Context
Cognizant that rain forest destruction is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity in the Amazon, Brazil has engaged in significant efforts to reduce deforestation and degradation.

Over the past few years, the Brazilian Government has developed a series of policies and programmes designed to promote the sustainable exploitation of the country’s socio-biodiversity product chains. These policies take account of socio-environmental factors that are unique to the Amazon region in a bid to generate income for the local population while promoting forest maintenance. Some of the key measures rolled out to date include the National Plan for the Promotion of Socio-Biodiversity Product Chains (PNPSB), the National Plan for Agroecology and Organic Production (Planapo), the National Plan for the Strengthening of Extractive and Riverine Communities and the Bolsa Verde Programme.

However, to date, these activities have still not managed to generate a sufficient impact. The reasons for this are manifold, but a fair share of responsibility can certainly be attributed to coordination difficulties within the different spheres of government.

Consequently, the technical support this project delivers to the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment (MMA) is geared to developing various levels of policy coordination that will facilitate the sustainable exploitation of the Amazon region’s socio-biodiversity product chains. Inputs include the introduction of instruments and indicators for monitoring, analysing and adapting the effective implementation of these policies.

Objective
The project's objective is to support the MMA’s role in coordinating value-added policies designed to promote the sustainable exploitation of socio-biodiversity product chains in the Amazon region.

Approach
The project approach focuses on institutional consolidation which it aims to achieve through technical and methodological advice to the MMA, specifically to its Department of Extraction and Sustainable Rural Development (SEDR).
Activities essentially concentrate on two areas of activity:

Consolidating MMA’s role in the adaptation and ongoing development of socio-biodiversity promotion policies
Consolidating MMA’s capacity to manage vertical and horizontal coordination processes.

Adaptation of socio-biodiversity promotion policies
The project delivers methodological and strategic support designed to improve the monitoring and evaluation instruments that are already on hand. At the same time, it trains MMA technicians and managers to apply these M+E tools.

Before it can properly align its policies with target group needs, the MMA first engages in a process of consultation with civil society and even actually pilots selected bioeconomic models in corresponding policies and programmes.

Horizontal and vertical knowledge management
Good dialogue with the different actors involved in socio-biodiversity promotion policies is paramount. Therefore, this component focuses on building methodological capacity amongst MMA technicians and managers in an attempt to increase the effectiveness of the policy and dialogue forum steering committees. Furthermore, it also aims to integrate target group organisations more closely.