Reflorestar - Espírito Santo
A pioneer in payment for environmental services, Espírito Santo shows that restoring forests also generates income and water security.
State:
ES
Biome(s):
Region:
Southeast
Key objectives:
Responsible agency:
Espírito Santo State Secretariat for the Environment and Water Resources (SEAMA) / State Institute for the Environment and Water Resources (IEMA)
Legal Instrument:
State Law nº 9.864/2012 (establishes PES in Espírito Santo); Decree nº 3.182-R/2012 (regulates it); public calls and operational rules of the Reflorestar Program.
A state payment for environmental services (PES) program that compensates rural producers for restoring and conserving native vegetation, prioritizing strategic micro-watersheds and water-related services. A pioneer in Brazil, Reflorestar was the first state program to structure a PES system with its own legal basis, integrated water, biodiversity, and carbon criteria, and remote sensing monitoring. The initiative combines ecological restoration and rural income generation, with more than 10,000 hectares restored, hundreds of thousands of hectares monitored, and thousands of active contracts. These results establish Espírito Santo as a national reference in productive restoration and water conservation.
- 11.8 thousand ha restored and 13 thousand ha preserved since 2011; > 5.2 thousand producers supported; > 9.1 million trees planted; > R$ 100 million invested. - Active PES contracts (2015-2024): R$ 73,386,539.48 contracted and R$ 52,107,789.28 disbursed.
- Increased forest cover in priority watersheds and improvement of water-related services (reduced erosion and sedimentation). - Complementary income for producers and dissemination of forest-based production systems. - Biodiversity gains and carbon sequestration through landscape restoration.
Replicability:
Reflorestar is a solid and scalable solution for other subnational governments seeking to structure PES policies. Its methodology, based on a clear legal basis, prioritization by watersheds, annual public calls, and transparent contract monitoring, shows that it is possible to align conservation and rural income. The format can be adapted to different biomes, provided there is a stable funding source and trained technical teams to support restoration.Innovation:
Espírito Santo was the first state to integrate water, carbon, and biodiversity into an operational PES system with performance indicators and georeferenced monitoring. This combination of technical and institutional instruments turned Reflorestar into a national reference, anticipating practices now adopted in federal and state programs. Its innovation lies precisely in making restoration measurable, compensated, and replicable.Actions
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