The Union with Municipalities for the Reduction of Deforestation and Forest Fires Program, established by Decree No. 11,687/2023 and led by Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), aims to support priority municipalities in preventing, monitoring, controlling, and reducing deforestation and forest degradation in the biome. Funded by the Floresta+ Amazônia Project and other sources, the program provides incentives to municipalities for avoided deforestation. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) serves as the implementing and executing agency of Floresta+ Amazônia.

The Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (FUNBIO), in partnership with the Brazilian Institute of Municipal Administration (IBAM), was selected through Call for Proposals RFP 01/2024 to support the establishment of governance offices for deforestation monitoring in priority municipalities under the Floresta+ Amazônia Project. Operating as project institutions, FUNBIO and IBAM will implement the initiative through an agreement signed with the UNDP, which allocates approximately R$ 61 million to strengthen the institutional capacity of Amazon municipalities. Support will include the provision of equipment, technical assistance, and specialized services to enable the creation of governance offices that will lead local monitoring efforts.

A total of 70 municipalities have been identified as priorities, with 48 having already signed the Commitment Agreement and now eligible to receive support. These municipalities are located across seven of the nine States in Brazil’s Legal Amazon region: Acre, Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, and Roraima. Once onboard, municipalities will be prioritized in Federal Government initiatives related to environmental and land tenure regularization; expedited review of embargo release requests submitted to the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), in compliance with applicable legislation; promotion of native vegetation restoration; and other incentives provided for under federal environmental law. These efforts are designed to address key local needs and are conditional on the municipalities’ commitment to reducing deforestation and forest degradation.

About the Floresta+ Amazônia Project

The Floresta+ Amazônia Project is designed to reward those who protect and restore the forest, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the sustainable development of the Legal Amazon. The initiative is a partnership between the MMA and UNDP, with funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). It is based on a payment for environmental services (PES) strategy. Floresta+ Amazônia operates through five funding modalities: Floresta+ Conservação; Floresta+ Recuperação; Floresta+ Comunidades; Floresta+ Inovação, and Floresta+ Instituições (Conservation, Restoration, Communities, Innovation, and Institutions, respectively).