Project description
Uatumã Sustainable Development Reserve, by Marizilda Cruppe / FUNBIO
The Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Project is an initiative funded by the GEF (Global Environment Facility) and is part of the homonymous regional program devoted exclusively to the Amazon in Brazil, Colombia and Peru. The World Bank is the implementing agency behind the project, and its core directive is to promote connectivity between these three countries in pursuit of an integrated vision for the biome.
The initiative is aligned with the GEF’s strategic goals of promoting the sustainability of protected-area systems, reducing threats to biodiversity, increasing carbon stocks, developing best practices in forest management and strengthening policies and plans for conservation and degraded-area recovery.
The initiative’s main goals are to :
- increase the area of globally relevant forest ecosystems through the creation of new protected areas;
- consolidate and improve Protected Area management;
- increase the funding available for the protected-area system;
- promote the connectivity and integrated management of these protected areas;
- promote the development of local production arrangements and value chains deriving from the sustainable use of biodiversity;
- strengthen the production chain of restored native vegetation and the generation of seeds and saplings of native species;
- strengthen the public policies geared towards the protection and recovery of native vegetation; and
- promote training and regional cooperation between the program’s member-nations.
Mirroring the structure of the regional program, the Brazilian project consists of four components, each with its own specific goals:
Component 1 – Amazon Region Protected Areas System: support ARPA in its three main spheres of operation: creation of new protected areas, consolidation of existing protected areas and creation of mechanisms to ensure long-term financial sustainability;
Component 2 – Integrated landscape management: promoting the integrated management of, and connectivity between, protected areas, working in the regions surrounding and buffering these PAs;
Component 3 – Policies geared towards Sustainable Productive Landscapes and the Recovery of Native Vegetation: reinforcing public policy, plans and actions for the protection and recovery of native vegetation, as well as the management of forests and their integration into sustainable agricultural landscapes;
Component 4 – Regional training and cooperation: promoting regional capacitation and cooperation between Brazil, Colombia and Peru on the various themes of interest to the project, while supporting exchange between these nations in order to boost their respective national capacities.
The six-year project was signed into action toward the end of 2017.
The initiative is financed by the GEF and has the World Bank as its implementing agency. In Brazil, Funbio is the executing agency of Component 1 and Conservation International of Components 2 through 4.
USD 30 million will be allocated to the ARPA Transition Fund through the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Project. This sum will be used in the same manner as ARPA, designating funds for existing PAs and for the creation of new PAs.
In order to make that allocation, and bearing in mind the complexity of the Amazonian context, where both ARPA and ASL activities are underway, and the unique characteristics of large forest swaths teeming with abundant biodiversity and the presence of various indigenous and traditional populations, it is paramount that all actions be meticulously detailed and solidly grounded. Added to that is the need to apply the World Bank’s safeguards for the identification and prevention of possible social and environmental impacts. Advance consultancy was contracted to ascertain socio-environmental risks and determine the likely extent and nature of any such impacts caused by the project, as well as the measures that could be taken to mitigate negative effects and boost positive impacts through the application and monitoring of safeguards.
The following documents show the results of these assessments:
Socio-environmental Management Framework
Indigenous Peoples Policy Framework
StatusIn Progress |
Starting year2017 |
BiomeAmazon |
