Basic Info:

Location: Iguazu National Park, Atlantic Forests Southeast Reserves, Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves, Pantanal Conservation Area and Jaú National Park.
Amount: $4.52 M (UNF $2.26M, Partners $2.26M)
Partners: WWF, CI, TNC, Government of Brazil
Duration: 2003-2007

Project Objectives:
• DEVELOP a strong network of Brazilian World Heritage sites, making best use of WH status to generate funds and lead national biodiversity conservation efforts;
• ENGAGE state/municipal governments and local communities in biodiversity conservation actions;
• DEVELOP information resource centres focused on scientific, educational and conservation matters;
• TRANSFORM WH sites into centres of excellence for training in biodiversity conservation;
• DEVELOP positive and productive business attitudes towards WH sites.

Why is this project important?
The variety and extent of ecosystems in Brazil and the flora and fauna they contain make this country the most biodiverse in the world – over 20% of all species on earth can be found in this one country, which consists of less than 6% of the total land area of the planet. The government of Brazil has recognized its unique position and has adopted several strategies to help conserve its biodiversity. It has a broad protected areas system which includes several World Heritage sites listed in part for their rich biodiversity, deemed to be of outstanding universal value.
Among several government programs and initiatives, Brazil has created the National Program for Biological Diversity, whose aim is the promotion of partnerships for conservation of biodiversity between the public sector and civil society.
It is also the Brazilian government’s policy to increase the number of natural World Heritage sites, and to use these sites for the development of a national programme of protected area management. The project will provide start-up coordination for this effort, helping establish a strong network of Brazilian WH sites with the purpose of developing strong management capabilities, operating at the local, regional and national scales.

World Heritage in Brazil
5 WH Sites, and 38 protected areas. Several Brazilian World Heritage sites consist of a cluster of protected areas. For instance, the Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves consist of eight separate protected areas containing 112,000 ha of remnant Atlantic forest. The Pantanal Conservation Complex consists of a cluster of four protected areas with a total area of 187,818 ha of one of the world's largest freshwater wetland ecosystems. Jaú National Park is the largest national park in the Amazon Basin, and one of the planet's richest regions in terms of biological diversity – this 2.3 million hectare park protects the entire watershed of the Jaú River.

Only the Beginning. This project represents phase 1 of a 2 phase, 10 year Brazilian World Heritage Biodiversity Program expected to last until 2012. Phase 2 of the program will increase emphasis on community involvement, establishing ecological corridors to link dispersed sites, and encouraging the development of
symbiotic relationships between private sector initiatives and conservation. As the Brazilian World Heritage network is strengthened, additional sites will be incorporated
into the program, leading to a dynamic national network of protected areas.

Broadest of Partnerships. The UNF funding mechanism, where by funds from other sources channelled to this project are matched by UNF, has created a broad partnership involving strong commitments from globally recognized conservation organizations. WWF, CI and TNC, and the government of Brazil will be contributing $2.26M to the project. The project will provide a coordination framework between international NGO’s, national and local agencies. The framework will help define common objectives, identify and resolve problems, discern opportunities and ensure best use is made of them.

brazil.pdf