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The Amazon Fund, the world’s largest initiative to combat deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), achieved a historic milestone in 2023 with approvals for projects and public calls totaling R$1.3 billion. This accomplishment comes after four years without approving new initiatives, marking a significant record in the Fund’s 15-year history. Donations and contracted funds reached R$726 million.
Established in 2008, the Amazon Fund has supported 107 projects, investing a total of R$1.8 billion. These initiatives have benefited approximately 241 thousand people through sustainable productive activities, impacting 101 indigenous lands and 196 conservation units in the Amazon region (data as of December 2022).
The 2023 balance sheet of the Amazon Fund, presented on January 1st in Brasília, revealed that R$786 million of the approved resources pertain to two public calls, while R$553 million relate to nine projects, five of which are already contracted. The anticipated impact includes territorial and environmental management, support for indigenous communities and farmers, and strengthening law enforcement in the Legal Amazon’s nine states.
Tereza Campello, BNDES Socio-Environmental Director, highlighted the challenges faced in 2023, stating, “We spent a large part rebuilding what was destroyed. In the case of the Amazon Fund, the contribution process was interrupted, in addition to the teams being disorganized.”
The approved projects encompass diverse areas such as ecological restoration, forest regeneration monitoring, and indigenous territorial and environmental management. João Paulo Capobianco, the executive secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, emphasized the Amazon Fund’s growing role in conservation and sustainable development, stating, “The Fund has finally established itself as one of the main instruments for conservation and sustainable development actions in the Amazon.”
The Amazon Fund Guidance Committee’s rules were updated in July 2023, aligning with the new phase of the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm). This plan outlines focuses for 2023-2025, including support for projects promoting conservation and sustainable use of the Amazon region.
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Capobianco revealed, “We already have R$2.5 billion worth of projects submitted to the PCCDAm subcommittee, which have been evaluated and are in line with the plan.”
Public calls include initiatives like Restaura Amazônia, allocating R$450 million to ecological restoration projects, and Amazon at School, providing up to R$336 million to promote sustainable agriculture and healthy school meals.
Noteworthy contracted projects include Babaçu Livre, Arapyaú MapBiomas, Dabucury, Network Agroecology, and OPIRJ Territorial Management, collectively totaling R$131 million.
To support states and municipalities, three Amazon Fund initiatives adopt a new standard, offering resources until 2025 for controlling deforestation, combating forest fires, and strengthening supervision to combat environmental crimes.
The Fund’s revitalization saw new donations from Germany, Norway, the USA, Switzerland, and the UK, totaling R$3.5 billion. Additionally, announced resources from the European Union, Norway, the USA, the UK, and Denmark are in negotiation, reflecting a robust commitment to Brazil’s forest restoration efforts. Campello affirmed, “We will be happy to receive the missing resources, and Brazil needs it, even more so with the new forest restoration front in the Amazon.”