemic challenges people to rethink their relationship with nature, and to consider the profound consequences to their own wellbeing and survival that can result from continued biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystems. The Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 (GBO5), published by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), with collaboration of CSRio coordinator and professor of Sustainability Science at PUC-Rio Bernardo Strassburg, offers an authoritative overview of the state of nature. It is a final report card on progress against the 20 global biodiversity targets agreed in 2010 with a 2020 deadline, and offers lessons learned and best practices forgetting on track. With respect to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, set in 2010, the analysis based on the 6th set of national re-ports to the CBD and the latest scientific findings shows that seven of 60 “elements”—success criteria—with in the 20 targets have been achieved and 38 show progress. In the case of 13 elements, no progress was made, or a move away from the target was indicated, and for two elements the level of progress is unknown. The report concludes that, overall, of the 20 targets, six of them (9, 11, 16, 17, 19 and 20) were partially achieved by the 2020 deadline. The report calls for a shift away from “businessasusual” across a range of human activities. It outlines eight transitions that recognize the value of biodiversity, the need to restore the ecosystems on which all human activity depends, and the urgency of reducing the negative impacts of such activity: The land and forests transition: conserving intact ecosystems, restoring ecosystems, combatting and reversing degradation, and employing landscape level spatial planning to avoid, reduce and mitigate land-use change. The sustainable agriculture etransition: redesigning agricultural systems through agroecological and other innovative approaches to enhance productivity while minimizing negative impacts on biodiversity. The sustainable food system stransition: enabling sustainable and healthy diets with a greater emphasis on a diversity of foods, mostly plant-based, and more moderate consumption of meat and fish, as well as dramatic cuts in the waste involved in food supply and consumption. The sustainable fisheries and oceans transition: protecting and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems, rebuilding fisheries and managing aqua culture and other uses of the oceans to ensure sustainability, and to enhance food security and livelihoods. The cities and infrastructure transition: deploying “green infrastructure” and making space for nature within built landscapes to improve the health and quality of life for citizens and to reduce the environmental foot print of cities and infrastructure. The sustainable freshwater transition: an integrated approach guaranteeing the water flows required by nature and people, improving water quality, protecting critical habitats, controlling invasive species and safeguarding connectivity to allow the recovery of freshwater systems from mountains to coasts. The sustainable climate action transition: employing nature-based solutions, alongside a rapid phase-out of fossil fuel use, to reduce the scale and impacts of climate change, while providing positive benefits for biodiversity and other sustainable development goals. The biodiversity-inclusive OneHealth transition: managing ecosystems, including agricultural and urban ecosystems, as well as the use of wildlife, through an integrated approach, to promote healthy ecosystems and healthy people. GBO-5 underlines the urgent need to act to slow and end further loss, and highlights examples of proven measures available to help achieve the world’s agreed vision: “Living in harmony with nature” by 2050. Download the executive summary in the link below: Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 Acess the full report at CBD website.

Socio-environmental conflicts and urban sustainability in the city of Rio de Janeiro

by Ana Castro 17/09/2020 0

In the next CSRio seminar, the researchers Rafael Soares Gonçalves and Gláucio Maciel will analyze cases of socio-environmental conflicts in the city of Rio de Janeiro, aiming to deepen the notion of urban sustainability. The presentation will take place on September 24, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, through video conference through the link: https://puc-rio.zoom.us/j/92457823538?pwd=bEg4S3pMc2FJYk02OHpBcUs2TWZWQT09#success Meeting ID: 924 5782 3538 | Access password: 116914 About the speakers: Rafael Soares Gonçalves is a lawyer and historian, has a Ph.D. in History from the University of Paris VII, and a postdoctoral degree in anthropology from École des Hutes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS). He is a professor in the Department of Social Service at PUC-Rio and coordinator of the Laboratory for Urban and Socio-Environmental Studies (LEUS), as well as a productivity researcher at CNPq and Young Scientist from Nosso Estado by FAPERJ. Gláucio Maciel is an environmental educator and has a Ph.D. in Social Work from PUC-Rio. Founder of Coletivo Malê (RJ), he is also a researcher associated with the Laboratory of Urban and Socioenvironmental Studies (LEUS). The meetings are open to the public, and the debate followed by the presentation will be conducted in an open and participatory manner. No prior registration is required. For more information: contato@csrio.org.

CSRio Seminar – Biodiversity management and ecosystem services in rural landscapes: a socioecological approach

by Ana Castro 04/09/2020 0

In this seminar, we welcomed the biologists Camila Islas and Alice Ramos, who approached the integrated management of rural landscapes from the experiences obtained in their doctoral research, in the Paraíba Valley region (São Paulo state), under a socio-ecological focus. About the speakers: Camila is a biologist from the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPEL), Master and PhD in Ecology from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). Works in Research, Education and Extension in subjects related to the socio-environmental area. Has experience with Management of Natural Resources and Ecology, Biodiversity Management and Conservation (especially wildlife) and Ecosystem Services. In particular, i) addresses the effects of human presence and action on communities and ecosystems and ii) investigates possibilities for the management of resources and territories, from the perspective of Socioecological Systems, integrating Traditional and Local Ecological Knowledge and using participatory methods . She is currently participating as a young researcher in the Evaluation on the Sustainable Use of Wild Species of the Intergovernmental Science and Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Alice Ramos de Moraes is a biologist, specialist in Environment and Sustainable Development and PhD in Ecology from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). She is a researcher at the Laboratory of Ecology and Management of Ecosystems (LEME) and at the Group for the Conservation and Management of Common Use Resources (CGCommons), both based at the Center for Environmental Studies and Research – NEPAM / UNICAMP. Her research has a socio-ecological focus, encompassing themes such as ecosystem services and human well-being, conservation by communities and socio-ecological resilience. She also works as a sustainability consultant and as associate of OSCIP Akarui, where collaborates with projects to encourage environmentally sustainable and socially fair practices in the rural areas of the São Paulo Valley.

CSRio Seminar: “Caminho da Mata Atlântica: a great trail reconnecting people, forests and protected areas”

by Ana Castro 16/06/2020 0

The CSRio seminar welcomed the biologist and PhD Ecology candidate, André Lanna, and the geographer and environmental educator, Chico Schnoor, whose presented the opportunities that long-distance trails brings to a more sustainable society. In the lecture “Caminho da Mata Atlântica: a great trail reconnecting people, forests and protected areas”, André and Chico highlighted the immediate benefits that trails bring to sustainability, such as encouraging physical activities in natural environments, engaging volunteers, promotion of the production chain and, especially, how trails promote the restoration of biodiversity corridors. These themes were discussed in the scope of the Caminho da Mata Atlântica, a trail of over 4,000 km along the entire Serra do Mar diversity corridor. The presentation toke place via videoconference on June 25, 2020, from 17:00 to 19:00pm. About the speakers: André Lanna has a degree in Biological Sciences (Zoology modality) from UFRJ (2011) and a master’s degree from the Postgraduate Program in Animal Biology at UFES (2015). He is currently a doctoral student in the Graduate Program in Ecology at UFRJ and volunteer at Caminho da Mata Atlântica. He has experience with ecology and conservation of medium and large mammal communities. His studies involve population viability analyzes of muriquis in a fragmented area and variation of the medium and large mammal community along the elevation gradient of the Serra do Mar Corridor. The developments of the studies aim to subsidize decision making in environmental restoration planning, especially in biodiversity corridors. Chico Schnoor is a geographer with an MBA in Management from PUC-Rio and has been working with environmental education in conservation units for 16 years. As an adviser to Mosaico Carioca of protected areas, he helped with the first planning and implementation of the Transcarioca Trail. He is currently a volunteer at Caminho da Mata Atlântica, working to strengthen the production chain and engage volunteers in the state of Rio and the North Coast of São Paulo. The meetings are open to the public, and the debate followed by the presentation will be conducted in an open and participatory manner. No prior registration is required. Information: contato@csrio.org.

CSRio Seminar “Sustainability Indicators: Use of Evaluation in Social and Environmental Projects by Executing and Financing Institutions

by Ana Castro 05/05/2020 0

Considering the opportunity that the use of sustainability indicators brings to the evaluation of social, environmental and socio-environmental projects, the biologist and master in Sciences, Ana Marcela Bergamasco, presented her research on available indicators used for this kind of projects and by funders. Relevant insights on project monitoring and evaluation were also presented. The presentation occured by video conference on May 14, 2020, from 17:00 to 19:00. Ana Marcela is a biologist and has a master’s degree in Sciences from the University of São Paulo USP. His first master’s degree was focused on the evaluation of endocrine disruptors in water sources and supply in the State of São Paulo through bioindicators and bioassays. Recently, she also became a master in Biodiversity in Conservation Units at the National School of Tropical Botany of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, whose research addressed the analysis of indicators used to evaluate socio-environmental projects used by executing institutions and project financiers, looking for indicators sustainability. In her professional career she was a consultant in Projects at IBAMA-Pnud, evaluating ecotoxicological aspects of pesticides as well as a consultant at PAHO with the Ministry of Health, evaluating contaminants related to risks in water for human consumption. Since 2012 she has been an Environmental Analyst at Petrobras, where she has worked in research through bioremediation projects in contaminated areas, as an appraiser, and in the social responsibility and socio-environmental investments sector, as project manager. A few months ago, she started to act as manager of a portfolio of socio-environmental projects financed by the company focused on different thematic lines such as forest and water conservation, as well as conservation of marine biodiversity that include environmental and social co-benefits.

CSRio Seminar: “Beyond Protected Areas: the role of other areas for the conservation of biodiversity”

by Ana Castro 06/04/2020 0

On the next CSRio seminar, we will welcome the biologist Helena Alves-Pinto, who will present her doctoral thesis “Beyond Protected Areas: the role of other areas for the conservation of biodiversity.”. In the presentation, Helena will talk about the contribution of the measures allowed in areas, such as the “OECMs” for the conservation of biodiversity, in the context of Meta Aichi 11 and the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The presentation will take place by videoconference on April 30, 2020, from 17:00 to 19:00. The link to access the online seminar will be sent soon. Helena is a biologist from the University of São Paulo and master’s degree in Applied Ecology and Conservation from the University of East Anglia, in the United Kingdom. During his master’s degree, she assessed the impacts of economic incentives for conservation in traditional communities in the Brazilian Amazon. Complementing her research, she worked as consultant for the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Research Program, and for the University of Michigan, where she investigated the contributions, opportunities and challenges of certification mechanisms in the livestock chain to reduce deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Both at the International Institute for Sustainability and at the Conservation and Sustainability Science Center, she works on topics related to conservation, land use change, economic incentives, political ecology and conservation in private areas. Recently she obtained a doctoral degree from the Graduate Program in Ecology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, studying the contribution of measures based on areas, such as Protected Areas and OECMs, for the conservation of biodiversity.

CSRio Seminar – From disaster risk reduction to ecosystem-based adaptation in favelas

by Ana Castro 27/02/2020 0

At the first 2020´s CSRio seminar, we welcomed the researcher Ebba Brink, who presented the theme “From disaster risk reduction to ecosystem-based adaptation in favelas: The interdisciplinary journey of an engineer-turned-sustainability scientist”. Her approach of sustainability science is from a perspective of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, sharing experiences from her most recent work around the world, including an experimental project in Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro. Ebba Brink is a visiting research fellow from Sweden, where she works as a postdoctoral researcher at Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS). Ebba has a master’s degree in Engineering Mathematics with a focus on Risk Management, and a PhD in Sustainability Science, both from Lund University. Her research today occupies the interdisciplinary social sciences and focuses on the roles of people and nature in the governance of urban climate risk. Since uncovering and addressing root causes of risk and vulnerability requires working across traditional academic disciplines and the science/society-divide, she is also interested in inter-/transdisciplinary, participatory and reflexive approaches to science. In her project “Where the Favela meets the Forest” (favelAdapt), she will examine how and to what extent urban EbA can promote the interests of the urban poor and address root causes of people’s exposure to risk, while also supporting environmental values. A more comprehensive bio is found on http://www.lucsus.lu.se/ebba-brink.