The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the Government of Brazil and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), is launching the program for Brazil Forest Management and Fire Prevention. The new 5-year program incorporates fire prevention and management, governance and management of forests and natural resources, and the sustainable use of protected public lands. Program partners will work closely with stakeholders to strengthen technical capacity in those areas while promoting women and indigenous people’s participation and leadership in forest and fire management.
Increasingly, frequent droughts and the associated fire risks threaten conservation of biodiversity in the Amazon Region. Agribusiness, family-farming, forest-based production, rural and nature-based tourism are limited by the increased frequency and intensity of fires. Under this new program, USAID and USFS will work together with the Brazilian Federal Government, through the Ministry of the Environment and its agencies – the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) and the Brazilian Institute Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA/Prevfogo). The initiative will also work with the National Indian Foundation (Funai), the private sector and local partners to protect the landscapes, communities and livelihoods in the Amazon.
Since 2014, USAID provides funding to the Partnership for the Conservation of Amazon Biodiversity (PCAB), a multi-year bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Brazil, to support local development and conservation efforts, while working with Brazilian agencies, local partners, and local communities. The new program, with technical implementation by the USFS, will build on long-standing partnerships to conduct workshops, training, technical support, and exchange of experiences to improve the capacity of targeted Brazilian government agencies, traditional and indigenous communities, local businesses, local partners, and volunteers to find national solutions to fire issues affecting forest management, conservation, and livelihoods.
