Data collection can deplete conservation resources.

This can be circumvented by making better use of readily available data.

We provide a roadmap for how researchers can make better use of existing data.

Doing so will make conservation research more efficient and effective.

Since 1990, the intense threat faced by the Atlantic Forest pushed the enactment of dedicated laws safeguarding its native vegetation.

Current successional stages’ parameters are subjective and imprecise, hindering environmental permitting and related offset policies.

We highlight the current classification’s main limitations, propose specific improvements, and suggest creating a new inclusive framework.

It is urgent to review, clarify, simplify, and increase the scientific reliability of the classification of successional stages.

Brazil reached 2.8 Mha of native vegetation removal in 2022, the highest rate since 2008.

15.8 Mha of Legal Reserve areas need restoration in Brazil’s private rural properties, over half in the Amazon.

5.46 Mha of forest regrowth occurred in Brazil from 2016 to 2022, 40% in the Amazon and 36% in the Atlantic Forest biome.

Secondary forests in Brazil lack proper legislation to safeguard their carbon mitigation potential in the long-term.

Incentives to environmental payment, law enforcement, and legal framework needed for Brazil's 78 Mha surplus vegetation.

Brazil’s Amazonian hydroelectric dams are a concern regarding Lula’s presidency.

Lula initiated and still defends the Belo Monte Dam, which has catastrophic impacts.

The Volta Grande, a 130-km river stretch, has lost over 80% of its natural flow.

Traditional people, including three indigenous groups, have lost food security.

Renewal of Belo Monte’s operating license tests Lula’s socioenvironmental commitment.

The federal grants and scholarships are uneven distributed between Brazilian regions.

The North region receives the least number of scholarships and grants per km² in Brazil.

The current federal budget is insufficient to cover large-scale research in the Amazon.

New national and international funds need to be created to improve Amazon biodiversity research.

Campos Sulinos are neglected in terms of conservation and biodiversity studies.

We recovered 58 works about population genetics and phylogeography in Campos Sulinos.

High genetic variability and population structure were found in plants from Campos Sulinos.

There is a gap in genetics and genomics data availability in Campos Sulinos to apply in biodiversity conservation.

Genetics and genomics data are critical to address goals for CBD post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework in Campos Sulinos.

Ecological interactions shape the functioning and stability of ecosystems.

We assessed the vulnerability of species and their interactions in a mammal network.

The most important interactions in the network are, at least, partially at risk.

Threatened and non-threatened species make unique contributions to the ecological network.

A deforestation hotspot emerges in a region planned for agricultural development in the - Amazon rainforest.

Deforestation grows in all land tenure classes, especially after the project became widespread, in 2018.

Forest loss increased in protected areas after 2018, except in Indigenous Lands, which resist as protective shields.

Contrary to economic development, it can trigger socioeconomic losses and affect essential edaphoclimatic conditions for agricultural activity.

Environmental impact studies need to be concluded before establishing the zone for agricultural development.

Large forest patches within PAs aid at maintaining the connectivity for small dispersal mammals.

High anthropization in the Andean region limits the connectivity for forest mammals.

Deforestation in the Andes Amazon Transition Belt (AATB) threatens identified priority corridors.

The Brazilian legislation on native seeds has bottlenecks and gaps that can be addressed based on international best practices.

Seed collection from nature should be discussed and standardized by environmental agencies to ensure it becomes a sustainable practice.

Seed quality is crucial for the success of ecological restoration, but it should not adhere to the standardization required for agricultural cultivars.

The commercialization of species mixtures for restoration, including directly harvested ones, should be facilitated to promote biodiversity.

The implementation of seed transfer zones is highly recommended to guarantee the resilience of restored ecosystems in the long term.

The Amazon basin is approaching a tipping point, and is therefore of paramount concern for biodiversity conservation.

While attention is paid to the protection of terrestrial ecosystems, freshwater efforts lag behind, despite rising threats.

Basin-wide conservation policy development, implementation, and enforcement requires commitments across all scales.

Stakeholder's participation in the system could be facilitated by supporting cross-border and cross-scalar capacity-building.

Overlap of priority areas for bird conservation based on three diversity components is low.

The current Protected Areas network does not cover the most important areas.

Climate change can have a low impact on priority areas for conservation.

We show priority areas where the current Protected Areas network could be expanded.

Jaguars revisited forest, drainage, agriculture, and roads edge frequently.

Larger forest patches are vital refuges for jaguars in human landscapes.

Jaguars avoided large agricultural areas but often revisited their edges.

Jaguars moved faster near roads, avoiding prolonged stays in these areas.

Jaguars moved slower near drainage areas, which they frequently revisited.

Bird species of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil are threatened and declining.

Declines can lead to decreased detectability and fewer observations.

We analyzed bird data from three citizen science platforms for 2000–2022.

The representation of threatened and Near Threatened species decreased through time.

We recommend future species-specific monitoring to fill survey gaps.

Bird sensitivity varies across distribution ranges and environmental gradients, shaping distinct population patterns.

Four patterns: edge, equal, core, and varying sensitivity to landscape changes.

Dispersal ability, habitat specialization, and distribution range do not fully explain sensitivity patterns.

Species' intraspecific sensitivity variations call for adaptive conservation strategies.

Tropical mountains provide favorable habitats for invasive plant species.

Climate change is expected to open new space for the spread of invasive species.

Invasive species could gain between 1,000 and 10,000 km2 of more suitable areas.

The areas of greatest suitability are not necessarily at the highest elevations.

Claiming to save a biome threating another due to imprecise language is unreasonable.

There is a multisector neglect towards the Cerrado when compared to the Amazon.

“Savannization of the Amazon” refers to forest degradation instead of old-growth savanna.

The term “savannization of the Amazon” can forfeit natural savanna conservation.

The term “savannization of the Amazon” should be abandoned.

Dry-forest regeneration mechanisms respond to both natural and human drivers.

Caatinga regeneration relies on low-density and taxonomically impoverished regenerating assemblages.

Resprouts rather than seedlings and saplings support Caatinga regeneration.

Chronic human disturbances pose negative effect on regeneration mechanisms such as seed rain and seedling abundance.

Agricultural better practices are required to improve Caatinga resilience.

Peatland distribution and extent in the Cerrado is yet underestimated.

Peatlands are part of Cerrado valley wetlands and occur with Veredas, wet grassland and riparian swamp forest vegetation.

Although soil carbon data on peatlands is lacking, they may store 13.3% of the Cerrado soil carbon on only 0.7% of its area.

Hydrological studies are needed to quantify the role of peatlands in the Cerrado.

Intensive agriculture, wood plantations and other land uses threaten Cerrado peatlands and other wetlands.

Coffee crops have higher herpetofauna diversity than other anthropic cover types.

We identified 33 species, including frogs, toads, lizards, and snakes.

Fixed band transects for visual encounter were used to sample herpetofauna.

Microhabitats (leaf litter, humidity, rocks) influenced herpetofauna richness.

Six principles of sustainable management are proposed to coexist with herpetofauna.