April 7, 2022

09:04

Fábio Leite – from Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The consolidation of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) is crucial, especially for Amazonian states. The geography and economy of the region open new paths for sustainable development, as explained by biologist Lucas Ferrante.

An agreement signed between the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) and the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) to conduct feasibility studies for Payment for Environmental Services concessions and carbon credits in Forest Conservation Units (UC) will be an important means for the sustainable development of the Amazon.

“The Amazon development model should not be based on deforestation, mining or other activities that damage the forest. But, yes, by the valuation of these ecosystem services that are important not only for Brazil, but for the world”, he said.

As for the carbon credit for Forest Conservation Units, one of the important points guaranteed by the agreement, Ferrante points out that it is beneficial, because it guarantees income for the population of the areas that will be conserved, resources for the state, in addition to forest and biodiversity conservation.

“It is crucial that these agreements are signed and that they evolve. We need to discuss an economy, for the State of Amazonas, especially the valuation of ecosystem services and carbon credits. This area was very cloudy, there were no prerogatives or pre-established values for the carbon credit, and we are advancing in the environmental agenda and in the sustainable economy for the state,” said the biologist.

Social control

For the geologist and environmentalist Carlos Durigan, the agreement is necessary and can generate important bases for the real implementation of this model throughout the country, but he made reservations about the attention that must be paid during the process, which may not integrate the communities and institutions active in the environment.

“However, it is important for the society to be aware, because the mechanisms that define and structure the policies related to PES must have a strong component of social control and participatory management to ensure transparency in decision making that involves both the raising and allocation of financial resources, and as far as I know this control is still lacking in a more inclusive way in these processes,” he explained.

The Project

Divided into two stages, the project foresees, first, an in-depth study of the Brazilian legal framework regarding these services and the feasibility of this concession model. In the second phase, three potential concession projects will be structured to protect and regenerate six Conservation Units (UCs) in the Amazon, covering an area greater than 1.7 million hectares.

According to the Ministry of Environment and the BNDES, the intention is to use these concessions for PES in the conservation of the Amazon and in the socio-economic development of local populations, bringing direct investments to the territory and remunerating those who protect the environment.