Amazon Fund turns 17; new projects total BRL 210 million
The Amazon Fund celebrated its 17th anniversary on Tuesday (Aug. 12) with the announcement of the disbursement of a further BRL 210 million for projects in the Amazon region. The largest amount – BRL 150 million – should be directed to joint efforts between the federal government and the cities for the reduction of deforestation and wildfire.
The resources will be allocated to 48 of the 70 priority municipalities, said João Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary of the Environment Ministry.
“All the forces of society and government are mobilizing to meet this enormous challenge,” he declared.
The remaining BRL 60 million will be invested in developing sustainable production activities in traditional communities, like tourism and bioeconomy.
“Our dream is that less and less of these resources will have to be used by the government on command and control institutions – so they can be used in the bioeconomy, in the forestry industry; and so we can strengthen research and sustainable development in the region,” said Environment Minister Marina Silva.
The fund
The announcement was made by Tereza Campello, socio-environmental director of Brazil’s development bank BNDES, which manages the fund. She spoke at the anniversary ceremony held in Manaus, Amazonas state.
The longevity of the Amazon Fund, she said, stems from the positive results in forest conservation and from the governance model led by the Amazon Fund Steering Committee (COFA). Aided by ministries, sub-national governments, and social organizations, the committee decides how to allocate funds donated by other countries.
“We’ve been able to build a governance environment that’s one of the Amazon Fund’s great assets. It has guaranteed donors’ confidence over the years,” she argued.
She pointed out that, until 2018, this allowed the fund to disburse an average of BRL 300 million a year in investments in the region. The exception was 2019–2022, when there was no disbursement.
“We see a resumption in 2023 and a sharp leap in 2025, when an average of over BRL 1 billion was disbursed – and we haven’t even reached the end of the year yet,” she noted.
Donors
In addition to Norway – a pioneer in contributing to the Amazon Fund – donors include Germany, the US, Ireland, Japan, the UK, Denmark, and Switzerland.
“Donors keep contributing because we are showing good results. The reduction in deforestation has allowed us to increase not only the fundraising, but also the distribution of these resources,” said Capobianco.
