NOTA TÉCNICA COMENTÁRIOS À RESOLUÇÃO CONJUNTA SMA/SAA Nº 1/2016 SOBRE O PROGRAMA DE REGULARIZAÇÃO AMBIENTAL - PRA NO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

This technical briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the Joint Resolution SMA/SAA No. 1/2016 regarding the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) in the State of São Paulo. While acknowledging procedural advances, the document identifies several points of legal insecurity, specifically regarding the loss of land-use rights, the lack of complementary regulations, and restrictive requirements for Legal Reserve compensation.

• The Joint Resolution SMA/SAA No. 1/2016 may have exceeded its regulatory power by establishing the loss of the right to use consolidated areas in Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) and Legal Reserves if a rural owner fails to meet obligations in the Commitment Term. The briefing notes that neither federal law (Law No. 12.651/2012) nor state law (Law No. 15.684/2015) explicitly provides for the loss of this right.
• The full implementation of the PRA-SP is currently hindered by the absence of necessary complementary normative acts. These missing regulations include the specific resolution for the electronic system for PRADA registration, procedures for CAR analysis and PRADA homologation for certain properties, and the delimitation of national interest river basins for out-of-state Legal Reserve compensation.
• The resolution fails to establish restoration parameters for specific types of Permanent Preservation Areas (APP), such as those on slopes with a gradient over 45 degrees, hilltops, mountains, and altitudes above 1,800 meters. Although restoration may not be mandatory for these areas, the briefing argues that the mandatory conditions for maintaining agro-silvopastoral activities in these locations should be explicitly stated.
• Legal Reserve compensation is subject to a subjective requirement: it is only permitted if there is no area devoid of native vegetation and without consolidated rural use that could be restored. The briefing highlights a lack of clarity regarding what constitutes an area 'without consolidated rural use,' which may lead to legal disputes.
• Compensation for the Cerrado biome may be significantly hindered by the requirement that the compensation area be located within national interest river basins shared with the State of São Paulo. Based on MMA and IBAMA monitoring, there are few preserved Cerrado areas that meet this criterion, potentially forcing landowners to restore Legal Reserves within their own properties.
• The resolution clarifies that the benefits for consolidated rural areas in APP—such as the continuation of agro-silvopastoral, ecotourism, and rural tourism activities—are only available to those who adhere to the PRA. Those who do not adhere must follow the more rigorous general legal regime for APPs, which prohibits economic activity.
• The PRA-SP process is designed to be electronic via the SICAR-SP platform, which will integrate PRADA registration, Commitment Terms, and monitoring reports. This system allows for the issuance of compliance or non-compliance certificates, which are critical for interactions with public bodies and financial institutions.

APA

Chiavari, J., & Lopes, C. L. (2016). NOTA TÉCNICA COMENTÁRIOS À RESOLUÇÃO CONJUNTA SMA/SAA Nº 1/2016 SOBRE O PROGRAMA DE REGULARIZAÇÃO AMBIENTAL - PRA NO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NT__Resolucao_PRA_SP_CPI_2016.pdf

Chicago

Chiavari, Joana, and Cristina Leme Lopes. NOTA TÉCNICA COMENTÁRIOS À RESOLUÇÃO CONJUNTA SMA/SAA Nº 1/2016 SOBRE O PROGRAMA DE REGULARIZAÇÃO AMBIENTAL - PRA NO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO. Climate Policy Initiative, 2016. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NT__Resolucao_PRA_SP_CPI_2016.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chiavari |first1=Joana |last2=Lopes |first2=Cristina Leme |title=NOTA TÉCNICA COMENTÁRIOS À RESOLUÇÃO CONJUNTA SMA/SAA Nº 1/2016 SOBRE O PROGRAMA DE REGULARIZAÇÃO AMBIENTAL - PRA NO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=March 2016 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NT__Resolucao_PRA_SP_CPI_2016.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chiavari2016nota, author = {Chiavari, Joana and Lopes, Cristina Leme}, title = {{NOTA TÉCNICA COMENTÁRIOS À RESOLUÇÃO CONJUNTA SMA/SAA Nº 1/2016 SOBRE O PROGRAMA DE REGULARIZAÇÃO AMBIENTAL - PRA NO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2016}, month = mar, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NT__Resolucao_PRA_SP_CPI_2016.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }