Imaflora promotes workshops to exchange experiences between the Brazilian Forest Service and Amazonas state government bodies to advance the forest concession agenda in the state

Over the past 20 years, timber production in the Amazon has declined from 28 million cubic meters of roundwood per year to around 12 million cubic meters per year. Nearly all of this volume comes from selectively logged areas (that is, not from deforestation).

On the other hand, according to data from the Simex Network—comprising Imazon, Imaflora, ICV, and Idesam—between August 2020 and July 2021, nearly 380,000 hectares were logged in the Amazon. Of this total, 38% had no licensing, and 72% of this illegally exploited area was located on private rural properties. This mapping makes it possible to precisely identify the location of illegal logging.

Between November 23 and 25, the Institute for Forest and Agricultural Management and Certification (Imaflora) held a series of workshops aimed at advancing alternatives to this scenario: forest concessions in public forests to be sustainably managed and thus protected from invasions linked to illegal activities. According to a study by IPAM published in February of this year, by 2020 at least 3.4 million hectares of undesignated public forests had been illegally deforested. This highlights the importance of allocating these areas, which total approximately 60 million hectares.

A large portion of these undesignated public forests is located in the state of Amazonas: 40.3 million hectares, about 26% of the state’s territory, which was the focus of the workshop series promoted by Imaflora’s Forest Legality Initiative. Over three days, representatives from various institutions responsible for implementing forest concession processes, along with Imaflora, gathered to exchange experiences and lessons that can support the structuring and advancement of this agenda in Amazonas.

The stages of the bidding process were presented: technical proposal; evaluation of technical proposals (based on performance indicators); price proposal (analysis of the values offered by companies); and qualification (verification and validation of required documentation). The winning proposal is the one that offers the best combination of technical and price proposals. Selection criteria include classification indicators established under the Public Forest Management Law, such as investments in forest protection, infrastructure, goods and services for local communities, adoption of innovation in forest management, and the level of local processing of forest production; bonus indicators, which encourage improvements in management practices but do not count toward the bid score, such as the use of forest residues and support for research projects; and ancillary obligations, which include actions to improve conservation units and their surroundings, such as monitoring, fire prevention, and local development. The price proposal must respect minimum and maximum thresholds defined in the bidding notice and be accompanied by a declaration of economic feasibility.

Before the second day of workshops, performance indicators for forest concessions were further detailed, and questions from the previous day were addressed. One key point clarified was that, among the various preliminary studies conducted on forest areas to be concessioned, there are assessments of traditional community presence. Depending on the case, areas may be excluded from concessions, as the law does not allow areas already under traditional use to be granted. At the federal level, before being offered for concession, areas are analyzed by institutions such as Incra and Funai. If they are already in use by communities, they may be designated as Sustainable Development Reserves (RDS) or family farming settlements, for example.

Among the highlighted indicators is forest certification, which measures compliance with quality management and operational performance standards. Concessionaires that meet this indicator receive discounts based on the validity of their certification. Another key indicator involves investments in forest protection and monitoring to prevent invasions of concession areas, as has occurred in the Jamari Forest.

Other criteria include social benefits, investments in infrastructure, goods and services for local communities, increased local value addition, greater efficiency, and the adoption of technical innovations in forest management—together promoting economic viability (current concession revenues are around R$ 30 million) while protecting forests and local communities.

Innovations and monitoring technologies

Innovations in concession contracts and bidding processes were also presented, reflecting a learning curve in which improvements are incorporated based on recommendations from bidding commissions. One example relates to productivity: under a previous rule with a single pricing structure, lower-value species were often neglected. A new rule introduces discounts for reaching certain productivity thresholds, encouraging greater diversity in harvested species.

A major recent innovation is the reversal of bidding phases. Previously, processes began with qualification and then moved to technical evaluation, taking around six months. With the reversal, the process was reduced to 70 days. A new law, effective from April, establishes this phase inversion as standard and eliminates appeals at the end of each stage, with expectations of reducing the process to just 30 days. Another important change is the expansion of investment requirements for concessionaires and adjustments to timelines. Previously, investments in community infrastructure and protection occurred in the third or fourth year of the contract; now they must be implemented in the first year.

The final day of workshops focused on monitoring. The Chain of Custody System (SCC) was presented as a tool to ensure transparency, enabling buyers to trust the origin and quality of timber. The system allows full tracking of production, including the registration of all logs and monitoring throughout transport and processing. The session also covered monitoring technologies such as satellite systems, drones, and LiDAR, which uses airborne laser pulses to map and analyze forest structure.

As highlighted during the workshops, Amazonas is currently finalizing concession studies for the Maués Forest, with five additional areas in early stages of assessment. The exchange of experiences over the three days is expected to accelerate and strengthen these processes, contributing to the advancement of this important agenda in the state.