State of Acre
Foster sustainable deforestation reduction practices, with payment for environmental services, valuing environmental and forestry assets to consolidate a clean, fair and competitive economy, based on the Economic Ecological Zoning (EEZ)
Population of the state of Acre, with emphasis on the settlers of agrarian reform, family farmers, indigenous and traditional populations (riverside and extractive)
State of Acre
The state of Acre has a population of approximately 906 thousand inhabitants¹, and since its formation its economic development has been linked to the forest. The state sought to implement an integrated environmental and territorial management, with instruments to promote activities that incorporate, in a sustainable way, forest products and services. Forest production (timber and non-timber) is a relevant economic activity, representing about 17% of the gross value of the state's agricultural production.
The Forest Environmental Asset Appreciation Policy², from which the project received its name, was launched by the state of Acre in 2008 with a focus on promoting territorial planning and strengthening sustainable-based production chains.
The project Valorização do Ativo Ambiental Florestal (VAAF) aimed to valorize environmental and forestry assets through the strengthening of integrated territorial management, the promotion of forestry and agroforestry production chains and technical and financial support to environmental services, with the premise of linking the payment of these services to the adoption of sustainable practices and environmental criteria. In addition, the project was linked to the strategy of consolidating the state's territorial management based on its Ecological-Economic Zoning (EEZ).
The project included the modernization of monitoring and control systems through the strengthening of institutions responsible for territorial management, the promotion of sustainable productive practices and the forest management of timber and non-timber products, as well as the promotion of carbon capture via reforestation of degraded areas.
Finally, the project included support to indigenous associations for the preparation of territorial and environmental management plans (PGTA), construction of surveillance posts, team building and physical marking of the limits of 15 indigenous lands (TIs).
The VAAF project is part of the four components of the Amazon Fund Logical Framework: "Sustainable Production" (1), "Monitoring and Control" (2), "Territorial Planning" (3) and "Science, Innovation and Economic Instruments" (4).
Its direct effects were defined as follows: “the economic activities of sustainable use of forest and biodiversity identified and developed in the municipalities of Tarauacá, Feijó and Manuel Urbano” and “expanded managerial and technical capacities in the state of Acre for the implementation of agroforestry systems, forest management activities, agroextractive production and processing of agroforestry products” (component 1); “institutions for monitoring, control and environmental responsibility of the state of Acre structured and modernized (component 2); “ strengthened management of 15 indigenous lands (TI's) in the municipalities of Santa Rosa do Purus, Feijó, Tarauacá, Cruzeiro do Sul and Mâncio Lima” and “ local territorial planning (municipal EEZ) implemented in six municipalities along BR-364 in the state of Acre” (component 3); and “knowledge and technologies in the production of seedlings of superior individuals of Amazonian species for reforestation purposes produced and disseminated” (component 4).
Click on the following image to view its objectives tree, that is, how the project's outputs and linked to the expected outcomes and impact.
| Date of approval | 10.26.2010 |
| Date of the contract | 11.19.2010 |
| Date of conclusion | 11.29.2021 | Disbursement period | 81 months (from the date the contract was signed) |
| date | amount | |
|---|---|---|
| 1º disbursements | 10.05.2011 | R$31,557,354.63 |
| 2º disbursements | 12.17.2013 | R$5,000,000.00 |
| 3º disbursements | 10.21.2014 | R$8,832,466.19 |
| 4º disbursements | 04.18.2017 | R$7,765,983.95 |
| 5º disbursements | 07.08.2019 | -R$169,078.14 |
| 6º disbursements | 11.09.2019 | -R$55,858.95 |
| Total amount disbursed | R$52,930,867.68 |
The implementation of the project was structured from two axes, namely: (i) integrated territorial management and (ii) promotion and incentives to agroforestry production chains and environmental services.
I - Integrated Territorial Management: The actions carried out under this axis of the project aimed to structure the government of the state of Acre to carry out support and inspection activities, strengthening the technical bases of the territorial management institutions of the state government, such as the Central Unit of Remote Geoprocessing and Sensing (UCEGEO), the Institute of Environment of Acre (IMAC), in addition to the Secretariat of Forest Development, Industry, Trade and Sustainable Services (SEDENS). The project also supported the structuring of municipalities and their integration into the Acre Deforestation Prevention and Control Plan (PPCD-AC).
The investments aimed at the modernization of UCEGEO established conditions for it to store, integrate and manage the database generated within the scope of the EEZ of the state of Acre, with a focus on monitoring deforestation and fires. Software licenses for digital processing of satellite data and images were acquired, as well as information technology and furniture equipment.
The geotechnology training of 30 UCGEO employees was carried out to improve the analysis of high-resolution satellite and radar images, using tools such as Envi, Eedas ArcGis and PostGree.
Investments to strengthen the IMAC, in turn, enabled the modernization of environmental control in licensing, monitoring and inspection activities. With the support of the project was carried out the renovation of the headquarters of IMAC and acquired furniture, air conditioners, computers, servers and memory for servers, nobreaks, notebooks and vehicles.
New modules were developed through consulting within the State Environmental Information System (SEIAM), such as the Water Resources Granting Module and the Consultation Module to the Licensing System for the External Public.
Investments were made focused on improving the management of forest resources in the state of Acre and for the institutional strengthening of SEDENS, through the acquisition by this Secretariat of machinery, equipment, software, furniture and vehicles. In this context, the VAAF project supported the Forest Residency Program that allowed the training of 38 forest engineers, through a postgraduate degree (lato sensu) in Forest Management from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) in partnership with the Federal University of Acre (UFAC), aimed at the sustainable use of native forest resources.
Actions aimed at strengthening municipal environmental management included support for the creation of Municipal Environmental Councils, as well as the structuring and physical adaptation of Municipal Environmental Secretariats, through the acquisition of various equipment, such as computer and 4x4 vehicles.
Community forest fire brigades were structured by providing fire-fighting kits, including the training of 1,054 firefighters. In addition, 18 participatory workshops were held to prevent and control deforestation and fires.
The project also supported the formulation of Municipal Plans for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation and Burns of all the municipalities that make up the state of Acre, with the objective of promoting effective reductions in deforestation rates, burning and the consolidation of alternatives to the use of fire.
In order to promote the territorial planning of the municipalities of the state of Acre, several activities were developed, including the formulation of the Local Territorial Planning (OTL) plans of three municipalities (Manoel Urbano, Feijó and Plácido de Castro). The OTL is a territorial planning tool that takes into account, among others, the socio-environmental characteristics of the municipality and aims to guide the use of its territory, seeking the best occupation of space.
To structure the early warning system for droughts and floods, 46 hydrometeorological data collection platforms (PCDs) were installed and maintained, which transmit data via satellite on river flow and environmental risks, four of which were acquired with resources from the Amazon Fund and the others provided by the National Water Agency (ANA).
The project also promoted the training of employees of the Secretariat of Environment of Acre (SEMA) in the use of geotechnology and geoprocessing resources.
The aforementioned activities, implemented under the “Integrated Territorial Management” axis of the project, contributed especially to structure the government of the state of Acre and municipal governments to develop actions to prevent, monitor and combat deforestation.
II - Promotion and incentives to agroforestry production chains and environmental services: The actions carried out under this axis of the project encouraged, in turn, the provision of environmental services, through actions to consolidate sustainable productive practices associated with endangered forests; support for the forest management of timber and non-timber products and carbon sequestration via reforestation of degraded areas.
Under this axis, technical assistance and rural extension services (ATER) were provided to family farmers and extractivists involved in community forest management. These services were outsourced by the government of the state of Acre and included, among other activities, technical visits to small producers, exchanges and training. 2,361 families were benefited, located mainly around BR-364, in the municipalities of Bujari, Sena Madureira, Manoel Urbano, Feijó and Tarauacá.
The implementation of agroforestry systems (AFSs) and the development of management plans for multiple use of certified production forests were supported. Among other activities, the forest inventory of the state forest complex of the Gregório River (State Forests of the Liberdade River, Mahogany and Gregório River) was implemented.
This particular activity is part of the strategy of promoting the sustainable economic use of public forests through forest concessions. In the forest concession, a company (or productive association) receives authorization from the government to exploit, through sustainable forest management practices, the products of a public forest for a certain time and through the payment to the government of a financial value.
For the implementation of SAFs, small family producers were provided with agricultural equipment, inputs (seedlings and seeds) and small animals (free-range chickens), in addition to being provided with deburring and mechanized harrowing services.
The project paid bonuses to 2,198 families of small producers who have certified properties, according to the criteria of the Production Units Certification Program, based on State Law No. 2,025/2008, with the objective of encouraging the reduction of emissions from deforestation in areas of threatened forests.
In addition, a bonus was paid for the reduction of emissions from deforestation for 953 families living in public forests that participate in the Community Forest Management Program of the State of Acre.
The project promoted the training of indigenous associations for the preparation of management plans on indigenous lands (TIs) and the formation of surveillance teams, in addition to supporting the implementation of surveillance actions, the physical marking of the limits of these lands and the construction of surveillance posts in the TIs.
14 Workshops on Surveillance and Inspection of Indigenous Lands were carried out , training 360 indigenous people for monitoring and protection activities against invasions and forest fires, including knowledge on the themes of environmental legislation, use of GPS and preparation of surveillance plans.
In addition to the construction of surveillance posts in the ILs, equipment and support material were acquired, such as boats and boat motors, personal protective materials, opening of bites and camping steering wheel.
Finally, the installation of the “Biofábrica - Laboratório de Melhoramento Genético e Clones do Viveiro da Floresta” was supported. This initiative was the result of a partnership between the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and the government of the state of Acre, and the project delivered a laboratory equipped and in operation.
The activities of the project contributed to the results related to the components "sustainable production" (1) "monitoring and control" (2), "territorial planning" (3) and "science, innovation and economic instruments" (4) of the Logical Framework of the Amazon Fund¹.
Below are the results of the main indicators agreed to monitor the expected direct effects.
Direct effect 1.1 - Economic activities of sustainable use of forest and biodiversity identified and developed
The result of new revenues, in the total amount of R$49.1 million, refers to the period from 2011 to 2018, and this measurement included subsistence consumption, which was valued at the local market price.
Direct effect 1.3 - Expanded managerial and technical capacities for the implementation of economic activities for the sustainable use of forest and biodiversity
Direct effect 1.4 - Deforested and degraded areas recovered and used for economic and ecological conservation purposes
In general, the indicators related to the sustainable production component presented results equal to or higher than the established goals, leaving an important legacy in supporting small producers in the training actions, continued technical assistance and bonus for the environmental benefits of their activities.
Direct effect 2.1 - Structured and modernized environmental monitoring, control and accountability institutions
The results obtained in this component reveal the strengthening of environmental protection institutions in the state of Acre in the dimensions of technical training of civil servants and the dissemination of competences by all the municipalities that make up the state.
Direct effect 3.2 - Protected areas with infrastructure, territorial protection and consolidated management
Initially, training workshops for surveillance and inspection actions were planned in three ITs. This number was expanded throughout the execution of the project, allowing the end that the 34 ITs of the state benefited from training actions and consolidation of their management through surveillance, signaling and communication equipment.
Direct effect 4.1 Knowledge and technologies aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, monitoring and control of deforestation and territorial planning produced, disseminated and used
The installation of the biofactory allowed the adoption of new reforestation technologies in partnership with Embrapa-AC, signaling a change of level in relation to traditional seedling propagation techniques, which produce high genetic variability and higher incidence of pests and diseases. At the same time, this project activity represented an important step in the qualification of professionals and in the advancement of regional research.
The table below shows the evolution of deforestation in the state of Acre in the last twelve years:
|
Deforestation (km²) |
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
2018 |
2017 |
2016 |
2015 |
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
2011 |
2010 |
|
Acre |
871 |
706 |
682 |
444 |
257 |
372 |
264 |
309 |
221 |
305 |
280 |
259 |
|
Legal Amazon |
13,235 |
10,851 |
10,129 |
7,536 |
6,947 |
7,893 |
6,207 |
5,012 |
5,891 |
4,571 |
6,418 |
7,000 |
|
Acre / total (%) |
6.6% |
6.5% |
6.7% |
5.9% |
3.7% |
4.7% |
4.3% |
6.2% |
6.2% |
6.2% |
6.2% |
6.2% |
The deforestation verified in 2010, the project's baseline, was 259 km², while in 2018 (the last year of the project's physical execution) it was 444 km². This fact reveals a 71% increase in the deforestation rate in the period in question, which indicates that despite the many positive results delivered by the project, it was not sufficient to compensate the other vectors responsible for the increase in deforestation, which was also observed in the Amazon as a whole in the same period.
It should be noted that the deforestation rate of 2021 (871 km²) is the highest rate observed since 2003 (1,078 km²), and is still the fourth highest deforestation rate measured in the state of Acre since 1998, the year in which deforestation began to be monitored by satellites (INPE/PRODES Project).
Taking into account the values involved and the comprehensive scope of the project, it was necessary to mobilize a large set of partnerships and competencies for its proper execution.
Within the scope of the state government itself, it was announced in 2012 the merger of the Secretary of State for Forestry - SEF with the Secretary of State for Development, Industry, Commerce, Service and Technology – SEDICT. This merger resulted in the creation of the State Secretariat for Forestry Development, Industry, Trade and Sustainable Services (SEDENS)².
Despite this administrative reorganization, there was concern on the part of Sedens to create specific lines of action to prevent the junction of the secretariats from harming the actions of preservation and sustainable management of the forest and, by extension, the objectives of the project. For this, it was essential to use the Project Management Unit (UGP) linked to the Planning Secretariat, which acted in the coordination and articulation of the state agencies involved in the execution of the project.
Within the scope of the partnerships, it is worth mentioning the conclusion of a technical cooperation agreement between the state of Acre and Embrapa-AC for the realization and monitoring of research, generation and transfer of technologies aimed at the operationalization of the biofactory of forest and fruit seedlings. Through this agreement, it was also possible to make the LIDAR tool available³ to improve forest management planning.
In general, the project was properly executed and achieved the main goals established. The project implementation period was longer than initially foreseen due to administrative transitions, a common feature in projects with the public sector. As the project encompassed an inter-institutional arrangement, additional articulation and management efforts were expended.
The main lessons reported by the executors are illustrative of the difficulties to be faced in projects aimed at distant populations, often in situations of vulnerability and often devoid of some basic elements of cidania. In this regard, it was reported the high documentation of the beneficiaries of the property certification program, such as simple personal documents or land regularization. This resulted in problems in receiving the bonus payment for environmental services, since many did not have access to the banking network.
Likewise, the difficulty of access by car or boat to the most remote municipalities in the state, such as Santa Rosa do Purus, Porto Walter, Jordão and Marechal Thaumaturgo, which do not have adequate road connections and suffer from the low level of the rivers, required the eventual use of aircraft and the support of the Brazilian Army and ICMBio for some actions of the project.
Most of the actions supported were focused on sustainable production and income generation for local populations. This characteristic contributes to the results achieved being sustained over time and even expanded in the most successful cases.
The results achieved by the various training actions were incorporated into the benefited public, expanding their knowledge on the implementation of SAFs and sustainable management. These capacities tend to produce lasting and expanded effects, as the SAFs consolidate as an income option for these populations.
In turn, the implementation of the “Biofábrica - Laboratório de Melhoramento Genético e de Clones do Viveiro da Floresta” represents the rooting of local technical knowledge with great potential for irradiation in the territory and attraction of researchers, including for the attraction of medium and large producers interested in investing in reforestation for economic purposes.
In this area we offer some PDF files with the main publications generated by the project. Click the filename to start the download.
Federal University of Pará (UFPA) and Research Development and Support Foundation (Fadesp)
Municipality of Porto dos Gaúchos, in the state of Mato Grosso
Peabiru Institute
The Amazon Museum (Musa)
Center for Indigenous Work (CTI)
Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO)
