This paper builds on the insights and discussions generated during the Sustainable Ranching Roundtable, held virtually on June 18, 2025, as part of the Brazil Program’s year-long initiative on sustainable agriculture in Latin America in the lead-up to COP30 in Belém. The session, moderated by Bruna Santos, director of the Brazil Program at the Inter-American Dialogue, brought together leading voices from science, industry, and civil society to examine how livestock systems can reduce environmental impact while remaining competitive and inclusive.
The conversation featured Alexandre Berndt, researcher at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) Pecuária Sudeste, who shared advances in livestock systems to reduce emissions and improve land use; Gabriel Serber, vice president of social impact and sustainable development at Arcos Dorados, who discussed the private sector’s commitments and ESG practices; Leonel Almeida, manager of sustainability and communication at Marfrig, who explored pathways to scaling sustainability across the beef supply chain; and Edegar Oliveira, director for conservation and restoration at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Brazil, who emphasized the importance of aligning productivity with biodiversity protection, supported by effective monitoring mechanisms and community-based approaches.
The dialogue fostered a dynamic exchange on emissions reduction, land use, producer incentives, and multi-stakeholder collaboration between public institutions, agribusiness, and rural communities. These contributions form the foundation for this paper, which synthesizes the main takeaways and actionable recommendations to be presented during COP30 as part of a broader policy agenda for advancing sustainable ranching practices across Latin America.
