Brazil funds world's biggest reserve network

Conservationists get used to hearing bad news.  But once in a while, there's a big win and really great news.  Today is one of those days.

News worth shouting about...

Brazil has just committed to permanently fund its massive ARPA reserve network--a total of 128 million acres (58 million hectares) of protected areas stretching across the Amazon basin.

ARPA--the Amazon Region Protected Areas program--was originally sustained in part by funding from the World Bank and other overseas donors, but without permanent Brazilian funding it was far from secure. 

ARPA was initiated with a vision to consolidate and interconnect Amazonian protected areas, to create large reserve networks that will hopefully be resilient to future land-use and climate change.

Now, with a permanent commitment to fund the network--with US$215 million this year--the ARPA reserves are guaranteed financial support, theoretically in perpetuity.

The importance of the ARPA network and Amazon rainforest generally--for biodiversity, the global climate, and scores of indigenous cultures--is highlighted in this nice 5-minute video.

The great news about ARPA comes on top of a sharp drop in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon--which is nearly 80% lower than in the early 2000s.  The ARPA reserves and other protected areas, such as indigenous lands, are clearly partly responsible.

So, break out a bottle of bubbly.  Tomorrow it's back to the battle but today, conservationists can celebrate a huge milestone and well-deserved victory.