Municipal Atlantic Forest Plans in Rio Grande do Sul as an environmental public policy instrument: overview, challenges, and potentialities

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest is recognized as one of the most biodiverse biomes and, simultaneously, one of the most threatened on the planet, encompassing a complex diversity of ecosystems and playing a fundamental role in the maintenance of ecosystem services and climate regulation. In light of the continuous degradation of its remaining fragments and the additional challenges posed by climate change, the adoption of planning instruments capable of articulating environmental conservation with territorial development at the local level becomes essential. In this context, this study aims to analyze the panorama of the Municipal Atlantic Forest Conservation and Restoration Plans (PMMAs, in Portuguese) in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, based on data available in official repositories such as the PMMA Observatory, integrating this information with deforestation data from public databases, especially from the Satellite Monitoring Program for Deforestation of Native Vegetation (PRODES/INPE, in Portuguese). The results indicate that Rio Grande do Sul ranks among the states with the highest cumulative rates of Atlantic Forest deforestation since 2001, while simultaneously showing low adherence to the implementation of PMMAs, with only six municipalities having plans implemented, under implementation, or in preparation, out of a total of 337 where the biome predominates. This mismatch between the magnitude of pressure on native vegetation and the adoption of municipal environmental planning instruments highlights weaknesses in the consolidation of PMMAs as an effective public policy in the state.