What future are we building for life on Earth? Is there still time to change?

Around 4 billion years ago, planet Earth began to take shape. Long before any form of life existed, a vast process was already underway involving matter, energy, space, and time. Gradually, atoms organized, molecules formed, and at some point in this history, the first organisms emerged. From this process came the species Homo sapiens, around 200,000 years ago in Eastern Africa. We were not the only human species to exist, but we are the only one that remains. From the beginning, we have carried something that sets us apart: a constant drive to explore, create, learn, and transform. It was this impulse that led us to develop tools, build languages, master fire, and find ways to live across different environments. A planet conquered and transformed Our story began in Africa, but it did not stay there. Over thousands of years, we spread across the planet. We moved into other regions of the African continent, advanced into the Arabian Peninsula, occupied Eurasia, and later found ways to cross oceans and reach Oceania. Then, facing the extreme cold of Siberia, we reached the Americas around 16,000 years ago. This journey was marked by discoveries, but also by profound transformations in the territories we inhabited. We learned to hunt, fish, farm, extract resources, and reshape landscapes. What began as survival evolved into something larger: producing more, occupying more, expanding more. When impact scales Centuries later, this same impulse led to the great navigations. In 1500, the Portuguese arrived in what is now Brazil. This moment marked the beginning of a process with deep consequences. Colonization, violence against Indigenous peoples, the trafficking of African people, and slavery became part of history. Beyond social impacts, natural areas also underwent intense changes. The Atlantic Forest, which originally covered about 15% of Brazil’s territory, was gradually reduced over time. This biome once stretched from Rio Grande do Norte to Rio Grande do Sul and extended into Paraguay and Argentina. Today, only 12.4% of its original cover remains in Brazil—and of that, only about 7% is well preserved. Parte do cenário da Grande Reserva da Mata Atlântica SPVS / Divulgação What still remains—and why it matters Despite so many losses, there are still territories essential for life. The largest well-preserved continuous stretch lies within the Great Atlantic Forest Reserve, spanning the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo. It comprises around 2.7 million hectares of terrestrial natural areas and 2.2 million hectares of marine area. This region is home to more than 2,000 species of vertebrate animals and approximately 15,000 plant species—many of which exist nowhere else. Among these animals are the black-faced lion tamarin, the red-tailed amazon parrot, the vinaceous-breasted amazon parrot, and the black-fronted piping guan—species monitored by the Society for Wildlife Research and Environmental Education (SPVS), an organization that has been working in nature conservation for over 40 years. During this time, the organization has been responsible for creating, managing, and restoring approximately 19,000 hectares of Natural Reserves. Producing nature is also building the future This work is based on a concept known as “Nature Production.” The idea is simple, yet powerful: it is not enough to protect what still exists. It is necessary to create conditions for nature to continue functioning, regenerating, and sustaining life. This means understanding that conservation is not something distant from society. On the contrary, it is part of our future. From the water we consume to the climate we experience, everything is connected. And now, what do we do with our impulse? The same impulse that led us to cross continents, transform landscapes, and build entire societies is still present. The difference is that we now understand the impact it can cause. The question, then, becomes another: what will we do with it from now on? On Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, this reflection becomes even more relevant. We are talking about a planet more than 4 billion years old—but about a future that depends directly on the choices we make today. There is still time to change. But that change will not happen on its own. It begins with how we see the world and with the decisions we choose to make. In the end, perhaps this is not only about the future of Earth—it is about the future of all life that depends on it. *Ana Rossini is a journalist and communications consultant at the Society for Wildlife Research and Environmental Education (SPVS). Mais Lidas