By Sara Leal*
CONSERV, a mechanism devised by IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute) that pays rural landowners to maintain surplus native vegetation, exceeded the target number of hectares protected in its second stage.
More than 8,000 hectares, which could have been legally deforested, have been conserved since July 2024. The new contracts were signed in Mato Grosso (Sapezal, Nova Maringá and Tangará da Serra) and Maranhão (Balsas, Tasso Fragoso and Fortaleza dos Nogueiras).
To take part in CONSERV, the properties are checked for compliance with the law, such as the maintenance of surpluses, Legal Reserves and APPs (Permanent Preservation Areas), with continuous remote monitoring and on-site inspections. An initiative platform is being developed for greater agility, security and transparency in the management of territorial data.
“We have noticed an increase in interest from rural producers in financial incentives for conservation, which opens up space for new incentive models in the medium term,” says Fernanda Xavier, IPAM’s coordinator in Mato Grosso. “There have been no significant withdrawals or rejections during this period, which demonstrates the adherence of the participants,” she adds.
In addition, initial surveys to collect participants’ perceptions and project indicators indicate that the funds received by the initiative have been invested in the properties, such as the purchase of a water pump for a water truck, the purchase of native seedlings for reforestation and improved housing conditions for employees.
“More than conserving these hectares, CONSERV is managing to contribute to a paradigm shift where production and conservation are not opposites, but can and should go hand in hand. Plantations need rain and the stable climate that native vegetation provides,” explains André Guimarães, IPAM’s executive director.
As well as contributing technically to Brazilian government initiatives based on CONSERV’s experience and knowledge, IPAM is developing business models based on the mechanism so that it can be scaled up.
CONSERV
Launched in 2020, CONSERV puts into practice an efficient and profitable business model for producers, while identifying the effort that these actors play in conservation.
The second stage of contracting has the support of the SCF (Soft Commodities Forum) and Abiove. The initiative also contributes to the conservation goals of the PCI Strategy (Produce, Conserve and Include) in the state of Mato Grosso, as well as offering the possibility of implementing improvements on the property through technical assistance provided by the Produzindo Certo initiative.
From 2020 – when the first contracts were signed – to 2025, the project has signed 32 contracts with rural landowners and companies in the states of Mato Grosso, Pará and Maranhão. In total, more than 28,000 hectares have been protected in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes.
After proving the thesis that it is possible to reduce legal deforestation through financial compensation, CONSERV has established itself as a safe model that can be scaled up.