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Good practice

Bolsa Floresta Programme (Amazonas, Brazil)

Brazil · Manaus · See the Brazil profile

Brazil's oldest community PES: since 2007, the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation pays 583 riverine communities (BRL 50/household/month + community fund) to conserve 10.9 million ha of Amazon forest in 16 protected areas, cutting deforestation by 54%.

10.9 million hectares
Forest area covered (2007-present)
583 communities
Participating communities (2007-present)
50 BRL/household/month
Family payment (2007-present)
4,000-8,000 BRL/community/yr
Community component payment (2007-present)
54 %
Reduction in deforestation rate vs baseline (evaluated 2019)
Bolsa Floresta Programme (Amazonas, Brazil)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Fundação Amazonas Sustentável (FAS)
Period
2007-present
Keywords
Forest, community, Amazon, carbon

Context

The Bolsa Floresta Programme (BFP), launched in 2007 by the Government of Amazonas State and the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS), is Brazil's longest-running community-based payment for ecosystem services scheme. It provides direct financial transfers to traditional and riverine communities in 16 Sustainable Development Reserves in the Amazon, in exchange for a binding commitment to zero net deforestation of primary forest.

Activities

Individual family payments (BRL 50/month) are complemented by a Community component (BRL 4,000-8,000/yr per community for collective projects), a Social component (health and education) and an Income component (alternative livelihood projects). Participants must not deforest primary forest, must enrol their children in school, and must reside within the reserve.

Results

An independent effectiveness evaluation by Fundo Amazônia (BNDES) in 2019 found that deforestation rates in BFP areas fell by 54% relative to pre-programme baselines, confirming additionality. A World Bank working paper (2019) independently corroborated the impact-evaluation methodology. IIED and CIFOR have documented BFP as a reference global PES case study.

Conclusions

Funding comes from Bradesco Bank, the Amazonas State Government, and international donors channelled through Fundo Amazônia.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M) — Multi-component payments (BRL 50/household/month plus BRL 4,000-8,000/yr per community); funded by Bradesco Bank, the Amazonas State Government and Fundo Amazônia; no aggregate programme budget figure is published.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Running continuously since 2007 (17+ years to date).
Staffing & skills
Fundação Amazonas Sustentável (FAS) programme administrators managing household contracts across 16 reserves

Conditions for success

  • Binding zero-net-deforestation commitment as a condition of payment
  • Multi-component payment design (family, community, social and income components)
  • School-enrolment and residency conditionality
  • Diversified funding base (Bradesco Bank, Amazonas State Government, Fundo Amazônia)

Where it fits

Governance type
State-government-backed NGO (FAS) in partnership with private-sector bank funding
Scale
Sub-national, 10.9 million hectares across 16 reserves and 583 communities

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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