Espirito Santo Biodiversity and Watershed Conservation and Restoration Project

The objective of the proposed project is to support (a) the conservation of highly threatened biodiversity – a global benefit - and (b) the maintenance of environmental services provided by the rain forest ecosystem in the watersheds important to the state’s population and to the local economy. As such, it supports GEF’s global goals of conserving globally significant biodiversity, mainstreaming biodiversity into production landscapes and managing ecosystems in an integrated fashion. Water management activities will be funded from the Bank loan and the state’s own resources. In addition, the project will leverage support from private companies that will engage in activities for both biodiversity conservation and watershed management. GEF support in the project will direct efforts of watershed conservation beyond water and soil conservation towards conservation of biodiversity in a globally important rainforest ecosystem. The project will also mobilize urban populations for support of private forest conservation efforts and will explore options for compensation of such efforts.