By IDESAM and CECLIMA
The State of Amazonas is one of the nine states that make up the Brazilian Amazon, and it has the highest amount of its forest cover still standing, at around 97%. With so much at stake, the state was one of the pioneers in establishing state-wide public policies related to issues such as climate change and the design of positive incentives for forest conservation. In 2007, Amazonas established its State Policy on Climate Change (PEMC) (law 3.135/2007) and a complementary law 53/2007, which establishes the State System for Protected Areas (SEUC). Another strategy adopted by the Amazonas State Government was the creation of a public-private foundation, the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS) that has the objective of managing the Bolsa Floresta Program (PBF) which is a payment for ecosystem services program in 15 State Protected Areas. The PBF aims to reward and improve the quality of life in traditional communities for their contribution in maintaining the environmental services provided by the forests, reducing deforestation and valuing the standing forests. It is composed of four components:
Bolsa Floresta Income – Aims to provide incentives for sustainable production
Bolsa Floresta Social – Aims to invest in health, education, transportation and communication
Bolsa Floresta Association – Aims to strengthen associations and social control of the program
Bolsa Floresta Family – Aims to reward the involvement of families in the reduction of deforestation
One important result of the establishment of FAS is the development of the Juma Reserve REDD Project, the first REDD project to be validated under a voluntary standard in Brazil (the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards (CCB Standards)). The goal of the project is to manage a Sustainable Development Reserve, as well as implement activities outlined in the Protected Area Management Plan to curb the deforestation in the state. These policies combined seek to avoid emissions of around 3.6 million tons of CO2 through 2016, projected under a business as usual scenario, from activities such as land grabbing, illegal logging and deforestation for the establishment of soy and cattle. The project is led by FAS, and the Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of Amazonas (Idesam) was the technical coordinator of the Project Design Document development and validation process under the CCB Standards.
In March 2009, the State created the Amazonas State Forum on Climate Change, Biodiversity, Environmental Services and Energy (law decree 28.390/2009), with the objective to raise awareness in Amazonas about the discussion and decision making regarding global climate change. This Forum is composed of 3 working groups: (i) Land Use, Forests and Environmental Services, (ii) Energy and, (iii) Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change.
In 2010, faced with demands presented by the State Forum, the State of Amazonas initiated the participative Working Group process of designing and drafting the “Amazonas State Policy on Environmental Services,” which aims to structure economic and operational mechanisms to evaluate (and provide financial incentives to stakeholders for the activities that conserve) the natural resources of Amazonas. The process of designing this law involves the participation of several institutions. The Working Group contained diverse members, both governmental and non-governmental institutions, who were coordinated by Idesam with the assistance of legal consultant Ludovino Lopes Advogados, whose role was to translate the demands and expectations of the Working Group members into a legal format. The state officially released the proposed law in March 2011 for review and online public comment with in person comment sessions starting in July, in 5 municipalities and in Manaus, the state capital. The sessions will be conducted by Ceclima, the technical body of the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development of Amazonas (SDS-AM).