Ecosystem Profile
Atlantic Forest Biodiversity Hotspot (Brazil)
In the 1990s, funding for conservation and environmental protection in Brazil began to increase (e.g., through FUNBIO and PPG-7), as did the number of government agencies and NGOs dealing with biodiversity issues. However, the available resources are still insufficient to protect the Central and Serra do Mar Corridors. Some effective ideas have been implemented, e.g. the Ecological ICMS (which returns tax revenue to localities with natural areas), but innovative approaches are needed to expand conservation efforts.
Institutional Capacity
Many agencies in Brazil play crucial roles in the conservation of natural areas, especially in the Atlantic Forest region: 74 percent of these institutions are NGOs, most created after 1990. Most of these institutions are operating in the Atlantic Forest and associated environments. Over 30 percent of the government agencies, but only 4 percent of NGOs, have an annual budget of $500,000 or more. Nearly 70 percent of the NGOs have budgets no greater than $50,000 per year.
Most of these organizations are active in several distinct areas of conservation. In the corridors, the focal areas include biodiversity, forest management, water resources, waste, urban environment, protected areas, environmental legislation and public policy, sanitation, agriculture and rural development, pesticides and herbicides, alternative technology in agriculture and conservation, traditional farming methods, indigenous people, energy, and climate change.
The public administration of State Environmental Agencies contains insufficient staff and resources, and enforcement can only be carried out with considerable support from civil society, if at all. The problem is the same in the federal administration, which openly admits that its enforcement system lacks the capacity to halt deforestation. The Brazilian Environmental Institute has not been able to hire new personnel since its creation in 1989 and has even been downsized. The shortage of personnel and equipment limits the effectiveness of protected areas. In some strategic areas, it has been necessary to involve the army, as well as state and federal police civilian officials, and NGO volunteers.
Current Projects and Programs
The Atlantic Forest supports most of the Brazilian human population, and this is reflected in the number of government agencies and NGOs in this area and in the large number of projects being developed in the region. However, most of these are small projects, focused on local action, making a broad assessment difficult. Here, only the most relevant or wide-ranging projects will be discussed.
Several projects have been developed by government agencies and NGOs in the region of interest for CEPF. In terms of investment volume, the only programs with substantial resources for a long duration are those supported by federal organizations such as the National Fund for the Environment, the National Program for Biodiversity (PROBIO) and the PPG-7 Atlantic Forest Sub-Program (AFS). Even so, there are limits: the $8.8 million investment by FNMA is available for applications from all of the Atlantic Forest for 10 years. The $3 million investment by PROBIO also covers projects in the entire Atlantic Forest, that do not necessarily overlap in the CEPF's geographic focus. At the same time, the $9.4 million investment by the AFS is still being negotiated with international agencies. This project will focus on the entire Atlantic Forest over duration of five years.
With the exception of these major programs, and of those projects for which the investment information could not be assessed, the budgets for biodiversity projects in the Central and Serra do Mar Corridors are still insufficient. Most of the programs registered do not exceed, individually, $200,000; five have budgets between $200,000 and $400,000, and only two have more than $400,000.
Most projects address conservation by a sensu lato approach. Basic research, management and monitoring of biodiversity is a part of project of only few organizations. The difficulties encountered by these projects vary, but there is a general need for better infrastructure and technical personnel, and for improved fundraising capacity in most organizations.
The difficulties encountered by these projects vary, but there is a general need for better infrastructure and technical personnel, and for improved fundraising capacity in most organizations.
Multilateral Donors
Global Environment Facility and G-7 partners (World Bank as implementing agency):
The World Bank and G-7 countries, in conjunction with the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment (MMA), plan to invest $900,000 in a PPG-7 Phase I project to implement the Atlantic Forest Central Biodiversity Corridor in southern Bahia and Espírito Santo. An action plan is in development, but funding is subject to challenging management and decision-making processes. The World Bank and G-7 also support PPG-7 demonstration projects in resource management and sustainable use.
The GEF with the World Bank as implementing agency, in conjunction with the MMA, launched the National Biodiversity Program (PRONABIO) 1996, establishing the Project on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Brazilian Biological Diversity (PROBIO) to leverage financial resources and technical knowledge to evaluate conservation priority areas and actions for the Brazilian biomes. PROBIO is currently investing in 14 projects, some of them in the Central and Serra do Mar Corridors, but will not fund their continuation next year.
The PPG-7 Atlantic Forest Subprogram plans to invest $9.4 million for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in this hotspot. The subprogram will be developed in five years and will involve projects in sustainable development, management, and monitoring. Some demonstration projects have already been funded by PPG-7 to generate knowledge of conservation and sustainable resource management in the Atlantic Forest.
In conjunction with Conservation International's Center for Applied Biodiversity Science and the IESB, the World Bank Development Economics Group has invested $250,000 in efforts to establish the Central Corridor and to reverse forest fragmentation in southern Bahia. Projects include the compilation of an environmental database for Bahia published on CD-ROM; technical reports on anurans, birds, and mammals; and improved enforcement plans.
United States Agency for International Development (USAID):USAID's environment program for 2001-2002 will include investments in biodiversity conservation and reduction of the threat of climate change. Investments will support sustainable management of natural resources and conservation in four of Brazil's ecosystems including the Atlantic Forest. Conservation International in partnership with the Institute for Socio-Environmental Studies of Southern Bahia (Instituto de Estudos Sócio-Ambientais do Sul da Bahia - IESB), and with support of USAID, have invested $300,000/year in activities of economic alternatives for the conservation of the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia. The objective is to obtain conservative commitment from landowners and communities in strategic fragmented forest areas of the Atlantic Forest through the activities of field technicians offering sustainable alternatives.
UNESCO:The UNESCO project for the Brazilian World Natural Heritage Sites will provide a program to be developed over the next four years. The project aims to improve management of existing information, establish permanent communication systems, initiate monitoring of the sites, train administrative staff in conservation management, and structure the regional planning and administrative forum in each site. $700,000 will be invested in the Central Corridor in restoration of protected areas and establishment of Legal Reserves increasing connections between Descobrimento National Park and Monte Pascoal National Park, and biodiversity protection in the region of Sooretama Biological Reserve.
Germany:The Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) is the Germany government agency for financial cooperations between Germany and developing countries. The KfW provides financial support in various states in the Atlantic Forest. The investment focuses on consolidation of protected areas, e.g. in São Paulo State, which cover a region from the Vale do Ribeira to the north through the Serra do Mar State Park. A similar project is planned for Rio de Janeiro State with a budget of $10 million.
Government Agencies
Ministry of the Environment:The MMA's National Fund for the Environment (FNMA) provides small and medium-sized grants to government agencies and NGOs for projects in sustainable resource use, protected areas, research, and environmental education. The FNMA has financed 660 conservation projects in the Atlantic Forest in the past 10 years, with a combined budget of $8.8 million. Several projects are currently in progress. In partnership with PROBIO, the fund is supporting projects with endangered and invasive species, and will invest in biological inventories in priority areas in 2002.
The MMA is finalizing the discussion of the first phase of Brazil's Second National Environmental Program (PNMA II), which aims to improve environmental quality in priority areas by increasing the effectiveness of environmental institutions at local, state, and national levels in Brazil. The project focuses on institutional strengthening, including monitoring, licensing, and coastal zone management (CZM) and the identification and prioritization of environmental problems.
Bahia Centre of Environmental Resources (CRA):The CRA administers nine state protected areas in the Central Corridor, covering more than 180,000 hectares. These conservation units are managed predominantly by private companies and allow exploitation of natural resources, but on a planned and regulated basis. The CRA is also responsible for environmental licensing in Bahia.
State Department for Environmental Affairs (SEAMA), Espírito Santo:SEAMA is developing enforcement plans for protected areas; taking inventory of flora and fauna in Espírito Santo; and studying the role of the Atlantic Forest as a carbon sink. This $452,000 effort is expected to produce a book and CD-ROM on biodiversity in Espírito Santo, a database, and scientific articles. SEAMA and the CVRD are also partners in a $173,000 geoprocessing center, already in operation, supporting protection and restoration of forest remnants, and in a $69,000 effort to improve training of enforcement personnel in protected areas.
Instituto Estadual de Florestas de Minas Gerais:The Institute for Study of Forests is involved in several projects to take inventory of forest remnants in northeastern Minas Gerais, mapping remnants and assessing endangered and endemic species. These efforts are currently insufficiently funded and staffed.
Nongovernmental Organizations
Many NGOs in both corridors have been performing multiple functions in natural resource management - including functions typical of the state, such as enforcement of regulations and promotion of additional economic incentives (e.g. IESB and Fundação Pró-Natura); promoting and enforcing regulatory mechanisms in protected areas; identifying economic incentives; mediating conflicts; and compiling distributing environmental information to different users and stakeholders (as IESB, Associação Mico-Leão Dourado, Fundação Biodiversitas, the SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation, and Instituto Baleia Jubarte have done). NGOs have shown the capacity to attract substantial funding to such endeavors. The major obstacle to the replication of the successful efforts is the small number of professionalized NGOs in the field, coupled with the intermittent nature of the major funding sources.
Academic and Scientific Institutions
Program Biota of São Paulo State:A joint project of many academic institutions, the Program Biota is a broad biodiversity study of São Paulo and neighboring areas. The project's $280,000 budget covers many publications, web sites, databases, scholarships, and the collection of specimens.
Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro:The Botanical Garden's Project Mata Atlântica includes plant biodiversity studies in the Serra do Mar region and the establishment of an information center. The Taxonomic Diversity Project is intended to build capacity for biodiversity research in academic institutions. The Botanical Garden also maintains a large herbarium and substantial human resources, and issues many publications.
Centro de Primatologia do Rio de Janeiro:The CPRJ is a scientific institute administered by the Rio de Janeiro state environmental agency and is dedicated to conservation research and the breeding of the primate species of Brazil. The Primate Center currently has more than 240 primates of 23 species, many Endangered and genetically valuable. Animals captured illegally in the wild and confiscated by the government are often placed with the CPRJ. The Center has a budget of $900,000 over the next two years.
Museu de Biologia Mello Leitão:The MBML, in partnership with the Espírito Santo Federal University and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, has invested $80,000 in biodiversity studies of Atlantic Forest fragmentation in Espírito Santo, leading to the publication of several papers in specialized periodicals. The effort is not sufficiently funded to support participating researchers and students.
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Universida de Estadual de Campinas, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz/Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto Agronômico de Campinas, and Grand Valley State University:This consortium has invested $180,000 in in biodiversity studies of Atlantic Forest fragmentation in the Camanducaia Basin in Minas Gerais, leading to increased knowledge of local flora and socioeconomic factors. Continued funding is uncertain.
Universities:The Zoology Museum of São Paulo University, Museu Nacional of the Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Rio de Janeiro State University, and other major academic institutions are situated in the Atlantic Forest and have conducted important qualitative and quantitative analyses of the plant and animal communities and environmental processes. These institutions generally lack sufficient funding to expand the studies to different areas of the Centraland Serra do Mar Corridors.
Private Sector Donors
The Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (FUNBIO):FUNBIO is a private fund, conceived by the Brazilian government and the World Bank with funding from the GEF, to attract private investment in conservation as a strategic element of the National Biodiversity Program. Its mission is to support associations between government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and businesses for the conservation and use of biodiversity in Brazil.
The MacArthur Foundation:The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has a program focusing on population growth and increasing demand for resources, recognizing that the world is in danger of losing much of its genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity. To address this challenge and to increase understanding of the strong relationships between the health of the biosphere and the welfare of human communities, the Foundation has established the Conservation and Sustainable Development program area, dedicated to conserving biodiversity; enhancing knowledge of sustainable use; and promoting sustainable economic growth with social equity.
The foundation has extensive experience supporting biodiversity conservation in Brazil. One recent grant was $105,000 in support of a forestry certification program of the Instituto de Manejo e Certificação Florestal e Agrícola, Piracicaba. The foundation also invested $245,000 in the Instituto Socioambiental, São Paulo, to provide legal services to organizations working to protect the Atlantic Forest.
BioAtlantic Institute:In partnership with other industrial companies, Aracruz and partners will invest $250,000 to the planned BioAtlantic Institute, still in the design phase. The Institute will develop management plans offering mutual benefit to biodiversity and economic development, especially in coastal areas in Espírito Santo and Bahia.
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