New decree launches a program for National Parks’ “adoption”

In brief

On February 2021, the Brazilian Federal Government published the Decree No. 10.623/2021, which institutes a program for National Parks’ “adoption”. The main goal of the program is to promote the conservation, recovery and improvement of federal protected areas, through the participation and collection of investments from individuals and private entities, nationally and internationally. All actions of the program shall observe the objectives and guidelines established in the National System of Nature Conservation Units (SNUC), as per Federal Law No. 9.985/2000.

Comments

According to the new decree, the objectives of the program are:

(i) consolidation and implementation of management plans for federal protected areas;

(ii) monitoring of the federal protected areas;

(iii) environmental recovery of degraded areas;

(iv) support for preventing and fighting forest fires;

(v) support for preventing and fighting illegal deforestation;

(vi) promotion of improvement, collection, infrastructure and maintenance of the federal protected areas.

As incentive and recognition for the contributions to the protection and development of the federal protected areas, the adopter will gain several benefits, such as:

(a) installing elements, such as banners, so the adopter can be identified within the federal protected area, as established in the Adoption Term;

(b) inserting identification in the signs of the federal protected area;

(c) the use of the slogan ”A partner company” or ”A partner” of the adopted area, ecosystem or region that the adopted area is located, accompanied by the official project logo of the Environmental Ministry and the Instituto Chico Mendes (ICMBio, agency responsible for the management of the federal protected areas); (d) the use of the federal protected area to temporary hold institutional activities, once observed the National System of Nature Conservation Units’ provisions and the management plan of the area.

More details

According to the Environmental Ministry, the program was launched to seek investments to protect and manage the federal protected areas, such as National Parks, around the country. By now, 132 parks within the Legal Amazon are available for adoption by the private sector (https://bit.ly/3pxuQzY), comprehending more than 64 million hectare. The investment’s volume is directly related to the size of the protected area to be adopted, since the expectation is that each hectare be price as BRL 50,00 (approx. USD 10,00), which must be disbursed within one year period, with the possibility of renewal for five more years.

ICMBio will be the environmental agency responsible for the coordination of the adoptions, which will begin with the publication of public summon, followed by the analysis of the proposals and posterior celebration of the Adoption Term with the selected parties. Our Environment and Sustainability team is available for further details or clarifications on the matter