The government is in discussions to create a fund aimed at preserving and restoring different biomes, such as the Cerrado and Caatinga, similar to the Amazon Fund. According to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, the new instrument will have a broader geographical application. The idea of creating a biome fund has been discussed since the first year of Lula 3.
“We are discussing with BNDES and President Lula how to expand this very successful formula of the Amazon Fund – there will not be a fund for each biome, but perhaps we will think about some kind of biome fund,” the minister explained during an event in which the Swiss government made a new contribution to the defense of Brazilian forests.
On Sunday (9), Switzerland officially made a donation of 5 million Swiss francs, or about 33 million Brazilian reais, to the Amazon Fund. The ceremony, titled “Swiss presence at COP30”, was held at the Barense Emilio Goldi Museum, in Belém, on the eve of the conference’s opening.
The Amazon Fund falls under the MMA umbrella and is managed by BNDES.
Marina explained that this instrument has become very dynamic and funds everything from research to environmental defense, supporting indigenous communities and strengthening the institutional work of public bodies. Since 2023, for example, R$405 million has been approved to support fire departments in nine Amazonian states to control fires. Of these, 370 million Brazilian riyals were contracted.
This year, for the first time, R$150 million of non-recoverable resources from the Amazon Fund were released for forest fire prevention and control measures in the Cerrado and Pantal states.
“Under the administration of President Lula, we have gone from implementing BNDES resources in the range of R$300 million to R$1.5 billion,” the Minister stressed. BNDES President Aloisio Mercadante said the fund’s support base has expanded in the past three years. Germany, Norway and the European Union bloc also made contributions.
During 17 years, the Fund has benefited about 260,000 people, through more than 600 community organizations and supporting 144 projects.
Regarding negotiation topics at COP 30, which starts on Monday (10), the Minister highlighted that negotiators will face the challenge of discussing the adaptation agenda.
“We now have a terrible situation in Paraná. We have lost lives and destroyed property. This is climate change. Cities will need to adapt – and what will be discussed from the beginning at the COP is what indicators will actually enable us to adapt to the most vulnerable regions, countries and communities and what resources will be allocated to this adaptation,” the Minister declared.
Another issue, highlighted by Marina Silva, is Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which showcase the emission reductions of CER signatories.
“The NDCs have not been negotiated, but the reports prepared and already submitted show that they are not enough – with these NDCs we will not be able to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In other words, we will need to accelerate actions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.”
Also present at the event at the Emilio Goldi Museum were the Social and Environmental Director of BNDES, Teresa Campello, and Executive Secretary of the MMA, João Paulo Capobianco. The Swiss delegation included the country’s ambassador to Brazil, Hanspeter Mock, and the Swiss Ambassador for the Environment and head of the Swiss delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), Felix Fertli.
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