At a meeting held on September 10th at Casa E-BASF in São Paulo, the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) presented its recommendations for the Brazilian regulatory framework for Payment for Environmental Services (PES). Fernanda Gimenes, coordinator of the Council's Technical Advisory Team, emphasized that the working group's goal is to present the proposal to the rapporteurs of the PES bills at more advanced stages in the Federal Chamber, early in 2015, once the new political framework is defined.
In addition to detailing the proposals, technical guests presented relevant information to support specific recommendations to encourage the participation of productive sectors. Attorney Ludovino Lopes emphasized that the application of scientific concepts in PES regulation entails important legal implications that must be carefully evaluated and reinforced that the definition of public policies depends entirely on alignment with the country's current laws.
Representing The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Claudio Klems warned of the need for a well-defined application for PES, as well as command and control mechanisms, such as systems for evaluating and monitoring the resources used. "A payment for environmental services project should pursue an investment-based approach, not a cost-based approach," he said.
Victor Salviati of the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation contributed a social perspective. Salviati highlighted the importance of voluntariness, the social component, and transparency in the allocation of resources as pillars for sustaining a national policy or program.
The document "Payment for Environmental Services: Recommendations for the Brazilian Regulatory Framework" aims to bring the topic into discussion and expand private sector participation in the regulatory debate on the topic. "Our goal is to understand and collaborate on the regulation of PES mechanisms, assess how they will impact the industry, and seek results that have a positive impact on the environment and generate demand for these services, creating a new market for producers of environmental services," stated André Ramalho, coordinator of the Biodiversity and Biotechnology Thematic Chamber at CEBDS.
