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Chapter 12

IMPROVING PUBLIC POLICIES FOR THE RESTORATION OF
RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEMS IN PRIVATE PROPERTIES: THE
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROGRAM OF THE STATE
OF SAO PAULO, BRAZIL

Thiago Hector Uehara
1

Center for Sustainability Studies, Fundao Getulio Vargas
and
Helena Carrascosa von Glehn
Sao Paulo State Secretariat of Environment,
Brazil





1. INTRODUCTION

The Project for the Restoration of Riparian Ecosystems (PRRE or, in Portuguese,
Projeto de Recuperao de Matas Ciliares) was an initiative of the State
Secretariat of Environment (SSE) of So Paulo, Brazil. It was co-funded by grants
from the Global Environment Facility with The World Bank as the implementing
agency. The PRRE started in 2005 and its completion was scheduled for 2009, but
it has been extended to early 2011.
The PRRE aimed at making feasible the restoration of riparian ecosystems
in large scale within the state of So Paulo. The PRREs strategy was based on the
association of public policies for biological conservation with both the participative
management of water resources and with the rural development policy.
The environmental management evolved systems evolved considerably
since the beginning of the PRRE. Currently, the restoration of riparian ecosystems
popularly known as "eyelashes forests" in Brazil is a concern of the organized
society of the state of So Paulo, and is also a government priority.
This chapter presents some results from the evaluation
2
of the PRRE,
describing its purposes and characteristics and assessing capacities, limits and

1
Email: thiagouehara@gmail.com
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potential of public policy instruments with special focus on the restoration of
riparian ecosystems, which are protected by Brazilian law. Strengths and
weaknesses of the PRRE and some strategies towards the success of complex
projects/programs of environmental management are highlighted at the final
section.


2. A SCENARIO OF DEGRADATION AND THE PLANNING OF
THE PRRE

This section presents the natural area focused by the Project for the Restoration of
Riparian Ecosystems (PRRE) and the policy instruments used before its beginning
in 2005. At the end of this section, the motivations to redesign public policies and
the objectives of the PRRE are described.

2.1. The Riparian Areas of Permanent Preservation: Degraded Areas
Although Legally Protected

The environmental objects of the PRRE are the riparian areas of permanent
preservation located in the countryside of the state of So Paulo
3
, Brazil. An Area
of Permanent Preservation (APP) is, by Brazilian law, one [....] whether covered
or not by native vegetation, with the environmental function of preserving water
resources, landscape, geological stability, biodiversity, gene flow of wild fauna and
flora, soil protection and ensuring the well-being of human populations (Federal
Law #4771 of 1965).
Any vegetation surrounding rivers or water bodies with well defined or
diffuse drainage, whether natural or artificial, is considered riparian. Riparian APPs
are usually defined by areas delimited and protected by federal laws and they
partly correspond to the riparian zone and corridor. Along streams and springs in
the vicinity, the riparian ecosystems have vegetation characteristics defined
according to vegetation heterogeneity (Mantovani et al. 1989; Catharino 1989;
Rodrigues 2000).
Figure 1 shows people preparing a technical project for forest restoration
on the banks of a stream by measuring the size of the legal riparian APP. One can

2
The evaluation of the effectiveness of the PRRE is the subject of Cadernos da Mata Ciliar, 5 (Uehara
and Casazza, in press). It will be available at www.ambiente.sp.gov.br/mataciliar
3
Located in the southeast region of Brazil, the state of So Paulo has an overall standard of living and
economy comparable to that of a developed country. Besides being the Brazils most populated state,
So Paulo is 3 times larger than Chile.
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observe in both sides of the stream the presence of natural regeneration in
different stages which, if well managed, may constitute an area that will contribute
to biodiversity conservation.

Figure 1 - Delimitation of riparian APP in the valley of the Paraiba do Sul river basin
Source: SSE collection, 2006.


Riparian corridors preserve biodiversity as they maintain an unusual
diversity of habitats and ecological services (Naiman, Dcamps and Pollock 1993).
In riparian areas there are typical mainland species in addition to the
usual riparian species. Riparian zones are considered important sources of
seeds for natural regeneration process (Lima and Zakia 2000; Kageyama and
Gandara 2000).
The riparian ecosystems also have many hydrological functions,
intervening on important processes for the stability of watersheds, maintaining the
quality and amount of water, as well as preserving the aquatic ecosystem itself.
The following functions are highlighted by Lima and Zakia (2000): generation of
direct runoff in watersheds, the amount of water, water quality, nutrient cycling, and
direct interaction with the aquatic ecosystem.
The conservation of riparian ecosystems also contributes to the landscape,
environmental comfort, to the increase of fish stock (Barbosa 2000); to the
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navigability of watercourses, watershed protection (Mueller 2000); and to develop
proper conditions for permeation (Lima 1989).
The set of Atlantic forests and the Cerrado (the Brazilian savannah)
occurring at the state of So Paulo are considered hotspots, i.e., priority areas
for conservation with high biodiversity and endangered species (Mittermeier et
al. 2005).
80% of the state of So Paulo used to be covered by forests, but the
occupation of the countryside, primarily driven by agricultural expansion, has
caused a drastic reduction in that rate (Kronka 2005). The Instituto Florestal of the
State Secretariat of Environment (SSE) of So Paulo found out that only 17.5% of
the state area was covered by native vegetation between 2008 and 2009, a
remaining area of 4,343,000 hectares. Besides being fragmented, the remaining
vegetation is concentrated in the coastal region with vast areas virtually lacking
native vegetation. In the countryside, the forests are spread and fragmented,
isolated by agricultural activities, as shown in Figure 2.



Figure 2. Map of remaining forests in the state of So Paulo, Brazil.
The dark color represents forest remnants.
Source: Instituto Florestal, SSE (2010).

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In the state of So Paulo, between 1.0 and 1.2 million hectares of riparian
ecosystems have been devastated at the minimum range of 30 meters required by
law to constitute riparian APPs (SSE 2007; Barbosa et al. 2008, p. 62). That is the
minimal extent of riparian area where restoration is legally desirable in the state.
The restoration of riparian ecosystems on a large scale could be of great
value to the connection of fragments of the southern and southeastern states of
Brazil, recovering the biodiversity of these widely degraded areas (Kageyama and
Gandara 2000).
Just a small portion of the riparian ecosystemss of the state of So Paulo is
located at protected areas. Disregarding the reas de Proteo Ambiental (a kind
of sustainable usage protected area usually extensive), only 3.5% of the state are
protected areas managed by the government (Rodrigues and Bononi 2008).
Hence, promoting the restoration of riparian ecosystems is a huge
challenge. Restoration projects in private properties are significantly more sensitive
than those projects in public areas.

2.2. Isolated Initiatives and the Prevalence of Command and Control
Instruments

Before the PRRE, the SSE of So Paulo did not have a universal program (long-
term, statewide) for the restoration of riparian ecosystems. At that time, before
2005, the SSE used to apply regulatory (command & control) instruments, and it
used to act in scattered projects in order to recover portions of rivers banks, on an
ad hoc manner, non-integrated to programs. Among those projects, we highlight
the Pomar project for environmental remediation and revegetation of the banks of
the Pinheiros River in So Paulo city, which turned out to alert the population about
the importance of reclaiming areas bordering rivers.
Some studies carried out by research institutes of the state (mainly the
Instituto de Botnica and the Instituto Florestal) in partnership with universities
(primarily Unicamp, Unesp and the Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de
Queiroz and the Instituto de Biocincias of the Universidade de So Paulo)
supported the conception of regulations and promoted standards for compulsory
projects. Those researches also served for the planning stage of the PRRE
especially to identify obstacles to large-scale restoration.





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Before the beginning of the PRRE, the State Secretariat of Agriculture and
Supply (SSAS) of So Paulo has been executing the State Program of
Watersheds
4
(Programa Estadual de Microbacias Hidrogrficas), which subsidized
the restoration of riparian ecosystems in private properties. In that program, there
was a lack of involvement of the SSE or agents of the nonprofit sector to promote
conservation initiatives amidst of infrastructure and productivity increase activities.
As mentioned above, the SSE used primarily command and control
instruments such as environmental licensing and inspection performed by the
Environmental Company (Cetesb), by the Coordination of Inspections and
Protection of Natural Resources and by the Environmental Police. The SSE used
to inspect degradation and deforestation of areas of permanent preservation
(APPs) such as riparian ecosystems responding to complaints, and used to
issue terms of adequacy and mitigations signed by entrepreneurs. However, these
commitments were not effectively followed up by the small team of inspectors.
Moreover, some entrepreneurs who wanted to fulfill their commitment hardly used
to find available areas in order to execute mitigation projects.
With that set of non-integrated activities and projects and with the adverse
opportunity cost of deforestation of the few remaining forests, Kronka et al. (2003)
observed the low rate of native vegetation coverage in So Paulo has remained
fairly stable.
That scenario reflects the limited effects of command and control
instruments. These instruments applied apart from a program (combining a
complex set of economic, information, regulation and educative instruments) had
been insufficient to promote the restoration of APPs.
The transition from the 20th to the 21st century in Brazil was remarkable by
the approval of environmental management based on stakeholders collaboration
and public participation in general the so-called "integrated environmental
management" as proposed by Margerum (1999). In addition to enhancing the
regional planning approach, by watershed, one may note the participation of
different segments of society in public management is crucial for policy formulation.
Public hearings, regional forums with broad participatory processes and
consultations with public, private and civil society agents have become popular.


4
The State Program of Watersheds aimed at improving the sustainability of agricultural production,
farmers productivity and income, and support the conservation of natural resources through (a)
encouraging the adoption of sustainable land management, planned and implemented at the watershed
level, with strong community involvement; (b) awareness and involvement of the community in
environmental protection; (c) reducing the soil exposure by increasing vegetation cover (in length and
time); and, (d) improving soil structure and drainage characteristics, favoring water infiltration and
reducing erosion.
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2. 3. The Formulation of the PRRE: Objectives, Structure and
Procedures

The PRRE was prepared by several technicians and researchers from different
units of the SSE, the SSAS, and other stakeholders, including advisors of the
World Bank and the professor Jos Goldemberg.
The resources allocated for the implementation of the PRRE were USD
19.52 million, of which USD 7.75 million corresponded to a donation from the
Global Environment Facility and the remainder was provided by the state, through
the SSE and the SSAS.
The PRRE had multiple goals: supporting biodiversity conservation and
sustainable use of natural resources; reducing poverty in rural areas; contributing
to the mitigation of global climate change; and also educating society about the
importance of these matters. Its specific objectives were: expanding production
capacity of seedlings; implementing payment for environmental services schemes;
validating restoration models; strengthening institutional capacity to coordinate
inter-sector interventions; monitoring project impacts and exchanging information;
informing and empowering farmers; and raising awareness and mobilizing
populations.
The core problem that motivated the PRRE was the lack of tools and
methodologies for large scale restoration of riparian ecosystems in the state of So
Paulo. So we consider that the PRRE aimed at redesigning and formulating public
policy instruments for a statewide program of riparian ecosystems restoration.
PRRE's actions focused to overcome the following obstacles: (i) socio-
educational: difficulty in engaging landowners in restoration projects and societys
lack of conscience about the importance of riparian ecosystems; (ii) technical: lack
of effective models to restore degraded areas applicable to different situations;
deficit (qualitative and quantitative) on seedlings of native species; (iii) financial:
insufficient and ineffective use of resources, and (iv) managerial: lack of tools for
integrated planning and monitoring of restoration projects.
Five components were established to overcome the identified barriers. To
deal with the inefficient use of financial resources, Component #1 of the PRRE,
called "Policy Development", was designed to implement a statewide program
based on technology, legal and taxes resources supplies and on payment systems
for environmental services. The management of that component was the
responsibility of the PRRE Coordination Unit with the support of the Instituto de
Economia Agrcola of the SSAS.
PRREs Component #2, "Support to the Sustainable Restoration of
Riparian Ecosystems", had to develop and validate methodologies for forest
restoration, as well as to increase the supply of seeds and seedlings of native
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species. The coordination of that component was assigned to the Instituto de
Botnica in partnership with the Instituto Florestal and the Fundao Florestal, all
of them under the structure of the SSE.
Component #3, named On-the-ground investments in sustainable land
management practices, arose from the difficulty in implementing restoration
models. It was based on partnerships with local associations such as NGOs and
farmers groups, aiming at strengthening them, generating income and promoting
community involvement. Component #3, sometimes called "demonstration
projects"
5
, was managed by the Coordination Unit of the PRRE in partnership with
the Coordination of Technical Assistance (CATI) of the SSAS, which had the
responsibility to provide seedlings and technical assistance for landowners.
The difficulties of communication, mobilization, training and coaching led to
the creation of Component #4. That component aimed at incorporating
environmental education in formal education, mobilizing community leaders, and
providing training with regards to environmental agents and watershed populations.
It was initially coordinated by one department of the Coordination of Planning and
Environmental Education of the SSE, which later on evolved to the Coordination for
Environmental Education.
Finally, Component #5 of PRRE, "Management, Monitoring and Evaluation
and Information Dissemination" was thought to encompass the administrative and
financial management and coordination of the project, coupled with the monitoring
of its activities, and promoting information and institutional communication. The
PRRE Coordination Unit had been in charge of that component.
The five components were connected by a triple management: the
executive manager, which main task was to mobilize and coordinate the project
with other agencies; the technical manager that should follow up and support the
activities of all components; and the administrative and financial manager.
The PRRE coordination team was initially composed by an average of six
technicians from the extinct Department of Landscape Projects as well as
coordinators of components from the Instituto de Botnica and from the
Coordination of Planning and Environmental Education in addition to a couple of
researchers from the Instituto Florestal, all of them reporting to the SSE. The
PRRE had been operated by an outsourced team of management support
including five administrative staff, one systems analyst and two planning analysts.
Its executive team was initially composed by five outsourced technicians, but with

5
In versions of the Project in Portuguese, the component #3 is simply called "Demonstration Projects". The
project approved by the World Bank, in English, presented this component as "On-the-ground investments
in sustainable land management practices", whose goal was to recover riparian forests, on a trial basis,
through the implementation of investments in the field in selected watersheds, as well as promote and
publicize well tested technologies for sustainable management of land (The World Bank, 2005).
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experts being hired through a public tender in 2009, the PRREs team had the
addition of the decentralized network of the new Coordination of Biodiversity and
Natural Resources (CBNR) in their 10 Regional Technical Centers in addition to
the support of the new Restoration Center of the Department of Biodiversity
Protection. At its beginning in 2005 the PRREs team consisted of less than 10
direct employees while in its last execution year more than 40 people from the SSE
had collaborated with the PRRE.
The PRRE's activities had been focused on three scales: state, regional
(within five water resources management units) and local (15 watersheds) levels.
At the state level, there was the definition of general guidelines, the coordination
and establishment of interorganizational networks, and the support of studies,
experiments and consultations aimed at formulating and developing public policy
instruments for a statewide program.
Regional initiatives were carried out in five water resources management
units that hosted 15 demonstration projects in watersheds (Figure 3). The five
water resources management units were selected because they cover priority
areas selected for biodiversity conservation located on an east-west axis crossing
the territory. Moreover, one expected those regions representing the diversity of
the state, both as to physical and biotic environment, as with regards to
socioeconomic aspects. Those units were composed by Aguapei; Tiete and
Jacar; Mogi-Guau; Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiai; and Paraiba do Sul rivers.
The regional activities involved environmental education, training and mobilization
activities, in addition to fostering the production of seeds and seedlings of native
species.
The 15 watersheds were selected according to criteria defined by the river
basin committees with support of the SSE, considering socioeconomic and
environmental issues through a public selection process with wide divulgation.

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Figure 3. Geographical location of the five water resources
management units and the 15 watersheds chosen
for implementing demonstration projects.

The demonstration projects aimed at testing, consolidating and allowing
the replication of tools, techniques and methodologies proposed by the PRRE. The
PRRE articulated networks in order to get support and participation of landowners,
farmers and the local community towards the sustainability of conservation
initiatives.
The implementation of the demonstration projects was not the ultimate goal
of the PRRE. Besides being the main axis of the PRRE, the implementation was
the scheme used to develop and refine instruments in order to compose a
statewide program.
The PRRE was aligned with global, national, state and regional priorities
with regards to nature conservation and restoration of degraded areas. It
responded to Brazils commitments associated to its National Biodiversity Strategy
(2002), to the international conventions it has ratified, such as the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification (1997), the Convention on Biological
Diversity (1994), the Framework Convention on Climate Change (1994), and to the
national movement Pact for the Restoration of the Atlantic Rainforest.
The linkages among the multiple stakeholders had been the support for the
PRRE, demanding much of the energy supplied by the PRREs coordination team.
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The involvement of several governmental and non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) was encouraged at all levels. Crucial partnerships were established with
municipal governments, state government agencies, research institutions, NGOs
and farmers associations.
The advisory structure of the PRRE was composed by municipal rural
development and environmental committees, by regional water resources
committees, and by the state environmental council. All of those forums have non-
governmental and state members.
The vital partnership has been established between the SSE and the
Coordination of Technical Assistance (CATI) of the SSAS through the State
Program of Watersheds. CATI is the state organization in charge of agricultural
extension and it has promoted the organization of rural populations into residents
and farmers associations, allowing an easier implementation of the PRRE.
Furthermore, the Program of Watersheds had provided tree seedlings of native
species for the implementation of the PRREs demonstration projects. One can
note complementary goals: the PRRE was focused on forestry restoration and the
Program of Watersheds, in turn, was focused on rural development.
In order to strengthen interorganizational networks, the SSE established
partnerships with municipal governments, watershed committees, universities and
the private sector for implementing 15 demonstration projects. Strategic
partnerships were established with local organizations, such as NGOs and
residents and/or farmers associations. In addition to help searching for
collaborators and to encourage landowners participation in the project, such
organizations had been hired to provide operational services for restoring riparian
ecosystems, which involve the isolation of areas, implementation of restoration
projects, and maintenance/management of ecosystems. With the participation of
these citizens organizations and the composition of local networks, one expected
that the conservation initiatives would be sustained over time.


3. THE NEW PROGRAM FOR RESTORING RIPARIAN
ECOSYSTEM OF THE STATE OF SAO PAULO

As explained in the previous section, the State Secretariat of Environment (SSE) of
So Paulo did not have a universal program (long-term, statewide) for the
restoration of riparian areas of permanent preservation (APPs). Formerly, the SSE
used to apply command and control instruments such as environmental licensing
and inspections. The new approach is shortly exposed hereinafter.

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3.1. The Ecosystem Restoration Agenda Integrating the Climate Change
Law and The New Organizational Structure of the SSE

The current state program of riparian ecosystems called Environmental Strategic
Project of Eyelash Forest (Projeto Ambiental Estratgico Mata Ciliar) intends to
induce the restoration of 1.7 million hectares, including riparian zones, areas not
suitable for agriculture, and those important for the creation of ecological corridors
and biodiversity conservation in order to promote restoration of riparian areas, thus
contributing to broadening the area of vegetation coverage in the state of So
Paulo from 14%
6
to at least 20% within the following two decades (Rodrigues and
Bononi 2008).
The Forest Remnants Program (FRP) recently established under the State
Climate Change Law of So Paulo (Law #13.798 of 2009) aims at promoting the
delimitation, demarcation and restoration of riparian forests and other forest
fragments. The FRP may provide payment for environmental services (PES) to
landowners and economic incentives to voluntary policies in order to reduce
deforestation and environmental protection (State Decree #55.947 of 2010).
The FRP is one of the main products of the Project for the Restoration of
Riparian Ecosystems (PRRE). The FRP establishes several instruments improved
by the PRRE such as the dissemination of techniques, criteria and guidelines for
restoration; the definition of criteria for monitoring restoration projects, promoting
the use of diagnostic tools and methodologies to choose techniques for the
restoration projects; the technical support for regional projects and integrated
services for PES to landowners and the registration of: areas under restoration
processes, areas available for restoration, and providers of nursery stock of native
trees as well as disseminating all these data. As seen, the FRP covers a statewide
program of riparian restoration.
The initiatives of PES are being held in all water resources management
units of the state. The Spring Water project (Projeto Mina dgua), included in the
FRP, aims to encourage landowners to preserve native vegetation surrounding
springs that contribute to public drinking water sources. Its strategy is based on
PES, an economic instrument applied through agreements with municipal
governments which will take over the role of local executors. The Spring Water
project may have additional environmental management instruments. For
example, the municipal governments may develop environmental education
initiatives and establish partnerships with other organizations in order to fund
restoration projects. However, there is still a lack of studies to support the Water
Spring project which should be monitored and evaluated very carefully in order to

6
Datum of 2005. In 2010 the Instituto Florestal realized that 17.5% of the state area was covered by
native vegetation as mentioned previously.
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check if the economic instrument itself induces a landowner to a change in the
pattern of soil use and management.
Between 2008 and 2009, the SSE
7
underwent a restructuring which
established new responsibilities and opened the opportunity to promote the
restoration by using economic and information instruments, in addition to improve
regulatory instruments.
Due to the experiences of the PRRE, the new Coordination of Biodiversity
and Natural Resources (CBNR) was established with three departments, all of
which deal with the restoration of riparian ecosystems.
The Department of Biodiversity Protection has to develop and implement
mentoring, publicity and technical training programs related to ecological
restoration. The Department of Sustainable Development has to develop and
implement economic instruments to encourage restoration and preservation of
natural resources, particularly payment for environmental services mechanisms, in
addition to implementing forest restoration. The Department of Inspection and
Monitoring must define steps to be taken for restoring degraded areas and
monitoring compliance of penalties imposed, as well as of obligatory forest
replacements, in addition to monitoring the restoration of degraded areas.
The inspection and licensing systems are nowadays centralized in the
hands of the Environmental Company (Cetesb) of the SSE. Roughly, the inspection
operates by imposing compensation activities for one who produces a negative
environmental impact such as vegetal suppression. As a requirement in processes
of environmental licensing, Cetesb requires the conservation or restoration of all
areas of permanent preservation (APP) of the property. The environmental Police
keep its track, preventing and repressing the environmental degradation.
One may note that technical instruments still prevail. The renovated
policies and projects maintain the command and control approach, include
economic instruments and even some information instruments but there is no
guaranteed educational tools or suasive instruments nor a wide room for social
participation. However, the management of riparian ecosystems has gained a more
active approach in the new organizational structure of the SSE, making room for a
more incisive role in developing projects and programs aiming at restoring
ecosystems.

3.2. Other initiatives of the state, municipalities and the productive sector

The subject of the restoration of riparian ecosystems was strengthened and settled
on the state agenda. The Multi-Year Plan 2008-2011, the main strategic law for the
governmental management, considers the restoration of riparian ecosystems a

7
State Decrees #53027 of 2008 and #54653 of 2009.
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major environmental project, and highlights the possibility of funding through
carbon credits or voluntary compensations. The Coordination of Biodiversity and
Natural Resources (CBNR) of the SSE is reinforcing the importance of that subject
for the formulation of the next Multi-Year (2012-2015) Plan.
The transfer of resources from the state to municipal governments with
good environmental management performance is another economic instrument to
encourage municipalities to participate in environmental policy. One of the
guidelines of the state project currently called "Green-Blue City" (Municpio
Verde-Azul) is the preservation of forests and restoration of riparian ecosystems.
Thus, municipalities are encouraged to set goals for increasing the rate of native
forest coverage, just like the state did. There was an expansion of municipal
projects for the protection and restoration of riparian vegetation, from 280 in 2008
to 488 in 2010, as well as local nurseries, which jumped from 216 to 434 in the
same period. The number of projects to protect spring water sources rose from
130 to 429 between 2008 and 2010 totalizing 119,536 protected and
georeferenced springs, pointing towards a successful mobilization and
decentralization of environmental management.
Another state initiative in partnership with private initiatives focusing on the
restoration of riparian ecosystems is the Green Ethanol Protocol, which aims to
encourage sustainable ethanol production, a major product of the state of So
Paulo. The certified agro-industrial units have jointly committed to the restoration of
207,471 hectares of riparian vegetation. The agreement signed with the suppliers
of sugar cane resulted in the restoration of more than 65,513 hectares of riparian
vegetation. In total, the sugarcane industry is committed to the restoration of
272,984 hectares (Jan/2011 data). Given the importance of the sector whose
monoculture covers about 22% of the state area its cooperation is essential to
the growth of riparian APPs covered by native vegetation.
The PRRE established parameters for the management of agroforestry
systems (AFS) in APPs, consorting species of economic interest (such as fruit,
honey and other income-generating) with native species, in order to ensure food
security for small landowners. However, the publication of the SSE decision (#44 of
2008) did not contribute significantly to the growth of areas in restoration.
Nevertheless, its creation introduced the agroforestry system in the legal context
for environmental restoration of protected areas in the state, which is a step
forward for the restoration of areas with economic and social benefits. Nowadays,
that decision is under review.
The concern of the PRRE was also incorporated in the Sustainable Rural
Development Project (SRDP) conducted by the State Secretariat of Agriculture and
Supply (SSAS) in partnership with the SSE. The SRDP will seek to combine
entrepreneurship with nature conservation. It will be structured so that small
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producers access and benefit from the market under the paradigm that changes in
favor of the environment on a significant scale should only occur when the agents
consider that the nature conservation may become an important competitive, long
lasting advantage when the opportunity cost is favorable. Among other activities,
the SRDP will support restoration and conservation of riparian APPs activities.
Information tools
8
have been improved by the PRRE, such as the
provision of books with basic concepts for forest restoration, environmental
restoration manuals for farmers, technical-scientific articles that support the
initiatives for ecological restoration including information about invasive
species, biomass estimation, and indicators for monitoring forest restoration ,
and books for elementary school teachers. Another important tool in use,
developed by PRRE, is an open database with information about areas available
for restoration. That tool is called Bank of Areas for Forest Restoration. From
mid-2007 until mid-2010, just that system had promoted private sector
investment in restoration of about USD 637,000.
All those initiatives policies, programs and projects were developed
towards integration and coordination of the government with the organized society
and the productive sectors, trying to value the landowner as an environment agent
who has the greatest influence on the management of its own property. Meanwhile,
the SSE has sought to stimulate interorganizational networks in favor of
environmental conservation, performing an integrative (political) role towards the
sustainability and to the reversal (overcoming the stabilization) of the path of
deforestation and degradation.


4. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: PRRES STRENGHTS,
WEAKNESSES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The PRRE was a complex project which involved multiple dimensions of the
environmental management, several organizations and public concerns. Its
appraisal, which identified barriers to large-scale restoration, showed it would be
necessary to make efforts on several fronts to achieve effective results.
A key aspect was to develop governmental capacity to carry on inter-sector
initiatives. Therefore, it was anticipated an integration between the State
Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply (SSAS) and the State Secretariat of
Environment (SSE), and an intra-organization integration as well, i.e., among
different departments of the SSE itself.

8
Information available at http://www.sigam.ambiente.sp.gov.br/sigam2/Default.aspx?idPagina=6563
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The inter-organization and inter-sector integration, although theoretically
ideal, proved to be just as complex as the PRRE itself. One can note difficulties to
align goals and to guarantee organizations commitments.
The partnership between the SSE and nonprofit organizations in the
demonstration projects was moderately collaborative: the state planned and
controlled the activities in a centralized fashion while the non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) performed an intermediation role between the state and
rural communities by executing activities in compliance with SSEs instructions
(Uehara 2010).
The Program of Watersheds (a SSAS action) achieved better results where
the PRMCs demonstration projects were deployed. The locations affected by both
projects concurrently had a performance 56.3% higher than the average
performance of the Program of Watershed implemented alone. The performance of
public management was amplified, both the environmental conservation and
agricultural production associated with the improvement of the quality of life of rural
populations. Thus, one can say that the integration of government programs with
complementary goals benefits the society and save money.
The experiences of the PRRE showed that the engagement of landowners
is not a major obstacle to restoration of riparian forests. However, many traditional
instruments especially the command and control instruments applied in
isolation are not strong enough to promote restoration of riparian ecosystems in
private properties. The development of projects with technical assistance, grants,
and involving local actors was a functional tactic to encourage adherence of rural
landowners to conservation initiatives.
The name of the initiative Project for the Restoration of Riparian
Ecosystems did not contribute to the alignment of goals, nor to communicate the
activities and achievements of the PRRE. With that fancy name, many partners
and even direct employees of the PRRE had understood that the PRRE aimed at
recovering ecosystems instead of improving public policy instruments for a
statewide program.
Another problem came from the incorrect naming of one PRREs
component. The management of the entire technical team hired to start the
implementation of demonstration projects has been assigned to the component #3,
which should be especially directed to on-the-ground investments. According to the
original plan, the executive manager and the technical manager were the ones who
should coordinate the activities, integrating the strategies of all five PRREs
components (TWB 2005). Thus, the progress of activities of the five components
was unbalanced.
The breadth of the PRRE and the multiplicity of specific goals led to
dispersion of focus. The experience of PRRE in its five components shows that
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restoration and maintenance of riparian ecosystems are not feasible without the
integration of activities within the several sectors of public management, such as
agricultural and environmental departments, and the effective support of
stakeholders, e.g. farmers, mayors, and NGOs.
The evaluation of effectiveness of the PRRE was initiated in the last year
of its implementation. Nonetheless, it has enabled the spread of some evaluation
practices within the SSE and the encouragement of the culture of management
for results.
Finally, some strengths and weaknesses of the PRRE are highlighted
hereinafter, followed by recommendations for policymakers and evaluators.

4.1. PRRE Strengths

Capability to broaden awareness and to increase government and
population recognition of the importance of riparian ecosystems;
Stakeholder approval: farmers, NGO partners, the SSAS and the SSE
evaluated positively the PRRE as a whole;
Capability to broaden the dialogue at local level (among producers and of
them with local NGOs and/or rural associations) encouraging partnerships,
introducing restoration in local agendas and increasing dialogue and
cooperation between organizations and society;
Strengthening interorganizational networks, creating conditions for
sustainability, renewal or extension of the activities of biological
conservation;
Dissemination of tools for planning (to choose an adaptative technology of
ecological restoration considering the environmental heterogeneity) and for
the monitoring of areas under restoration (protocols and guidelines with
selected indicators of environmental and project quality);
Construction of an instrument for identification, registration and
dissemination of data about areas available for restoration;
Creation of legal basis and standards that have established economic and
information instruments to increase the restoration of riparian ecosystems;
Providing the exercise of evaluation of projects. This self-evaluation
process (with its shortcomings, findings, and learnings) was a pioneering
experience in capacity building for policy evaluation at the SSE.

4.2. PRRE Weaknesses

The planning stage was overly optimistic, causing a mismatch with some
stakeholders expectations;
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High staff turnover in project coordination and inefficiency of intra-
institutional coordination (among institutes and departments of the SSE);
Lack of fluidity in the development of some activities and for the
implementation of certain instruments, due to administrative and
bureaucratic barriers, both at the state and the partner organizations;
Low functionality of communication tools and the inexistence of a
communication and visibility plan;
Low effectiveness of the environmental education component;
Slowness to define mechanisms and indicators to monitor technical
activities beyond the financial monitoring, which eventually led to the
postponement of the PRRE conclusion;
Lack of depth in this evaluation due to its implementation compressed in
the final months of the PRRE.

4.3. Recommendations for Policymakers and Program Evaluators

Some of the recommendations hereinafter were extracted from the PRRE
evaluation results and there are also certain general guidelines known in the
literature of project management.

4.4. Some notes about public management

Public environmental management is a process with multiple layers in which
state actors and non-governmental organizations manage the environment
(Wilson and Bryant 1997). One expect a transparent management run by
qualified professionals who share the commitment to reduce the asymmetric
distribution of costs and benefits, conducted through a participatory, integrated
and continuous practice.
Thus, NGOs and governments should publicly promote the importance of
environmental issues, guiding the population towards a more inclusive vision of
development, not restricted to economic growth.
Its important to understand and apply different methods of conflict
resolution to deal with inevitable conflicts arising from complex processes inherent
to the implementation of projects to avoid discouraging participation of different
stakeholders in the program.
The establishment of clear rules and commitments by all stakeholders is
recommended for initiatives carried out by an interorganizational network. It
includes the statement of a precise projects aim shared by all stakeholders.
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In order to generate appropriate relationships among stakeholders, it is
recommended: clear and negotiated procedures; training available for all the
parties involved; monitoring and maintenance of conservation areas involving local
stakeholders such as landlords, neighborhood associations, and local NGOs.
NGOs participating in government projects should conduct careful strategic
planning (especially its mission statement), establishing productive partnerships
and tactics to influence the systems the way they desire.
It is necessary to equip organizations with human resources required to
carry on environmental policy, and provide adequate incentives to collaborators in
order to avoid a high staff turnover. Some stability prevents disruptions and delays.
Distinct areas cannot be treated employing one-fit-all packages. A careful
consideration of locations specificities from the very beginning of the project, and
also during the project implementation, can avoid costly detours.
An effective project of public management requires political will and a well
designed governance system.

4.5. Obtaining financial resources

There are some mechanisms to demand resources for the implementation of
ecosystems restoration projects in Brazil. Grant funds and financing for forestry
activities (including agroforestry management and forest restoration) are
available at the Fehidro (State Hydric Resources Fund), the National Program to
Strengthen Family Agriculture (Pronaf), the Program for Commercial Planting and
Forests Restoration (Propflora), the Program to Promote Sustainable Farming
Production (Produsa), the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES). It is possible to
demand resources from socio-environmental responsibility initiatives from
corporations and foundations.
One may grow food in the beginning of a restoration process, mixing
agricultural species with native ones. Furthermore, for small farmers, the
legislation allows the management of agroforestry systems at their riparian APPs,
generating incomes through the production of food/supply consorted with
conservation practices.
Other mechanisms are the Bank of Areas for Forest Restoration operated
by the SSE and payment for environmental services schemes.

5.6. Building partnerships

PRMC's experience demonstrated that synergy between organizations are
essential to promote development.
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An important principle for achieving partnerships is the matching of the
organizations missions with the aim of a project/program. Care needs to be taken
to avoid agreements with generic organizations (or "opportunistic" ones) which do
not have a clear reason for existence. To build successful partnerships, one should
encourage organizations to declare and confirm that their mission is consistent with
the goals of the plan, program or project in question. The mission analysis seems
to be more pertinent than the analysis of compatibility of organizational objectives,
at least under the PRRE scheme (Uehara, 2010).

5.7. Participation

The participation of stakeholders in structuring and designing the project from its
early stages strengthen the actions implemented afterwards and maximizes their
effectiveness in the medium and long terms. Depending on the institutional mission
of each actor, stakeholders can help defining shared goals, selecting partnerships,
and determining communication, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
Despite the reduced participation rate for the purpose of establishing an
open dialogue with local society to create and implement public policies, the social
mobilization initiated by the PRRE, as well as the stated desire of 47% of its
beneficiaries (the landlords/ farmers) to have a larger participation in the project,
represents good news for the aim of providing conditions for sustaining, extending
or renewing biologic conservation projects.
The elaboration of a strategy for implementing a large-scale restoration
program of riparian areas should seek, therefore, methods to minimize the factors
that limit participation. In that sense, it is recommended to make an effectively
integrated planning process, considering both internal and external institutions
involved in the project, and which is consistent with the existing structures to
implement the project. Planning should take into account ways to keep open the
access to participate in the project as well as the instruments to secure it.
Participation requires capacitating and training for all organizations
involved, an active listening of the coordinating team and a set of tools such as
forums and social networks in order to enable interactivity and problem-solving.

5.8. Communication, information and education strategies

Subjective factors, such as sympathy, empathy, reliability and attention may be
more important to establish the basis for dialogue and the involvement of the
population in a project (or, in a cause) than technical factors. Therefore, that is
something to be watched out carefully by public institutions dealing with the
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formulation and implementation of public policies. Environmental management
teams should handle socio-educational approach and extension techniques.
Much remains to be developed within the set of information and educative
instruments for biological conservation. Although regulatory instruments and, quite
recently, economic instruments are in the spotlight, the great potential of
information and educative instruments has not yet been revealed. The
development of these instruments can yield a lot of savings for biological
conservation initiatives.
We need to better use communication tools, both internal and external.
One needs a communication plan, as well as monitoring from a press office, to
ensure more capillarity to the project/program. Otherwise, target audiences do not
know what happens, and cannot join or provide all the assistance they could.
The communication strategy must be understood and internalized as an
intrinsic part of project management, in which the publishing of selected contents
strengthens and improves the management, facilitating integration of public directly
or indirectly relevant and eventually the achievement of goals.
Finally, developing policy tools without disclosing them (and training people
to handle them) results in no positive effect.

5.9. Monitoring and evaluation activities

As in any other kind of project, the coherence and effectiveness of its activities are
crucial for environmental management projects/programs.
An appropriate monitoring system contributes to the efficiency and quality
of the project/program activities. Designing and producing adequate indicators for
monitoring the results of the projects should be an early concern of the projects by
the time that goals and targets are being formulated. That concern should remain
during the implementation of action plans and when projects are evaluated. It is
likewise important to evaluate the impacts of projects beyond its financial closure.
It is necessary to provide staff and define procedures for collecting and
processing specific and reliable information assuring the transparency necessary to
any governmental or public project/program.
As long as there is a well agreed goal, it becomes easier to choose the
parameters and procedures to monitor performance and evaluate the results of the
activities of a project. That is even more important in complex projects involving
multiple dimensions and targets like the PRRE.
Delaying the formulation of monitoring and evaluation schemes facilitates
the occurrence of the flying blind phenomenon, whose manifestation distorts the
vision, objectives and targets of a project/program.
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The pursuit for effectiveness should be always a priority. Otherwise,
environmental management will become a tool for political rather than environment
sustainability and will integrate an ideological toolbox to maintaining the status quo,
which includes the continued degradation of ecosystems and social inequality
driven by relentless search for growth and the promotion of consumerism.
The lessons and recommendations derived from all experiences in
biodiversity conservation should be reported and disseminated. Those obtained
from the PRRE are still being reviewed and may yield new insights to promote
effective policies for biological conservation
9
. They may also help other
organizations and governments to plan more effective nature conservation
programs, projects and activities, taking advantage of shared learnings.
Since the inception of the PRRE, quite considerable progress has been
conveyed to the political and practical agendas. However much remains to be
done. Three are the aspects highlighted here: 1) The methodologies used for the
payment for environmental services schemes as well as its impact should be
carefully evaluated; 2) The main effects of ecosystem restoration (of biological
conservation in general) are rarely perceived in the short term so one need to keep
monitoring selected indicators such as the land use beyond the financial closure of
a project/program; and 3) It is crucial to acknowledge that neither economics nor
command & control instruments will solve complex problems by itself. One
recommends to develop and apply strong educational and information instruments
(suasive instruments) to compose a well-balanced biodiversity conservation
program or project.















9
The full presentation of the results of the effectiveness evaluation of PRRE will be available at
Cadernos da Mata Ciliar, 5 (Uehara & Casazza, in press): www.ambiente.sp.gov.br/mataciliar
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