Amazon Region Protected Areas (GEF)

The overall objective of the Amazon Region Protected Areas Project (ARPA or the Project) is to expand and consolidate the protected areas (PAs) system in the Amazon region of Brazil. The proposed Project would be the first phase (Phase 1) of a 10-year ARPA program. The Project's objective will be achieved by: Creating 18 million hectares in new protected areas (9 million hectares of strict protection PAs and 9 million hectares of sustainable use. The 11 Sustainable use protected areas have the goal of conserving biodiversity as well as supporting the communities living in them. These protected areas are regulated by management plans that include various use zones, some of which protect key environmental values of these areas , including, in particular, a strict protection zone. ARPA will support only surveillance and enforcement activities in the sustainable use protected areas to ensure ecological integrity and biodiversity conservation. ,, Other objectives include: -,,Consolidating the management of 7 million hectares of existing strict protection PAs in addition to 9 million hectares of the newly created strict protection PAs,, -,,Establishing and operating an endowment fund to meet the recurrent costs of protected areas,, -,,Establishing and operating a biodiversity monitoring and evaluation system at the protected area and regional levelsThe key performance indicators for Phase I are: -,, 23 ecoregions in the Brazilian Amazon analyzed for identification of new PAs -,,18 million hectares of new PAs (9 million hectares of strict protection PAs and 9 million hectares of sustainable use PAs) created -,,7 million hectares of existing strict protection PAs and 3 million hectares of new strict protection PAs consolidated and managed -,,An endowment fund for financial sustainability of existing strict protection PAs established and capitalized with a minimum of US$14.5 million -,,Demonstration projects for financial sustainability of PAs implemented -,,An environmental monitoring methodology for specific PAs defined and implemented -,,Program Committee, Conflict Mediation Committee, and two project coordination units (one in the Ministry of Environment (MMA) and one in the Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (FUNBIO) created and operational