Potential for climate change mitigation in protected areas of the Brazilian Cerrado

Protected Areas in the Brazilian Cerrado have high potential for carbon storage. Approximately 62% of the Cerrado's area is in private properties, with only 20% of the remaining vegetation protected by Legal Reserves (LRs). Established by law, LRs are crucial for the conservation of natural resources on rural properties, serving as biodiversity refuges, ecological corridors, and carbon sinks. However, the expansion of agribusiness has threatened both the preservation of the biome and the effectiveness of these reserves, which are often neglected by public policies. We analyzed the importance of LRs in providing ecosystem services and conserving biodiversity in the Cerrado. We discussed the feasibility of including them in carbon credit projects and assessed the impacts of landscape fragmentation and wildfires on these services. We emphasize that the economic valuation of ecosystem services provided by LRs can represent an effective strategy for environmental conservation and the generation of sustainable income for rural landowners, promoting the preservation of the Cerrado amid growing socio-environmental challenges.