The Secretariat of Biodiversity and Forests, within the Ministry of Environment, is the part of the Brazilian government which proposes and defines policies and strategies for all the country's biomes in topics related to the conservation, valorization and sustainable use of biodiversity, genetic heritage and associated traditional knowledge. Activities and duties resulting thereof are shared amongst the four departments it coordinates: the Department of Biodiversity Conservation, the Department of Forests, the Department of Protected Areas and the Department of Genetic Heritage.