Yuri Salmona

With the Cerrados Institute, Yuri has built bridges between traditional communities, researchers, activists and public policy makers, promoting collective and sustainable solutions to protect one million hectares of the biome by 2050.

The Cerrado occupies approximately 24% of Brazil's territory. However, more than 50% of its vegetation has already been destroyed. Yuri's work tackles a 70-year legacy of policies that have transformed the Cerrado into the world's largest soy exporter and, at the same time, into one of the most threatened biomes on the planet, the most deforested in Brazil in 2023 and 2024. With a predominance of privatized land, largely occupied by agricultural commodity crops, the Cerrado is at a critical juncture. Its preservation is more urgent than ever, as the biome is essential for replenishing the water supply of eight of Brazil's twelve river basins. Yuri is breaking barriers in the field of conservation, working to make the Cerrado a fundamental pillar of the national ecological balance, while fighting against political and agribusiness interests that threaten the future of the region.

The Cerrados Institute (IC) implements a comprehensive strategy to address the complex challenges of this biome. This strategy includes protecting biodiversity; supporting local communities; communicating effectively to influence changes in social norms; collaborating with landowners to establish private reserves; and partnering with companies and governments to recognize the importance of protecting the Cerrado. Through this multifaceted effort, Yuri has co-constructed a network of organizations which, through their political strength and advocacy, has consolidated IC as a national reference in conservation.

IC's programs combine environmental policy with practical action: one of its main initiatives is a fire and deforestation warning system (Suindara) designed by Yuri. IC also uses strategic communication to put water conservation at the heart of the debate on the Cerrado, raising awareness and engaging government and agribusiness in protecting the biome. In addition, IC's work in mapping local communities is an opportunity to meet the needs of those who depend on the territory.

By using technological tools to support local communities and to influence public policy, IC is tackling both immediate threats and historical and structural challenges, serving as a benchmark in efforts to protect and understand the biome. A significant milestone is the signing of a Technical Cooperation Agreement with the Ministry of the Environment to map Priority Areas for Water Conservation in the Cerrado (APCAC).

Through these efforts, IC has been generating systemic impacts, with the goal of protecting 1 million hectares by 2050 in a structural way, so that other generations will have an open path to protect another million hectares. Yuri's dedication seeks to collaborate with the achievement of ecological balance and the protection of territorial rights, inspiring popular support for the protection of the Cerrado's ecological heritage.

The Cerrado is recognized as the most biodiverse savannah in the world, occupying 24% of Brazil's territory and reaching thirteen states, an area roughly equivalent to the territories of France, Spain, Sweden and Germany combined. The Cerrado is considered the second largest biome in South America and the second largest biome in Brazil, and is significantly threatened, which is why it is considered a biodiversity hotspot. This ecoregion, predominantly under private ownership, deals with unsustainable agricultural practices, which generate deforestation and forest fires, overexploitation of water and commonly agrarian conflicts. Agribusiness is the main force behind this environmental devastation, being responsible for more than 97% of deforestation, and resulting in the alarming loss of more than 50% of the Cerrado's native vegetation.

The area under cultivation in Brazil tripled between 1985 and 2020, from 19 million to 55 million hectares. All market projections indicate that the country will consolidate its position as the largest supplier of soy and corn to the world, and they point to the Cerrado as part of this projection. Today, according to the MapBiomas platform, 44.2% of the Brazilian Cerrado is occupied by agricultural production, especially agricultural commodities for export. It is estimated that by 2058, the state of Mato Grosso will triple its production, while Mato Grosso do Sul, Tocantins and Goiás will more than double. MapBiomas also points out that 71% of deforestation in the Cerrado in 2024 will be illegal.

Deforestation in the Cerrado is concentrated in the hands of a few landowners. According to the Rural Environmental Registry, only 1% of rural properties were responsible for the deforestation recorded. This process compromises the availability of water, which can affect both electricity generation and food production. In some regions, the available water is used mainly to irrigate grains for export, reducing the supply for local food production.

According to the IBGE and ANA, most of the water consumed in the country is used for activities related to agribusiness. This intensive use of water has direct implications for ecosystems and water resources, exacerbating scarcity and affecting the quality of available water. In addition, agricultural practices, such as large-scale irrigation, are responsible for a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions. This cycle of resource consumption and gas emissions intensifies unstable weather patterns, such as changes in rainfall and periods of drought, contributing to worsening climate change.

Systemic negligence and mismanagement by local governments make the Cerrado's situation even worse. According to data from the 2024 National Registry of Conservation Units, only 8.7% of the biome enjoys legal protection through Conservation Units, and private properties have flexible regulations that allow up to 80% deforestation on private land.

The permissiveness of the legislation, coupled with historical exploitation practices aimed at immediate economic gains, favors the continued degradation of the biome. According to MapBiomas, from January to September 2024, fires consumed 8.4 million hectares of the Cerrado, representing an increase of 117% over the previous year. These fires are directly linked to deforestation, as fires continue to be used indiscriminately in agribusiness, and deforested soils are more vulnerable to the spread of fire. In 2023, the Cerrado overtook the Amazon as the Brazilian biome with the largest deforested area.

Land policies and a legacy of predatory resource extraction have marginalized traditional communities and small family farmers who advocate sustainable land use, while part of the politically influential agribusiness sector continues to benefit disproportionately from financial incentives, systematically ignoring sustainable practices and the needs of local communities. The traditional peoples of the Cerrado, heirs to ancestral knowledge, have managed the region for generations and are experiencing the direct impacts of deforestation. Land conflicts have increased due to the irregular expansion of agribusiness, which often uses fraud and violence, including rural militias, to occupy traditional territories, generating insecurity and fear in communities. It is very important to protect what is left of the biome, trying to achieve zero net deforestation and transform land use in the Cerrado into a sustainable practice, both from an economic and ecological point of view.

The degradation of the Cerrado has critical impacts on Brazil's hydrological network. The Cerrado is considered the heart of Brazil's waters, as it is home to three of South America's main aquifers - Guarani, Bambuí and Urucuia - the main springs that supply Brazil's major rivers and eight of the country's twelve hydrographic regions. However, the relentless expansion of agribusiness combined with climate change has drastically reduced the flow of water in 95% of the basins analyzed in a study landmark written by Yuri. Research produced by Yuri Salmona illustrates the seriousness of this issue, predicting significant declines in water volumes by 2050. This interconnected crisis of water scarcity and agricultural production threatens the Cerrado and impacts interconnected biomes such as the Pantanal, whose propensity to fire has increased significantly due to the decrease in water flow.

The impacts of environmental degradation highlight the interdependence between the Cerrado's ecological balance and Brazil's economic future. The excessive use of water by agribusiness threatens its own sustainability by degrading the ecosystems on which it depends. The Cerrado's vegetation is essential for recharging aquifers during the rainy season, guaranteeing sufficient groundwater in the dry season to maintain irrigation. Therefore, conserving the Cerrado is essential not only to protect biodiversity, but also to ensure the economic stability and well-being of local communities. Yuri's studies reinforce the urgency of forward-looking policies that integrate technology, science, economics and community participation to preserve the biome's natural resources and ecosystem services.

There is no single solution to the Cerrado's challenges. Protecting the biome requires a systemic understanding of the problems and how they interconnect. Founded in 2011, the Cerrados Institute was born with precisely this focus: to address the interdependencies that affect the biome. Its work began with the Jurema Program, an initiative aimed at creating conservation units on private properties - Private Natural Heritage Reserves (RPPNs) - once approved, these reserves are permanent. As most of the Cerrado is in private areas, the program became a key strategy. Since then, more than 30 RPPNs have been created, dozens more are underway, and 11 management plans have been developed. To achieve the goal of 1 million hectares protected by 2050, Yuri is betting on a systemic approach. He has built his legitimacy in the sector over the years based on robust data about the Cerrado and the development of strategic programs, becoming one of the main advocates for the protection of the biome.

Combining cutting-edge science and technology with the recognition of traditional communities and a call to action from governments and companies, IC is transforming public opinion about the Cerrado and putting protection strategies into effect. Realizing that creating reserves alone was not enough, Yuri designed Suindara, IC's system dedicated to preventing, monitoring and mitigating fires and deforestation in the Cerrado. This system was patented by Yuri, showing the distance of the fire outbreak, the coordinates, and displaying a topographical map so that the brigades can plan their actions more quickly. The Suindara System is an innovative online platform that significantly reduces fire response times by providing relevant information. The tool is available to managers of Conservation Units, firefighters, brigade members, municipal environmental managers, family farmers, indigenous peoples and traditional communities for monitoring their territories. This exclusive access guarantees user safety in the management of arson, supports firefighting readiness nd ensures the availability of reliable information.

Suindara currently has more than 200 registered users in more than 100 territories, 20 registered brigades and 8 million hectares monitored. Yuri is committed to integrating this alert system into the state monitoring system, so that operations can be better subsidized. Yuri is currently seeking a partnership with WhatsApp, since the application is widely used in Brazil, but its current cost of use is unfeasible for the institute. The IC is also about to launch a mobile app version with more functionalities. In the context of the IC's Suindara program, in addition to the Suindara APP, the IC is part of the Tamo de Olho initiative, which identifies cases of illegal deforestation and violations of the territorial rights of traditional peoples and communities in the Cerrado, especially in the Matopiba region (Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia). Formed by the Society, Population and Nature Institute (ISPN), WWF-Brazil, the Cerrado Network and the Cerrados Institute, in partnership with the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), the Matopiba Observatory and Trase, the initiative seeks to influence public bodies to guarantee the territorial rights of PCTs (Traditional Peoples and Communities) and the legal consequences of deforestation. The Cerrados Institute developed the digital tool Tamo de Olho, using data from MapBiomas Alerta and other sources. The tool generates reports with deforestation indicators, which are shared with the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Public Defender's Office, environmental and public security agencies. The platform itself helps these entities prioritize cases for legal action, based on socio-environmental criteria, thus contributing to more efficient action in combating and controlling environmental degradation.

Suindara is also used in conjunction with the Cerrado Peoples Program, where training in fighting forest fires and arson and the donation of personal protective equipment takes place for Cerrado communities. The Cerrado Peoples Program is IC's front line of action that strengthens the territoriality of traditional communities, native peoples and family farmers by identifying and mapping their territories in the Cerrado. This work takes place in conjunction with IPAM, Rede Cerrado and ISPN in the Tô no Mapa (I'm on the Map) initiative, of which Yuri is a coordinator and board member. Mapping the territory contributes to the visibility of communities and strengthens their rights, self-identification and knowledge. In addition, the program provides information materials that support the communities in land regularization.

IC joined Tô no Mapa in October 2020, improving the app's methodology for registering territories. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cerrado Peoples Program trained local leaders to self-map and register their communities, a strategy that proved fundamental to the success of the initiative. As a result, 246 communities have already been registered, with 50 mapping trainings carried out for 92 participants. The mapped areas cover 27,499 families occupying 1,999 km² but are estimated to protect 8,300 km² of the biome. In addition, 322 conflict zones were identified, including cases of land grabbing and deforestation. The IC also mapped traditional communities on official platforms, such as the Federal Prosecutor's Office's Traditional Territories Platform, including these communities in its own mapping, giving visibility to the existence of these communities in areas once considered "empty". Through workshops with these communities, IC addresses urgent issues for traditional communities in the Cerrado, such as fire management in times of drought or rights to the land they inhabit. This process led to the creation of the "Guide to Formalizing Traditional Territories in the Cerrado".

The registry maintained by Tô no Mapa exceeds that of the Public Prosecutor's Office platform, which has led to an effort to integrate the systems within the scope of public policies. This integration seeks to develop a mechanism that not only maps territories, but also supports entities such as INCRA (National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform) in starting the demarcation process, influencing government policy. IC's contributions resulted in two more partnership agreements: one with the Institute for Society, Population and Nature (ISPN) to produce materials and give workshops, and another with the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) to support the self-mapping of 50 communities in Maranhão, Tocantins, Bahia and Piauí. During four years of research, the Cerrados Institute carried out an unprecedented survey to identify traditional communities using secondary data. The result will be released in 2025, presenting the first version of the answers to a fundamental question: How many traditional communities are there in the Cerrado? The results of this work are summarized on an interactive platform

These programs are promoted by 'Elos do Cerrado', the Institute's communication arm. The initiative is responsible for campaigns, scientific dissemination and opinion-forming aimed at reaching a wide audience and decision-makers, disseminating IC's actions and scientific, educational and partner materials in an accessible and mobilizing way. The aim is to make people connect emotionally with the Cerrado, recognize its ecological importance based on scientific data and actively engage in its protection, helping to curb the predatory expansion of agribusiness.

For Yuri, the "Cerrado: The Heart of the Waters" campaign, mobilized by IC, has been a turning point, since water is of common interest to large companies, local communities and the government. The campaign dialogues directly with the Cacimba Program, the Institute's latest initiative to revitalize river basins. The aim is to improve the availability of water sources, thus increasing the supply capacity for human consumption. This effort also raises public awareness of how deforestation in the Cerrado causes systemic water supply problems in other biomes. Justifying the conservation of the Cerrado on the basis of water availability makes dissenting groups interested and understand the relevance of the Institute's other initiatives. One of the political elements of the campaign is an agreement with the Ministry of the Environment to determine the Priority Areas for Water Conservation in the Cerrado (APCAC) and their subsequent implementation.

IC's integrated initiatives drive structural changes in government policies and practices that are silent on the devastation of the Cerrado. By implementing public policies that protect both biodiversity and its traditional communities, IC is positioning itself as a credible voice among policymakers. The ultimate goal is to guarantee policies and programs that result in the protection of 1 million hectares by 2050. Among its actions to influence public policy, IC signed an agreement with the Ministry of the Environment for Priority Areas for Water Conservation in the Cerrado (APCAC): this project aims to map the areas most in need of protection or restoration. The aim is to present the results of this work during COP30, in November 2025, in Belém. The IC made a significant contribution to the Cerrado Deforestation and Fire Prevention Plan.

By combining conservation, the construction of public policies and the empowerment of communities, IC promotes the conservation of the biome and its cultural heritage.

In the next five years, Yuri intends to double IC's operational capacity and write a book that tells the saga of the Cerrado, touring the Cerrado and getting to know the different regional realities. His goal is to dedicate himself entirely to articulating and representing the institute in order to gain influence and engagement capacity, while devoting less time to day-to-day operations. Yuri is also expanding the range of communities with which IC collaborates, in order to understand the realities of the Cerrado, broadening the defense of the biome and its peoples.

Yuri Salmona was born in Brasilia to a Brazilian mother from Jequitinhonha, Minas Gerais, and an Egyptian father who was a Jewish refugee. Yuri's upbringing was defined by a rich mix of cultural influences and a deep connection with nature. His frequent visits to the countryside introduced him to the Cerrado, where his grandfather's (Raizeiro) teachings about plants fostered a lasting affinity with the land. Yuri later realized that his grandfather had taught him that land is more than its possessions; it is a relationship that needs to be cultivated and cared for.

Determined to understand his home region in depth, Yuri graduated in geography from the University of Brasilia. Despite financial difficulties and living in difficult conditions, he became a mobilizer among his peers, advocating for better living conditions for students and forming the basis of his dedication to systemic change. His advocacy extended beyond campus life, as his professional experiences revealed great neglect of the Cerrado.

In response, Yuri founded the Cerrados Institute in 2011, a pioneering organization in conservation projects and social innovations. His work is recognized not only for the conservation of the biome, but also for strengthening traditional communities in the face of the challenges of fire and deforestation.

Recently, Yuri's influence reached new heights with a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of the Environment, which highlights the institute's role in the development of Priority Areas for the Conservation of Cerrado Waters. His role in legislative initiatives, partnerships and his in-depth knowledge of the ecosystem consolidate Yuri's legacy and that of the institute as a transformative force in the conservation and sustainable management of the Cerrado. Yuri's legitimacy as a researcher and an agile social entrepreneur has been key to achieving the transformation that the Cerrados Institute wants to achieve. As the social entrepreneur that he is, Yuri knows that his work is just the beginning to ensure that the Cerrado remains standing.