Brazil has designated more than 1.6 million acres (≈676,000 ha) for conservation, creating four Sustainable Development Reserves in the Amazon near the BR-319 corridor and expanding Sete Cidades National Park by over 17,000 acres (≈6,900 ha). Announced by President Lula and shared by Leonardo DiCaprio, the move aims to protect biodiversity, strengthen Indigenous and community land defenses, and support sustainable livelihoods. The protections are backed by funding commitments—over $47 million for sustainable forest management and more than $46 million for restoration and territorial initiatives.
Brazil Protects 1.6 Million Acres: Four Amazon Reserves Created and Caatinga Park Expanded
Photo Credit: Instagram
Brazil has placed more than 1.6 million acres (about 676,000 hectares) of important ecosystems under new protection, strengthening conservation across parts of the Amazon and the Caatinga.
What Was Announced
On September 8, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced the creation of four Sustainable Development Reserves in the Amazon and an expansion of Sete Cidades National Park in the Caatinga. Actor and environmental advocate Leonardo DiCaprio shared the news on Instagram.
Key Details
- All four reserves are located around the BR-319 highway corridor in the Amazon and together with the park expansion bring the total protected area to more than 1.6 million acres (≈676,000 hectares).
- Sete Cidades National Park in Piauí will grow by more than 17,000 acres (≈6,900 hectares), helping protect species such as the endemic Cerrado little brown bat.
- The designations follow the June 2026 creation of the Rio Tanaru Indigenous Peoples National Park and are part of a broader push to slow deforestation and restore degraded landscapes.
Why It Matters
Protecting intact forests and Caatinga landscapes preserves critical wildlife habitat, stores carbon that helps cool the planet and reduces destructive land uses such as clearing and conversion. Sustainable Development Reserves are structured to conserve nature while supporting the livelihoods of local and traditional communities who depend on standing forests.
"Important efforts to protect critical ecosystems while supporting the communities who live in and depend on them," Leonardo DiCaprio wrote in his post announcing the measures.
Funding and Support
The announced measures come with sizable funding commitments: more than $47 million earmarked for sustainable forest management and another $46 million-plus for restoration and territorial initiatives. These funds are expected to finance territorial protection, restoration work, community-led projects and improved forest management.
International conservation groups supporting the designations include Andes Amazon Fund, Re:wild, Art Into Acres, Bezos Earth Fund, the Moore Foundation and the Wyss Foundation.
Next Steps and Context
Protected areas achieve the greatest conservation impact when paired with consistent enforcement, long-term political backing and investments in restoration and community governance. This package of protections is a step toward rebuilding Brazil's environmental safeguards through better policy, improved monitoring and expanded reforestation efforts.
Context: Recent drivers for action include a surge in Amazon deforestation that prompted stronger government measures, ongoing challenges for Brazil’s native seed networks even as a 30-million-acre reforestation plan advances, and improved monitoring that has helped the Atlantic Forest reach its lowest deforestation in decades.
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