Beyond protected areas: How family farms are helping keep nature connected in southern Brazil 

Across southern Brazil, our contracted tobacco-growing farms sit at the intersection of some of the country’s most important natural landscapes. Stretching across the Atlantic Forest and Pampa biomes, these regions support unique ecosystems, provide water for communities, store carbon, and serve as habitats for threatened plant and animal species. As we address our nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities across the value chain in line with our Value Plan 2030+, these sourcing regions provide a clear example of how agricultural resilience depends on healthy, functioning ecosystems.  

For us, protecting biodiversity is about helping farmers produce sustainably, and securing long-term productivity by strengthening the natural systems supporting water security, soil health, climate resilience, and community well-being. This is why we develop Biodiversity Management Plans (BMPs) that identify, prioritize, and implement actions to address biodiversity impacts in our priority tobacco growing areas (TGAs) globally. 

In southern Brazil, we developed a BMP with growers, conservation organizations, and local authorities. Combining a biodiversity pressure assessment with landscape-level analysis, the plan identifies key biodiversity pressures, establishes a baseline for monitoring change over time, and helps prioritize actions ranging from biodiversity monitoring to habitat restoration and invasive species management. Through these efforts we aim to strengthen the positive role the contracted farms already play in conserving biodiversity while improving the long-term resilience of the landscapes on which farming communities depend. 

Assessing the landscape beyond farm boundaries

The development of our BMP began with a biodiversity pressure assessment to capture the state of biodiversity in the TGA. In 2022, we identified five relevant criteria to assess our sourcing areas globally: conversion and deforestation, water consumption and pollution, climate change, chemical pollution, and native decline and invasive species. The first four criteria had existing individual pressure reviews and ongoing mitigation actions in place, which were input directly into the BMP. 

To assess the native decline and invasive species pressure, we first needed to identify our Biodiversity Focus Areas (BFAs) within the TGA. We used geo-referenced data for the contracted farms and cross-referenced data from a recognized global platform, the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT), which consolidates information on protected areas, threatened species, and priority regions for conservation. Our assessment identified 46 BFAs overlapping with or near our agricultural operations covering approximately 104,900 hectares across 47 municipalities in Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul. 

We identified habitat fragmentation and invasive non-native species as the primary biodiversity pressures affecting the broader landscape, with climate change, land-use conversion, and pressures on soils and ecosystems as secondary drivers. While these pressures affect the wider region, biodiversity risks associated with the contracted tobacco production are largely managed through a combination of established efforts involving monitoring, farmer engagement, conservation initiatives, and restoration projects. Deforestation levels within the BFAs currently remain very low, with no deforestation identified on contracted farms during the assessment period. 

The BMP was developed by consolidating identified biodiversity-related pressures across the TGA, existing mitigation activities and potential future actions across the five criteria. These actions were then prioritized based on expected impact, feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and stakeholder support. The highest-priority actions were then tied to quantitative targets, implementation timelines, and monitoring indicators. 

While these findings are encouraging, they also underscore what is at stake: the ecological value of these landscapes is defined by the habitats they contain, and the species that depend on them. The story below provides a closer look at why habitats and species are central to maintaining biodiversity in the region and the actions being taken to support their long-term conservation.  

Addressing habitat fragmentation

Across southern Brazil, forests, grasslands, and wetlands have become increasingly fragmented over time. When habitats become disconnected, wildlife movement becomes more difficult and ecosystems become less resilient to environmental change. While our biodiversity pressure assessment identified habitat fragmentation as one of the most significant impacts within BFAs, it also revealed an important opportunity: many farms already help maintain native forests, riparian vegetation (which grows beside rivers and other bodies of water) and ecological corridors across the area. These landscapes can act as ecological steppingstones that support wildlife movement beyond protected-area boundaries.

To strengthen connectivity across one of the most important forest landscapes identified through the assessment, we joined with The Floresta Viva initiative in 2024 led by the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES). Through this match-funding project, we aim to restore more than 450 hectares of Atlantic Forest in Paraná (equivalent to 630 football pitches), creating ecological corridors between the Serra da Esperança Environmental Protection Area and the Araucárias Biological Reserve. Project implementation is already underway, with approximately 70 percent of restoration activities expected to be implemented by the end of 2026 and full implementation planned by 2027. By reconnecting habitats between two conservation areas through restoration and agroforestry systems, the initiative will directly address one of the most significant biodiversity risks identified through the assessment.

Tackling invasive species

Our biodiversity pressure assessment also highlighted invasive species as a growing landscape-level challenge, as they compete with native vegetation and reduce habitat quality for wildlife. In total, nine invasive species were identified across the assessed farms including species such as the Japanese raisin tree (Hovenia dulcis), pine species (Pinus spp.), tough lovegrass (Eragrostis plana), and the European hare (Lepus europaeus). 

All the contracted farms participated in our annual biodiversity monitoring, contributing information that helps identify emerging biodiversity challenges and prioritize conservation actions across the region. In 2025, farm visits and farmer surveys indicated an increase in invasive species presence across contracted farms. Of the 4,992 contracted farmers surveyed, only 3 percent reported a decline in invasive species occurrence on their properties. These findings support the identification of priority areas for targeted invasive species management and future biodiversity conservation efforts, including a target to manage invasive species across 300 hectares by 2030.

Strengthening biodiversity and community resilience 

The assessment also reinforced that biodiversity pressures cannot be addressed in isolation from the needs of farming communities. Building on initiatives already underway across our sourcing regions, we intend to strengthen both ecological and community resilience.  

The Home Gardens Program, deployed in partnership with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply (EMBRAPA), illustrates this approach by combining diversified food production with native species conservation, while supporting farmers’ food security, livelihoods, and resilience. Since our partnership began in 2017, the initiative has supported the establishment of 599 agroforestry gardens, including several located within BFAs. The program provides 60 fruit seedlings selected from 20 species to each garden adapted to temperate climates. Beyond fruit trees, farmers receive a diverse mix of crops, including beans, corn, sweet potatoes and onions, with 29 different products provided per garden. The program also offers technical training on topics such as fertilization, irrigation, pest management, and pruning, helping farmers improve productivity, diversify production, and strengthen income-generating opportunities. 

Our partnership combines food production with native species conservation, which helps improve food security, dietary diversity, and income diversification while creating wildlife habitat and strengthening landscape resilience. Recognized by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO) as a Good Practice for Sustainable Development, the program illustrates how biodiversity conservation can create benefits beyond ecosystems alone, helping strengthen the resilience of both landscapes and the people who depend on them. 

Looking ahead 

One of the most important lessons from the development of our BMP is that biodiversity conservation is not limited to protected areas. The BMP combines the assessment of biodiversity impacts, risks, and opportunities with a strategic roadmap that guides conservation action across our sourcing regions. Together, the assessment findings and the actions prioritized through the plan demonstrate how nature-based approaches can support agricultural productivity and biodiversity conservation. By restoring habitats, strengthening ecological connectivity, protecting native vegetation, and supporting farmers in implementing sustainable practices, we intend to help build more resilient landscapes across our sourcing regions. 

Nature and climate efforts cannot be pursued in isolation: climate change can intensify biodiversity loss, while healthy ecosystems can strengthen environmental resilience to climate-related impacts. This interconnection was reflected in our biodiversity pressure assessment, which identified climate change as a secondary pressure with the potential to amplify other threats, including habitat fragmentation and ecosystem degradation. Accordingly, we will develop a local Climate Adaptation Plan in late 2026 to better understand climate hazards and identify resilience priorities across our sourcing regions. The assessment will guide future investments and provide the foundation for deploying regenerative agricultural practices in the years to come, including actions, measurement approaches, and farmer engagement initiatives. 

By understanding where biodiversity is concentrated, where nature-related risks exist, and how climate-related pressures may affect both ecosystems and farming communities, we aim to help create more connected, resilient, and climate-ready landscapes for the future.