Pará reaches 10 million hectares of validated CAR and highlights partnership with municipalities to expand environmental regularization

The government of Pará, through the State Secretariat for the Environment, Climate and Sustainability (Semas), released new data on environmental regularization in the State during the Meeting on the Union Program with Municipalities for the Reduction of Deforestation and Forest Fires in the Amazon, held last Wednesday (24), at the auditorium of the Regional Council of Engineering and Agronomy of Pará (Crea-PA). The event aimed to present advances in environmental and land regularization agendas.

The meeting detailed the initiatives of the Union Program with Municipalities, which brings together investments, technical assistance, and technology to support the reduction of deforestation and forest fires in the Amazon.

Advances in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) - The meeting reinforced the partnership between the State, municipalities, technical entities, and farmers to accelerate the validation of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and expand producers' access to rural credit. The Deputy Secretary of Environmental Management and Regularity of Semas, Rodolpho Zahluth Bastos, presented the results of the Regulariza Pará program, a component of territorial, environmental, and land management, which integrates the execution plan of the State Policy on Climate Change.

Pará is a pioneer in the municipalization of the CAR, allowing municipalities to conduct analyses autonomously and strengthening local governance, especially in the regularization and environmental licensing of rural activities. Recently, the State reached the goal of 10 million hectares of validated CAR in the current administration, a historic milestone for the Pará territory. “At the beginning of the program, between 3,000 and 5,000 analyses were conducted; today there are already over 200,000 completed analyses and 10 million validated hectares,” emphasized Rodolpho Bastos.

Moreover, in the context of community environmental regularization, Pará has already registered over 4 million hectares of Traditional Peoples and Communities (CAR-PCT), starting from zero since the launch of Regulariza Pará. “These numbers are fundamental because the CAR is directly associated with access to public policies, payments for environmental services, forest restoration with the recovery of native vegetation, food security programs, and rural credit. Without an active and validated CAR, there is no possibility of accessing credit, especially for family and community farmers, who supply the markets and fairs of Amazonian cities,” he highlighted.

During the workshop, the need to expand accessibility to the National CAR System (Sicar) was also discussed. “Many family farmers still do not have access to the internet, computer, or email to receive notifications from the registry, which creates asymmetries and weakens rural producers. If they do not have access to credit due to lack of regularity, farmers become more vulnerable. And it is family farming that supplies the markets and fairs. If there is an impact on this base, it can lead to price increases and supply problems,” warned the secretary.

Union Program with Municipalities - created by Decree No. 11,687, of September 5, 2023, the program is aimed at municipalities identified as priorities in controlling deforestation and fires in the Amazon. In Pará, 27 municipalities were classified as priorities and joined the program: Altamira, Anapu, Bannach, Cumaru do Norte, Dom Eliseu, Itaituba, Itupiranga, Jacareacanga, Marabá, Medicilândia, Moju, Mojuí dos Campos, Novo Progresso, Pacajá, Paragominas, Placas, Portel, Prainha, Rondon do Pará, Rurópolis, Santa Maria das Barreiras, Santana do Araguaia, São Félix do Xingu, Senador José Porfírio, Trairão, Ulianópolis, and Uruará.

“The participation of municipalities is very important in this agenda. Congratulations to those who joined the program. The technical team needs to understand the social and environmental importance of this work. Emater has the mission of leading these ideas and contributing to the agenda, bringing environmental regularity to the benefited municipalities,” emphasized Rodolpho Bastos.

The director of the Department of Environmental and Territorial Planning (DOT/MMA), Marcelo Trevisan, highlighted that this is a partnership between state, federal, and municipal governments for a positive agenda of controlling deforestation. “Pará is a national reference in implementing environmental regularization policies and municipalizing the CAR. This meeting reinforces the importance of integrating efforts with municipalities and strengthening actions in the field,” he stated.

The initiative integrates the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Amazon (PPCDAm) and provides for investments to promote sustainable development, technical assistance, and strengthening local governance. “We can make several investments, but the greatest is the mobilization and ongoing dialogue with municipalities. That is what guarantees results,” reinforced Marcelo Trevisan.

Strategic partnership - For the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), the partnership with Semas is strategic for the success of the Union Program with Municipalities. “The commitment and responsibility of Semas with environmental regulation in the State are fundamental for us to advance in this agenda,” stated Nazaré Soares, general coordinator of the program at MMA and of the Forest+ Amazon Project.

Text: Mário Gouveia/ Ascom Semas