Brazil is often perceived as an exotic destination, linked with typical associations of monkeys and bananas or samba and carnival. In the popular imagination, the country is frequently associated with the vast Amazon rainforest, which is believed to encompass most of the territory with its dense forests and indigenous communities. However, this image overlooks Brazil’s significant industrial and agricultural sectors. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, Brazil is home to 325,783 industrial companies, divided between the extractive and transformation industries. Additionally, the latest agricultural census reported 5,073,324 rural establishments covering an area of 351,289,816 hectares, employing approximately 15,105,125 producers.
As we’ll demonstrate in this article, Open Supply Hub is playing an increasingly crucial role in mapping these vast numbers of production locations, enhancing transparency in this region that has a substantial need for awareness of the relationship between supply chains and their impact on the environment.
Brazil’s Challenges
Large countries often come with significant challenges, and Brazil is no exception. The country faces environmental and social issues such as deforestation, mining exploitation, and climate change, illustrated by recent severe floods in some regions and intensive droughts in others. Social problems are also present: in 2023, the Ministry of Labor rescued 3,190 workers from conditions resembling slavery—the highest number of workers in the last 14 years—after inspecting 598 urban and rural establishments. In the same year, 248 employers were added to Brazil’s “dirty list,” marking the highest number of inclusions ever recorded. The list is an anti-slavery measure published every six months, naming companies identified by Labor Inspection as using labor conditions akin to slavery.
Mapping the Brazilian Biomes
Understanding the environmental landscape of a vast country like Brazil is crucial in figuring out how to protect it, as each region may require different types of collaboration with different types of stakeholders. Given the country’s varied ecosystems, there is no simple one-size-fits-all solution to address the challenges mentioned earlier. Despite Brazil’s ecological variety and importance, some biomes may be overlooked. Biomes are distinct geographical regions characterized by specific climates, vegetation, and wildlife. For instance, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) seeks to prevent the importation of commodities linked to deforestation but currently recognizes deforestation only as the conservation of forests. This definition excludes large areas of natural landscapes such as savannas and grasslands. In Brazil, this means the regulation primarily covers the Amazon and the Atlantic Rainforest, excluding the Cerrado—a biome heavily impacted by soy and cattle farming. For a deeper understanding, you can explore this article from the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) and Rede Cerrado.
In this overview, we highlight the characteristics of the six Brazilian biomes, detailing their primary features and the key products generated in each region, while including the current Open Supply Hub mapping* of production locations in these areas. We invite you to explore these maps to identify regions with varying levels of data coverage, observe the production locations, and recognize opportunities for expanding this dataset. Your participation is crucial in helping us broaden the scope of our coverage of production locations in Brazil.
Amazon Rainforest [Amazônia]
The Amazon is the most well-known biome in Brazil, renowned for its complex and rich ecosystem. It is home to 2,500 species of trees and 30,000 of the 100,000 plant species found throughout Latin America. Stretching over 6,400 kilometers is the Amazon River. The region boasts large reserves of timber, rubber, nuts, fish, minerals, and other resources, characterized by low population density and increasing urbanization. The main activities include subsistence and commercial agriculture and livestock farming, with cultivation of soybeans, cotton, cocoa, coffee, and exotic fruits. Despite its immense environmental importance, the Amazon faces constant threats from numerous predatory activities, such as logging, mining, and conversion of forest areas into pastures and agricultural land.
Atlantic Rainforest [Mata Atlântica]
The Atlantic Forest spans 17 Brazilian states, as well as parts of Paraguay and Argentina, encompassing a variety of forest types, terrains, and populations. This tropical forest holds a world record for biodiversity but is also one of the most threatened, with only about 8.5% of its original area remaining. It is located in Brazil’s most developed and densely populated region, home to approximately 70% of the country’s population. The biome supports the production of fruits, vegetables, coffee, sugarcane, cotton, and livestock.
Caatinga is the only biome exclusive to Brazil, with its name derived from a native Brazilian language, the Tupi-Guarani, and means “white forest”.
It is characterized by a semi-arid climate, sparse vegetation adapted to dry conditions, and significant biodiversity. The predominant activities in this biome include raising cattle, goats, sheep, and horses, as well as subsistence agriculture, with plantations of corn, beans, cassava, and cotton.
The ecosystems of the Caatinga have been significantly altered, with native plants often replaced by crops and pastures. Deforestation and burning are still common practices for land preparation for agriculture and livestock, which not only destroy the vegetation cover but also negatively impact wildlife populations, water quality, and the overall balance of the climate and soil.
The Cerrado Biome is the second largest in South America, covering an area of 2,036,448 hectares, which accounts for over 22% of the continent’s territory, and is primarily composed of savannas. The Cerrado hosts three of South America’s largest river basins: Tocantins-Araguaia, São Francisco, and Prata. It is a major area for cattle raising and grain cultivation, such as corn, soybeans, cotton, and fruit trees. The most common issues in the Cerrado are often related to fires, which can start naturally but are frequently exacerbated or caused by human activity.
In Brazil, the Pampas are restricted to the state of Rio Grande do Sul and extend into parts of Argentina and Uruguay. The fields of this southern region of Brazil, known as “pampa,” derive their name from an Indigenous term meaning “flat region” and are characterized primarily by grassland vegetation, including grasses, herbaceous plants, and some trees. The main agricultural practices in the Brazilian Pampas include livestock farming, grain farming, such as soybeans, wheat, and corn, and cultivation of fruits like apples and peaches. Additionally, the region supports dairy farming, meat production, aquaculture, and fishing activities, particularly in the coastal region.
This biome is present in only two Brazilian states: Mato Grosso, occupying 7% of its territory, and Mato Grosso do Sul, with 25%, and extends into Bolivia and Paraguay. The region is an alluvial plain influenced by rivers that drain the upper Paraguay basin, fostering diverse arrays of fauna and flora. Often referred to as the “kingdom of waters,” this vast freshwater reservoir plays a crucial role in water supply, climate stabilization, and soil conservation. The predominant agribusiness activity is extensive livestock farming, with cattle raised for meat and milk. Additionally, fishing, aquaculture, and subsistence farming are significant in the region. The area faces risks like deforestation, erosion, and sedimentation due to improper land agricultural management. Urban expansion and infrastructure development, such as highways, dams, ports, waterways, and hydroelectric dams, also pose threats by potentially disrupting the natural water regime of the Pantanal.
Bringing Supply Chain Transparency in Biomes Areas
Mapping supply chains within their respective biome areas and understanding their impact is essential for enabling sustainable development. This approach allows businesses to protect these ecosystems while benefiting economically through responsible agriculture practices, among other methods.
By gaining a deeper understanding of the specific challenges faced by each biome, governments can create effective policies and regulations that mandate transparency and accountability from the producers and buyers of goods sourced from these areas. Such policy-making is crucial to safeguarding these regions from unsustainable practices.
With social and environmental supply chain due diligence laws taking effect around the world, national and international companies can no longer ignore their responsibility for their production processes. Corporations are being held accountable not only for their direct suppliers (tier 1) but also for their indirect suppliers in distant tiers, where the raw materials come from. Achieving transparency throughout the entire supply chain is a significant challenge, which is why Open Supply Hub exists—serving as a vital source of information where organizations can share data, connect with partners sourcing from or implementing programs in the same origin, and drive positive impact through comprehensive datasets.
Understanding Brazilian biomes and implementing transparent supply chains are essential steps toward a more sustainable and responsible approach to development, ensuring the protection of vital ecosystems and supporting the well-being of local communities. Join us in powering the transition to safe and sustainable supply chains in Brazil and Latin America to increase our impact in this significant region together.
Follow the step by step guide to contribute data to OS Hub. Any questions? Email us at info@opensupplyhub.org or our Brazilian Community Manager bruna@opensupplyhub.org for more information.
*The Open Supply Hub Biomes Map is derived from the Biomes Area on the official Map from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The drawing lines may have imperfections and are meant to be a starting point for deeper and more precise analysis.
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