PSA is one of the tools chosen by the Renova Foundation to support and stimulate environmental recovery projects in rural areas
Through financially rewarding the rural landowners who preserve the ecosystem of their properties, Payment for Environmental Services (PES) stimulates the shift from extractive to preservationist culture in rural areas. This is one of the fastest growing environmental preservation and recovery tools in Brazil and was chosen by the Renova Foundation to support and stimulate remediation projects in rural areas along the Doce River Basin. The objective of the program is to recover, within 10 years, 40 thousand hectares of Permanent Preservation Areas (PPAs) and water recharge and five thousand springs along the Doce River Basin.
Rural owners who preserve their PPAs and springs will receive financial support, inputs and technical assistance from the Renova Foundation. | Photo: Nitro Images
The Foundation believes that the Payment for Environmental Services can change the motivation of the producer by showing that when he or she preserves a forest is, for example, contributing to carbon sequestration and protection of soil and water – and can even receive a bonus for it.
The program mainly intends to increase the infiltration of water into the soil and decrease erosive processes. This will be possible through measures such as planting, natural regeneration, with or without planting of native species, the implementation of agroforestry systems and the implementation of soil and water conservation projects in productive areas, such as crops and pastures, in regions with springs that are directly linked to the Permanent Preservation Areas (PPAs).
The program will open its enrollment between May 25 and July 25, but the announcement can already be accessed through the website of the Renova Foundation. There is also a form available for any queries the property owner may have.