Agência Brasil – ABr – The environmental organization WWF-Brazil informed today that it donated US$ 11.5 million to the Brazilian government for the implementation of the Arpa Program – Protected Areas of Amazônia. The resources will be administered by the Brazilian Fund for Biodiversity (Funbio). The contract between the WWF and Funbio was signed yesterday (23), in Brasília. Arpa also has a partnership with the World Bank, through which the Program will receive US$ 30 million.
The new resources donated by the WWF will serve, over the next four years, to pay for the costs of three lines of activities that are part of the Arpa Programs first phase: Identification of new areas in the Amazon forest to place under federal protection; elaboration of Management Plans for the parks and reserves created in the ambit of the Arpa Program; and basic infrastructure for the integral protection units. (DAS)