92580
Developing New Approaches to Sustainable Forest Management in Brazil                                  December 13, 2005
Pilot Forest Resources Management Project (PROMANEJO)

The Brazilian Amazon is a major source of tropical      President Wolfowitz visits the Tapajós
hardwoods, gross sales of which generate an             National Forest
estimated $1 billion a year. However, most timber       - Dec. 17, 2005
                                                         Photos | 
extraction occurs in an unplanned and often illegal
                                                        President Wolfowitz visits Brazil
fashion, damaging the remaining trees, opening          Full coverage
gaps in the canopy, and leaving large amounts of
debris which make rain forests susceptible to
burning. 

The Forest Resources Management Project ($22.6
million) aims to alleviate this situation by
supporting the development and adoption of
sustainable forest management systems in the
Amazon region.

The five-year project began in January 1999 and
supports the following activities:

       effective participatory management and
       conservation of the Tapajós National Forest
       Reserve, involving local communities;

       promising initiatives by community groups ,    “Couro vegetal” project - local groups
                                                      extract rubber from trees near their homes
       NGOs, and private firms designed to test
                                                      and use it to produce a latex leather used to
       new approaches to sustainable forest           manufacture purses, bags, and other items. 
       management;

       testing of alternative approaches to
       surveillance and enforcement of forest
       policies; and

       strategic analysis and recommendations for
       policy reforms and incentives for the
       forestry sector in the Amazon.

So far, the Forest Resources Management Project
has supported 78 community driven initiatives         Andiroba and Copaiba Oil project – a
involving 10,000 local villagers and has trained      women’s association uses seeds from
5,000 people in forestry management. Through          commonly found local tree species to
                                                      produce oils for the cosmetics industry.
these strategies, the project is helping to promote
sound practices and policies, pointing the way to
sustainable timber production in the region.




                                                      Oficinas Caboclas project – a local NGO
                                                      (IPAM) collects timber from dead trees that
                                                      is used to make furniture sold in Santarem
                                                      and to a major Brazilian furniture chain.
Financing

Cost:   $22.6 million

Sources of funding:
German government
Rain Forest Trust Fund
British government
Brazilian counterpart funds



Participants

Ministry of Environment
Brazilian Institute of the Environment and
Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA)
NGOs, private sector organizations, and
community groups

More details

 Full project information & documents