Abstract
ABSTRACT The effectiveness of a program of payment for environmental services (PES) in the Brazilian Amazon was analyzed through an accurate mapping of deforested areas. The Bolsa Floresta Program (BFP) in Amazonas state (Brazil) was chosen as an example of a PES program that aims to compensate farmers for their commitment to zero deforestation of primary forests while opening swiddens only in secondary vegetation areas. However, the official measurement of opened swiddens is not effective since only deforested areas larger than 6.25 ha are mapped, whereas most areas opened for cassava crops are approximately 1 ha in size. The effectiveness of the BFP was evaluated in the Uatumã Sustainable Development Reserve (SDR). We tested a methodology for mapping areas from 0.45 ha upwards that have been opened for cassava swiddens. The years 2006 (before the implementation of the BFP), 2011, 2015 and 2019 were analyzed. The results indicated that 88% of the areas opened for swiddens were between 0.45 and 6.25 ha in size. After the implantation of the BFP, the cumulative total deforested area decreased, and there was a reduction in deforested areas in primary forests. An intensification of swidden cultivation was also observed, which could cause a decline in productivity. The monitoring by land-use zoning showed that the majority of opened areas were located in intensive use zones, following the rules of the SDR management plan. The results show the efforts of local families to fulfill the BFP rules.
Highlights
The Brazilian Amazon has great importance for nature conservation and for the provision of ecosystem services (Strand et al 2018)
We considered the testimony of local residents during field research conducted in 2017 and 2018, who informed that swiddens are not opened in flood or ebb areas of the river, in accordance with the practices described in Jakovac et al (2015)
The methodology proposed in this study made it possible to evaluate the effectiveness and possible impacts of the Bolsa Floresta Program (BFP) and to understand the temporal and spatial dynamics of swidden opening
Summary
The Brazilian Amazon has great importance for nature conservation and for the provision of ecosystem services (Strand et al 2018). The largest portion of deforestation takes place in large, private land estates (Moutinho et al 2016) and 15% of deforestation, until 2020, was within protected areas (INPE 2020). These areas include sustainable use reserves, which corresponds to IUCN category VI of protected areas - Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources (Dudley, 2008), where traditional local communities pursue the maintenance of their traditional ways of living. The monitoring of these open areas by traditional peoples can bring elements to support more effective public policies, that promote a decrease in deforestation without negatively impacting traditional planting and living habits (Couto-Pereira 2010)
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