Ministry of Environment initiates public consultation for the Atlantic Forest Action Plan

On Monday, December 23, the Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (Ministério do Meio Ambiente e Mudança do Clima/ MMA) initiated a public consultation for the Action Plan to Prevent and Control Deforestation and Fires in the Atlantic Forest (Plano de Ação para Prevenção e Controle do Desmatamento e das Queimadas na Mata Atlântica /PPMata Atlântica). Contributions can be sent through the Participa +Brasil platform until January 13.

The plan aims to continuously reduce deforestation and fires in the Atlantic Forest and generate conditions to transition to a sustainable development model. The initiative also seeks to integrate efforts to combat deforestation in the biome into the country's state policies, ensuring its cross-sectoral implementation.

The text resulted from a technical and scientific seminar held in Brasilia in July, along with contributions gathered from the ministries comprising the Permanent Interministerial Commission for Deforestation Prevention and Control and civil society, states, and other organizations.

The PPMata Atlântica also incorporates the federal government’s experience with the plans for the Amazon and Cerrado, re-launched in June and November 2023, respectively, and the Caatinga and Pantanal, introduced in December 2024. Established in 2004, the PPCDAm was the main factor behind the 63.5% reduction in the deforestation rate until 2019, when it was dismantled by the previous government.

The Atlantic Forest plan comprises 13 strategic objectives in four areas: sustainable, productive activities, environmental monitoring and control, land and territorial planning, and regulatory and economic instruments.

The guidelines were defined by the Technical Group on the Environment of the Government Transition Team established in 2022, which considered contributions from the entities that comprise the Permanent Interministerial Commission for Deforestation Prevention and Control. Under the presidency of the Office of the Chief of Staff, the group is responsible for implementing the Program for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation and Fires in Brazil (Programa de Prevenção e Controle do Desmatamento e Queimadas no Brasil/ PPCD).

PPMata Atlântica’s preliminary version also contextualizes the biome, introduces previously implemented public policies, and analyzes the dynamics of deforestation and fires in the region.

After the public consultation, the contributions will be analyzed and considered to elaborate a new text that will be sent to the Permanent Interministerial Commission for Deforestation Prevention and Control before being launched.