New funding will support traditional methods of farming and forest management that will help to preserve the Amazon.

An article in Ecosystem Marketplace outlines how the Brazilian state of Acre has introduced the System of Incentives for Environmental Services (Sistema de Incentivos a Serviços Ambientais / SISA) which it hopes will revitalize land uses that were common prior to the arrival of white people.

The indigenous Arara people of the Amazon once farmed land ‘borrowed’ from the forest for a few years at a time. That was until it was taking over by ranchers, loggers and others who had little interest in forest protection.

Through SISA, indigenous people, rubber tappers, and smallholder farmers can earn Payments for Environmental Services (PES) by practicing sustainable agriculture and protecting endangered rainforest.

Thanks to funding of US $24.2 million from the German Development Bank, indigenous people will receive assistance to get PES programs up and running. Much of the funding will be in the form of REDD+ (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) payments designed to help the state reduce its overall rates of deforestation.

In the first phase, indigenous land-use practices such as agroforestry will be developed that protect fragile forests. The second phase will involve habitat conservation and water management activities, with carbon storage as a byproduct.

A range of projects will be funded that support Indigenous Territorial Management Plans. These are long-term development strategies that indigenous people across the Amazon are creating in an effort to maintain their indigenous cultures, improve their livelihoods and conserve their forests.

Read the full story: In Brazil, Millions Now Flowing To Indigenous Ecosystem Service Programs