Ecological ICMS enables forest restoration in Brazil

• Published in: Land use policy 2020-02, Vol.91, p.104381, Article 104381
• Main Authors: Rocha, Samuel José Silva Soares da, Comini, Indira Bifano, Morais Júnior, Vicente Toledo Machado de, Schettini, Bruno Leão Said, Villanova, Paulo Henrique, Alves, Eliana Boaventura Bernardes Moura, Silva, Lauana Blenda, Jacovine, Laércio Antônio Gonçalves, Torres, Carlos Moreira Miquelino Eleto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Compensation; Costs; Ecological monitoring; Environmental appropriateness; Environmental law; Environmental legislation; Environmental policy; Environmental restoration; Forestry laws; Forests; Land use; Legislation; Planting; Preservation; Properties (attributes); Property; Restoration; Rural areas; Seed banks; Seeds; Soil conservation; Transposition
• ISSN: 0264-8377; 1873-5754
• DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104381

•Ecological ICMS enables forest restoration in small farms Brazil.•Ecological ICMS is a resource source that already exists.•Results suggest that this scheme helps small farmers to comply legislation.•Forest restoration in Brazil is a local action that promotes benefits globally.•Forest restoration helps to meet the international goals assumed by Brazil. Application of ecological ICMS (Imposto sobre Circulação de Mercadorias e Serviços), by public managers in conservation, can help and foster environmental improvement in rural properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the destination of ecological compensation for restoration and appropriateness to the environmental legislation of rural properties in the municipality of Araponga, Minas Gerais (MG). Information on Areas of Permanent Preservation (APP) and Legal Reserves (LR) were obtained from the Rural Environmental Registry’s database. Plans on environmental appropriateness were evaluated and they are: dense planting, enrichment planting, plant spacing, fencing, artificial bird perches and transposition of soil seed bank. A total of 197.39 ha in APP is without forest (26.19 % of APP area) in the rural properties of the municipality of Araponga. In relation to LR, 566.92 ha (20.95 % of LR area) face conflict. The total costs, per year, for all forest restoration techniques were lower than the average value of ecological ICMS received by the municipality of Araponga (US$ 186,873.21 year−1). Therefore, the ecological ICMS allocation to foment the practices of environmental appropriateness enables the compliance of forest legislation in small rural properties in Brazil.