Side Event
Results and impacts of the first phase of implementation of the Amazon Region Protected Areas Program (Arpa), in Brazil
Organizer
Brazilian Ministry of the Environment
Date and Time
26 October 2010 16:30 - 18:0
Meeting
Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10)
Amazon Region Protected Areas Program (Arpa) is a programme of the Brazilian government to protect 60 million hectares of natural ecosystems in the Amazon region of Brazil, aiming to conserve a representative portion of the Brazilian Amazon biodiversity, to maintain important ecosystem services and to promote sustainable development in the region, representing the world’s largest conservation programme in terms of protected areas and in situ biodiversity conservation. The programme is also expected to collaborate in the expansion and consolidation of national protected areas system, including through lessons learned. Arpa’s first phase, from 2003 to 2009, presented strong conservation results, such as the establishment of 44 protected areas with almost 24 million hectares, the implementation of 62 protected areas and the consolidation of an endowment fund (FAP) with US$ 29,7 millions. Arpa results contributed significantly to Brazil’s leadership position in establishing protected areas worldwide since 2003. Arpa´s phase 1 impacts on biodiversity conservation, ecological representativeness, social development, protected areas management effectiveness were significant, as also are the program impacts on the amount of green house gases emissions reductions – roughly some 15 to 20% of Brazilian reduction of Amazon deforestation and perspectives of four to five billion tons of carbon non emissions until 2050. For the second phase, planned for 2010 to 2013, Arpa will support the creation of 13.5 million ha of protected areas; support the consolidation and good management of 32 million ha of protected areas; and increase in US$ 140 million to the FAP, which should also start to operate to support maintenance of implemented and consolidated protected areas. Second phase commitments are challenging and require strong baseline information and funding. Therefore, a detailed analysis of the first phase results and impacts represents an important synthesis and context evaluation to the implementation and success of the Amazon Region Protected Areas Program second phase.