Achieving private conservation targets in Brazil through restoration and compensation schemes without impairing productive lands

•Forest restoration and compensation are needed to reach the target of native vegetation cover in private lands.•Requiring ecological equivalence can restrict compensation options, but it is a feasible option in Brazilian rural lands.•Forest restoration on low productive pasture increases the ability to achieve the private conservation target.•A combination of on-site restoration and off-site compensation allows to achieve the conservation target in Brazil.