The Bolsa Verde Program is a public policy based on the concept of Payment for Environmental Services (PES), combining the recognition of environmental conservation with support for populations in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability. The program supports low-income families living in Protected Areas, sustainable settlements, and traditional territories.
The program recognizes and supports populations that directly contribute to biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources, while promoting Climate Justice. It also serves as a Brazilian instrument for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — particularly No Poverty and Climate Action — as well as the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Bolsa Verde reaches peoples, communities, and families who live and produce in different Brazilian territories,
including:
These populations have accumulated knowledge over generations about natural cycles, resource management,
food production, and ecosystem conservation.
Technical knowledge meets traditional knowledge
The approach is based on a simple principle: people who live in a territory also produce knowledge about it.
For this reason, technical assistance engages with the practices, experiences, and traditional knowledge already present within communities, strengthening strategies for conservation, sustainable production, and income generation.
ATER Bolsa Verde does not begin with ready-made solutions.
It seeks to understand each territory, engage in dialogue with its residents, and recognize the knowledge that
already contributes to biodiversity conservation.
Bolsa Verde recognizes that conserving biodiversity also means valuing the people, ways of life, and
knowledge rooted in the territories.
