Contextualization

Deforestation in the Amazon region has caused a growing deterioration in the ecological conditions of the area, a situation that demands urgent actions of combat and prevention, as well as large-scale restoration. Restoration actions aim to increase the extent and permanence of vegetation coverage and contribute to climate change mitigation and the conservation of biodiversity.

The project underwent preliminary analysis by the Amazon Fund in 2017. However, it was interrupted due to the dissolution of the Fund’s governance structure, affected by the presidential decree nº 9,759/2019. In January 2023, the governance of the Amazon Fund was re-established, also by means of a presidential decree. The BNDES Board of Directors authorised the resuming of project analysis activities in 2023.

THE PROJECT

The Forests for Wellbeing project aims, through restoration actions, to reduce the deficit in forest coverage in degraded areas in the states of Acre, Amazonas, Pará and Mato Grosso, specifically in four regions:

1- The Xingu Basin, encompassing the states of Mato Grosso and Pará, which has been suffering intense pressure resulting from the process of occupation and expansion of the agricultural frontier;

2- The BR-163 (a federal motorway) axis in Pará, a region marked by territorial disorder and deforestation along the highway;

3- The Belém Endemism Centre (CEB), located in the states of Pará and Maranhão, which has an elevated level of deforestation and the absence of conservation units in the Pará area;

4- The Acre River Basin, the river basin responsible for supplying water to the state capital, whose deforestation and degradation threaten the provision of water ecosystem services.

These regions were prioritised taking into account the advance in forest coverage loss; the existence of forest restoration agents in the territory; and the degradation of environmental services essential to well-being and development, such as the ability of river basins to retain water and control its flow.

The project was structured into the five components described below, including the main deliverables:

Component 1 – Forest restoration actions

• Public call to select 6 to 10 institutions that will sign financial concession agreements for forest restoration of 1500 hectares (around 3 million trees)
• Mapping priority areas for restoration in the territories covered by the project, based on the ranking carried out within the four target regions;
• Safeguards Plan

Component 2 – Training Program for Nurserymen and Support for Business Plans

• Public call for seed collectors and seedling producers interested in participating in a technical-managerial training program for nurserymen.
• Training of forest restoration agents (seed collectors and seedling producers in the Amazon region), including technical and business management aspects
• Strengthening small businesses in the restoration production chain (nurseries) through investments in works, equipment, training and other resources

Component 3 – Dissemination and Transparency

• An informative web series on restoration in the Amazon
• A platform for disclosing restoration actions
• Printed promotional materials and publications on social networks

Component 4 – Management

• Management and accountability
• A Transparency Portal related to the project
• An exclusive coordination and accountability team

Component 5 – Technical Team

• An exclusive implementation and monitoring team

INTERVENTION LOGIC

The project fits into the “Sustainable Production” axis of the Amazon Fund’s Logical Framework.