Restoration Contexts and Trends in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: Evidence from Science and Practice

Large-scale restoration in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest is expected to recover biodiversity, carbon stocks, and other ecosystem functions while also supporting rural livelihoods. Yet the evidence supporting these claimed outcomes remains uneven, especially when distinguishing reported outcomes from causal evidence based on baselines, controls, counterfactuals, or long-term monitoring. We assessed peer-reviewed studies and a contextual set of documented initiatives to synthesize reported environmental, social, and economic findings together with governance and financing conditions associated with restoration in the biome. We also distinguished between direct field measurements, model-based estimates, descriptive reporting, and perception-based evidence. Across the reviewed sample, direct evidence was strongest for carbon and biodiversity, weaker for soil, and much more limited for hydrological and social effects. On-site studies often reported partial recovery relative to mature forests, especially in naturally regenerated areas, while model-based studies were more common in identifying where restoration might deliver multiple gains or lower opportunity costs. Social and financial evidence focused mainly on jobs, income, participation, opportunity costs, and implementation costs, but remained heterogeneous and rarely relied on standardized indicators. Governance was reported mainly through implementation conditions, including technical support, incentives, local participation, and coordination across actors and scales. The reviewed literature now covers more topics, but evidence remains uneven across ecological, social, financial, and governance dimensions. These gaps still limit comparison across cases and complicate restoration planning, monitoring, and policy alignment in the Atlantic Forest.