CONTEXT

Since the creation of the Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm), Brazil has been able to reduce considerably the rates of deforestation in the Amazon. The PPCDAm is organized in four axes: territorial and land tenure; monitoring and environmental control; promotion of sustainable productive activities; and economic and regulatory instruments. It was conceived with the collaboration of several ministries, besides representatives of the civil society and the Amazonian states, being its execution coordinated by the MMA. Its fourth phase, to be launched by the federal government, is already under discussion.

Ibama is one of the main institutions of the Federal Government in the strategy to combat deforestation. According to the evaluation of the second phase of the PPCDAm the fall in deforestation was mainly due to the inspection actions carried out by the agency, which were intensified in 2004.

In order to carry out the inspection activities, adequate means of transportation are required for this type of operation in the Amazon region, such as: 4x4 pick-ups for ground actions and helicopters for actions by air.

Historically, IBAMA had these means and carried out its surveillance actions with considerable success. However, in recent years this environmental body has adopted a contingency budget as a result of the country's fiscal situation.

THE PROJECT

The project is a continuation of the previous support of the Amazon Fund to the agency (Project: Empowering Environmental Monitoring and Control in Order to Combat Illegal Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon) and aims to guarantee the inspection actions of IBAMA, with a total budget of R$ 140,264,000.00 from the Amazon Fund, which will be used to ensure adequate means of transport for the surveillance actions.

The activities are concentrated in regions that suffer greater deforestation pressure, according to alerts issued by the DETER system, among others. The operation is carried out through the rental of vans and helicopters to be used in the field inspection actions.

It should be noted that the project is part of the exemption established by the Amazon Fund Guidance Committee (COFA) (as stated in the document "Amazon Fund's Support Focuses in 2017 and 2018") regarding the conditionality of additionality of resources for "projects that aim to continue or improve environmental monitoring and control of deforestation, presented by federal or state agencies or public institutions with legal mandate to carry out enforcement actions."

INTERVENTION LOGIC 

This project falls under the “Monitoring and Control” (2) component of the logical framework of the Amazon Fund.

ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED

The project seeks to continue the actions of inspection and combating illegal deforestation in the Legal Amazon. To this end, it ensures the appropriate means of transportation for the practice of inspections in the region. 

9,893 hours of helicopter flight were performed and 172 vehicles were made available. With this, Ibama carried out 955 missions.

The agency issued 12,074 notices of infraction against the flora, in the total amount of R$8.9 billion. 

279,010 employees are employed in environmental inspection actions.

Thus, the support of the Amazon Fund has effectively contributed to enable operations to combat deforestation in the Legal Amazon.