Call for Proposals: UK PACT’s Forest Sector Program (Brazil)

Deadline: 9-Oct-23

The UK Government is looking to extend its support to the forest sector in Brazil, through a technical assistance and capacity-building project aimed at supporting the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) to strengthen territorial and environmental management of indigenous lands.

Objectives

• The project’s main objective is to guarantee and promote the protection, recovery, conservation, and sustainable use of the natural resources of Brazil’s indigenous lands and territories.

Pillars

• The focus will be on three pillars:
  • Pillar 1: Land Regularisation
    • Conduct use and occupancy assessments in claimed areas, as well as in areas already in the identification and delimitation study phase, occurring on public lands; Conduct socio-environmental assessments and the collection of environmental, cartographic, and land information to support strategic multidisciplinary studies of indigenous lands.
  • Pillar 2: Environmental and Territorial Management
    • Conduct an evaluation of indigenous training in Environmental and Territorial Management; conduct a study of Payment for Environmental Services programs, with a focus on countries in the Amazon Basin, targeting collective territories; developing approximately five instruments for territorial and environmental management of Indigenous Lands; creating a database of priority areas within Indigenous Lands for national-scale environmental restoration.
  • Pillar 3: Capacity building
    • Train public servants from FUNAI and indigenous people to strengthen environmental and territorial management of indigenous territories.

Funding Information

• Each proposal will be assessed independently. They will support one project with a grant valued at no more than £500,000 per financial year (UK financial year, April – March) up to a maximum of £1,000,000 over two years.

Project Duration

• 12 to 24 months. The project is expected to start in December 2023 and can end no later than November 2025. The project must have a clear indication of the outcomes and impacts expected to be achieved in the first year, as well as in any subsequent years of implementation.

Activities

• Pillar 1: Land Regularisation
  • Evaluate current land use status in claimed areas, or areas already undergoing identification, on public land.
  • Conduct socio-environmental assessments and surveys of environmental, cartographic and land tenure information to inform strategic multidisciplinary studies of indigenous lands.
• Pillar 2 – Environmental and Territorial Management
  • Conduct an assessment of training in environmental and territorial management specifically designed for indigenous peoples. Presenting proposals for implementing and/or improving foundational public policies regarding the training of indigenous peoples in environmental and territorial management. This may include:
    • A technical report containing a survey of information, including graphs, spreadsheets and maps.
    • A technical report containing a diagnosis with a comparative analysis of training and graduates.
    • Publication of a training manual for indigenous environmental and territorial management technicians
  • Conduct an evaluation of Payment for Environmental Services (PES) and REDD+ programmes in Amazon basin countries. This may include:
    • A technical report in the countries of the Amazon basin (excluding Brazil), with a focus on communal territories and indigenous peoples.
    • A technical report containing the collection of information on the subject in Brazil.
    • Proposals for implementing and/or enhancing foundational public policies, with a focus on indigenous peoples.
• Pillar 3 – Capacity Building
  • Provide training for planning and development for approximately 120 employees of the Environmental and Territorial Management Services of FUNAI’s decentralized units (SEGATs). This may include:
    • A methodological proposal for indigenous planning and development.
    • Organisation, moderation, and reporting.
    • Facilitating learning & sharing among the SEGATs.
  • Provide support for the indigenous trainers’ training on the climate change agenda, with a focus on REDD+ and carbon projects.

What are they looking for?

• Following consultation with key government stakeholders, Brazil-UK PACT is now seeking to fund projects that will support the Brazilian Government to reduce deforestation through:
  • Forest project 1: UK PACT will award a grant for a project that seeks to supporting the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) to strengthen territorial management of indigenous lands. This project will work to build FUNAI’s technical capacity relating to indigenous land regularisation, which will turn support effective land demarcation, while also promoting the protection, recovery, conservation, and sustainable use of the natural resources.
  • Forest project 2: UK PACT will award a grant for a project that will provide support to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change on the design of the National Bioeconomy Policy, the National Bioeconomy Plan, and the National Sociobioeconomy Programme. The new policy, plan and programme will be anchored in an implementation, governance and fundraising strategy that responds to the urgent need for action around sustainable economic development, social inclusion and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
  • Through targeted technical assistance, these projects will aim to increase the value of standing forests to mitigate climate change, while also helping to increase the standing value of forests through robust bioeconomies and increase engagement of indigenous peoples and local communities in the future of Brazil’s forests sector.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicant
  • Only non-profit organisation can apply as lead organisation.
  • For-profit organisations can participate in the call for proposals as partners within a consortium.
  • Government agencies and/or departments are not eligible to apply either as a lead organisation or partner in a consortium.
  • All consortia must have at least one local partner. The local organisation does not need to be the consortium lead. A local partner understood as an organisation that operates in Brazil under a National Register of Legal Entities (Cadastro Nacional de Pessoa Jurídica – CNPJ).
• Project
  • Proposals must respond to the strategic priorities.
  • Budgets must not include capital expenditure or tangible assets.
  • The value of projects must not exceed £500,000 per financial year (April-March), with a maximum of £1,000,000 total budget over 24 months’ total period of performance.
• Application
  • Applications must be coherent and legible
  • All relevant sections must be completed
  • Applications must be submitted in English

For more information, visit UK PACT.