23 September 2014
World Bank-GEF Project Will Triple Brazil’s MPAs
story highlights

The World Bank Board of Directors approved a Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Project that will increase the area of Brazil's oceans under protection, from 5.5 million to 17.5 million hectares.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) financed project is expected to benefit 43 million coastal inhabitants through economic, environmental and social benefits that will improve local livelihoods.

World Bank - GEF19 September 2014: The World Bank Board of Directors approved a Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Project that will increase the area of Brazil’s oceans under protection, from 5.5 million to 17.5 million hectares. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) financed project is expected to benefit 43 million coastal inhabitants through economic, environmental and social benefits that will improve local livelihoods.

The project has two main objectives: to create and consolidate at least 120,000 km2 of protected areas for biodiversity protection, including 9,300 km2 of enhanced biodiversity protection areas; and to establish at least two financial mechanisms to support the long-term sustainability of the Marine and Coastal Protection Areas Network (MCPA). Currently, 1.57% of Brazil’s ocean territory is under the MCPA, which the Federal Government instituted in 2000.

Noting the coastal zone is one of Brazil’s most environmentally threatened regions, Izabella Teixeira, Brazil’s Minister of Environment, said, “The creation of conservation is fundamental to protect the ocean’s biodiversity and to maintain fisheries activities that currently represent some 800,000 jobs in the country.”

World Bank Director for Brazil, Deborah Wetzel, said that the Bank has already achieved “very successful results” in its partnerships with Brazil on protected areas in the Amazon region. She said, “We have no doubts that this new project will follow the same path, not only preserving this rich environment but also providing new development opportunities for the local communities that depend on it.”

Among its social benefits, the project is expected to protect the capacity of coastal ecosystems to produce food and maintain water quality as well as to increase opportunities for local communities that depend on fishing for their livelihoods. The project also aims to increase the resilience of coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs and mangroves, and support their recovery from degradation. [World Bank Press Release] [Project Website]