Launched in 2010 and completed in 2015, the Atlantic Forest Protection (AFCoF II) project is a Brazilian government initiative coordinated by the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) that aimed at the sustainable management and restoration of the Atlantic Forest, with actions related to biodiversity conservation to help mitigate the effects of climate change. The funds were provided by the International Climate Protection Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU). The total contribution amounted to R$16 million, which was provided through the Brazil–Germany
Technical and Financial Cooperation program, which includes the German Development Bank (KfW) and the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GIZ).
Funbio served as the project’s financial administrator, planning and managing the entire operational process, including actions such as procuring goods and services for the subprojects, conducting technical and financial monitoring, and preparing reports—including information to support the assessment of the project’s impacts.
The project’s main outcomes included support for at least 10,000 km² of Conservation Units (UC). A total of 6,000 km² of federal, state, and municipal units were demarcated and studied, and 4,000 km² of federal units were established. It also facilitated 14 payment for environmental services (PES) projects focused on water resource protection, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation, which benefited an area of 8,776 km² and 1,768 families in the biome’s regions. A monitoring unit was also established to track carbon sequestration and biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest.
Photo: Marizilda Cruppe