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FAPESP and the Sustainable Development Goals

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SDG 15 Life on Land

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SDG 15 Life on Land

Study maps priority areas to reduce macaw deaths from electric shock
SDG 15
Study maps priority areas to reduce macaw deaths from electric shock

At least 35 individuals of the endangered Lear's macaw have been killed by electrocution in the semi-arid region of Bahia, Brazil, in 2025. Replacing 10% of the riskiest poles could prevent 80% of these deaths.


Brazilian startup aims to reforest one million hectares in the Atlantic Forest and the Amazon
SDG 13, SDG 15
Brazilian startup aims to reforest one million hectares in the Atlantic Forest and the Amazon

One way Re.green compensates its investors is by selling carbon credits sequestered by restored areas. The calculation methodology is based on the results of a project supported by FAPESP.


Malaria risk in the Amazon is higher in regions with intermediate forest degradation
SDG 3, SDG 13, SDG 15
Malaria risk in the Amazon is higher in regions with intermediate forest degradation

Research shows that areas with 50% deforestation near residential areas or fragmented vegetation allow greater contact between mosquitoes and humans. Amid the discussions for COP30, the study helps us understand the link between forest destruction and the spread of the disease.


Palm trees are the Amazon’s ‘water tanks’
SDG 13, SDG 15
Palm trees are the Amazon’s ‘water tanks’

The plant family can store twice as much water as trees such as ipê, mahogany, and eucalyptus, according to a study conducted at São Paulo State University. Preliminary results were presented during the Brazil-France 2025 Forum “Forests, Biodiversity, and Human Societies”.


The largest primate in the Americas could lose up to 61% of its climatically suitable habitat by 2090
SDG 15
The largest primate in the Americas could lose up to 61% of its climatically suitable habitat by 2090

Study predicts that the two species of muriquis will be restricted mainly to coastal regions of the Atlantic Forest, leaving populations in the interior seriously at risk.


Ants defend plants from herbivores but can hinder pollination
SDG 15
Ants defend plants from herbivores but can hinder pollination

Analysis of the interaction between ants, plants that secrete sweet substances to attract them, “interested” in defending themselves from leaf-eating animals, and bees indicates that the ants may scare away pollinators. Butterflies, on the other hand, are not bothered.


Cerrado wetlands are legally protected but neglected in practice
SDG 6, SDG 13, SDG 15
Cerrado wetlands are legally protected but neglected in practice

Non-compliance with the law, facilitated by errors in the technical language used in environmental licensing, has already led to the loss of over 580,000 hectares of native vegetation, 61% of which has been converted for agricultural use.


Book brings together decades of research on the role of fire in South American ecosystems
SDG 13, SDG 15
Book brings together decades of research on the role of fire in South American ecosystems

Unpublished work organized by researchers from São Paulo State University and the University of São Paulo discusses the influence of fires on the ecological dynamics of nine large South American biomes.


Global study reveals hidden impact of human activities on nature
SDG 15
Global study reveals hidden impact of human activities on nature

A survey of 119 regions around the world investigated “missing diversity,” or native species that could be present in a given area but were absent. The results were published in the journal Nature.


Article presents the first soil health map of Latin America and the Caribbean
SDG 13, SDG 15
Article presents the first soil health map of Latin America and the Caribbean

Countries such as Colombia and Venezuela lead the way in terms of the extent of healthy soils, while regions such as the Brazilian Northeast, northern Mexico and parts of Chile and Argentina face the greatest challenges. The data can guide public policies for conservation.


Decline of seed-dispersing animals hinders fight against climate change
SDG 13, SDG 15
Decline of seed-dispersing animals hinders fight against climate change

International team of researchers issues global warning about the need to include frugivores in conservation, forest restoration, and climate change mitigation strategies.


Historical and current population DNA reveals that there are at least 12 species of rocket frogs, three of which are already extinct
SDG 15
Historical and current population DNA reveals that there are at least 12 species of rocket frogs, three of which are already extinct

Researchers at the University of São Paulo extracted genetic material from animals kept in museums for a hundred years and from others living in the wild and concluded that they are a new genus with at least a dozen species. The group is working quickly to identify them all and direct conservation efforts in the Atlantic Forest, where they live.


Reduction in supply of prey was decisive factor in extinction of saber-toothed tigers, study finds
SDG 15
Reduction in supply of prey was decisive factor in extinction of saber-toothed tigers, study finds

Cross-referencing climate data and fossils from around 15 million years ago shows that the decline in prey availability may have played a role in the extinction of these felines. Another study cites competition with elephants and an increase in predators as factors that reduced the once diverse antilocaprids to a single species today.


Forest cover and type of environment shape functional diversity of insectivorous birds in the Atlantic Forest
SDG 15
Forest cover and type of environment shape functional diversity of insectivorous birds in the Atlantic Forest

According to a study conducted by researchers in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, more deforested areas have fewer species that are more similar to each other and perform the same ecological functions. The authors say this phenomenon compromises the resilience of the ecosystem.


Study resolves genetic controversy over iconic <i>campos rupestres</i> plant
SDG 2, SDG 13, SDG 15
Study resolves genetic controversy over iconic <i>campos rupestres</i> plant

Researchers at a FAPESP-supported research center have combined innovative techniques to determine the chromosome number of species of the genus Vellozia, typical of this montane savannah ecoregion. The result provides support for conservation programs and biotechnological applications.


Wild parrot species returns to its habitat in Atlantic Rainforest reserve
SDG 15
Wild parrot species returns to its habitat in Atlantic Rainforest reserve

The goal of reintroducing the bird is to restore the original fauna of the forest and its functionality. Supported by FAPESP, the project was presented at the Brazil-France Forum on Forests, Biodiversity, and Human Societies in Paris.


Human pressure most affecting Atlantic Rainforest deer density, study finds
SDG 15
Human pressure most affecting Atlantic Rainforest deer density, study finds

The most robust estimate ever made in the biome shows that hunting, predation by domestic dogs, livestock diseases and competition with wild boars are among the main anthropogenic influences. Scientists used an innovative method involving trained dogs and fecal DNA analysis.


Reducing cattle ranching is not enough to restore degraded soils in the Caatinga
SDG 13, SDG 15
Reducing cattle ranching is not enough to restore degraded soils in the Caatinga

Study carried out in Brazil’s semi-arid biome found that removing animals did not lead to significant improvements, even after three years of spontaneous soil recovery. Researchers suggest complementary measures such as green manure and strategic tree planting.


By 2100, more than 80% of amphibian species in and around the Pantanal will lose suitable habitat
SDG 13, SDG 15
By 2100, more than 80% of amphibian species in and around the Pantanal will lose suitable habitat

A study by Brazilian and Swiss researchers predicts that even in an optimistic greenhouse gas emissions scenario, 99% of the area of the Upper Paraguay River Basin will be lost.


More acidic soil reduces invasive grass and helps restore native vegetation to Brazilian savannah, study finds
SDG 15
More acidic soil reduces invasive grass and helps restore native vegetation to Brazilian savannah, study finds

Application of iron sulfate in a degraded area of the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, in central Brazil, reduced nutrient availability and contained exotic species, allowing grasses typical of the Cerrado biome, adapted to poor soils, to regrow.


Leafcutter ants recognize and fight pathogen even 30 days after initial contamination, study shows
SDG 15
Leafcutter ants recognize and fight pathogen even 30 days after initial contamination, study shows

Characteristics of social immune memory were observed in colonies of Atta sexdens exposed to four different pathogenic fungi. The insects increased their cleaning behavior one week and one month after initial contact, but not after 60 days.


Mutualistic interaction between caterpillars and ants is highly specific, study shows
SDG 15
Mutualistic interaction between caterpillars and ants is highly specific, study shows

Caterpillars secrete a sugary liquid that assures recognition and protection from predators by a certain ant species, but protection became attack when the pairings were switched in an experiment.


Non-graminoid herbaceous plants are fundamental for the preservation of the Cerrado
SDG 13, SDG 15
Non-graminoid herbaceous plants are fundamental for the preservation of the Cerrado

Less studied than grasses and trees, these plant species are of enormous importance to the Brazilian savannah biome in terms of biodiversity, carbon storage, regeneration after disturbance, and the provision of ecosystem services such as food and medicine.


Paleoclimate and human activity shaped the Araucaria forest in Brazil
SDG 15
Paleoclimate and human activity shaped the Araucaria forest in Brazil

The study used advanced DNA sequencing techniques, machine learning and analysis of fossil pollen records to investigate the history of this forest formation.


Just over a thousand species make up half of the planet’s tropical trees, study finds
SDG 13, SDG 15
Just over a thousand species make up half of the planet’s tropical trees, study finds

The estimate, published in the journal Nature, is that 2.24% of tree species in the Amazon, Africa and Southeast Asia account for 50% of the 800 billion trees in the tropical biome. Listing the hyperdominant species, as they are called, helps scientists more accurately measure processes such as carbon storage.


News about research projects funded by FAPESP and articulated with the SDGs: