Amazon Region Protected Areas - Arpa is the largest program for tropical forests conservation and sustainable use on the planet. Its goal is to protect 60 million hectares of the Brazilian Amazon by 2013, through the creation and consolidation of protected areas (PAs).

The law of National System of Protected Areas (the acronym in Portuguese, SNUC) delimits a 10-kilometer area as a buffer zone around the protected areas, submitting the resident populations to rules and regulations aimed at minimizing possible negative impacts on the protected area. These include indigenous, extractivist and river communities, and other traditional populations, all of which share responsibility for conserving the biodiversity of the various protected ecosystems. Therefore, for the consolidation of the PAs, it is essential to respect their rights and recognize their interests and needs.

Arpa allocates resources to strengthen the areas around the PAs, from the social and environmental point of view, improving the living conditions for these populations. Funbio is the partner responsible for allocating financial resources and giving technical support to projects aimed at generating income and sustainable development in communities surrounding the CUs of the program.

Contact:

Daniela Leite
Funbio´s Arpa Management
daniela@funbio.org.br