28 March 2014: The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has released the report, titled ‘Promoting Forest Stewardship in the Bolsa Floresta Program – Local Livelihood Strategies and Preliminary Impacts,’ which profiles the Bolsa Floresta project in Brazil, a payment for ecosystem services (PES) program targeting forest dwellers in “Sustainable Development Reserves.”

The report reveals that the project has benefited more than 30,000 people across 15 forest reserves through cash transfers in exchange for conservation, participation in local organizations and agreement to send children to school, if there is a school nearby. The project also supports community development, public services and local associations. In some reserves, the project also contributes to REDD+ programs.

Focusing on two reserves for the in-depth analysis, the report notes that deforestation in the study sites decreased by 12 percent more than it did in the rest of the state. The project also provided additional income of about US $33 per month per family, which contributed to the purchase of food and clothes. Finally, local communities credit the project with the protection of reserves from encroachment by other potential users.

CIFOR completed the study in partnership with Fundação Amazonas Sustentável and the University of Bonn, Germany. CIFOR is a member of CGIAR. [CIFOR Blog Post] [Publication: Promoting Forest Stewardship in the Bolsa Floresta Program – Local Livelihood Strategies and Preliminary Impacts]