Environmental and Social Management Framework & Process Framework & Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Planning Framework

The ARCA Project aims to protect the Caatinga biome in Northeast Brazil by expanding and improving the management of the National System of Protected Areas (SNUC) and conserving endangered species. The project is funded by a $9,880,000 GEF grant and is executed by FUNBIO. It focuses on nine existing protected areas across Bahia, Pernambuco, Piauí, and Paraíba, targeting a minimum of 4,581,821 hectares. The framework outlines rigorous safeguards to protect Indigenous Peoples, Traditional Peoples, and Local Communities (IP/TP&LC), including a commitment to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and the development of Livelihood Restoration Plans (LRPs) to mitigate economic impacts from resource access restrictions. The project also includes a Gender Action Plan to address systemic inequalities and risks of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH).

• The ARCA Project targets the Caatinga biome, which covers over 844,453km² (10% of Brazil's territory) across 10 states, including Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Piauí, Sergipe, and Northern Minas Gerais.
• The project is funded by a GEF grant totaling $9,880,000, with $8,964,220 allocated specifically to the project grant across four components.
• The project aims to benefit at least 4,581,821 hectares of protected areas and approximately 4,390 local beneficiaries, with a target of mitigating 1,998,690 metric tons of CO2e.
• The project focuses on nine specific protected areas: PARNA Serra das Confusões (Piauí), PARNA do Boqueirão da Onça (Bahia), APA do Boqueirão da Onça (Bahia), PARNA da Serra do Teixeira (Paraíba), APA Lago do Sobradinho (Bahia), APA Dunas e Veredas do Baixo Médio São Francisco (Bahia), APA Lagoa de Itaparica (Bahia), PE Mata da Pimenteira (Pernambuco), and ESEC Serra da Canoa (Pernambuco).
• The project identifies a high level of social vulnerability in the Caatinga, noting that 59.1% of all Brazilians living in extreme poverty reside in the Northeast, and over half of those (52.5%) live in rural areas.
• The framework adopts the category IP/TP&LC (Indigenous Peoples, Traditional Peoples and Local Communities) to encompass a wide range of social groups, including Quilombolas, ciganos (gypsies), and Fundo e Fecho de Pasto communities.
• The project mandates a Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process for any activities that may negatively affect the rights, lands, territories, or livelihoods of Indigenous and Traditional Peoples.
• To mitigate economic impacts from restricted access to natural resources, the project will implement Livelihood Restoration Plans (LRPs) developed participatively with affected communities.
• The project identifies significant risks of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH), particularly where law enforcement officials may misuse power or where shifting resource use changes household dynamics.
• The project explicitly excludes several activities, including those leading to involuntary physical resettlement, river damming, the use of genetically modified organisms, and the procurement of weapons or munitions.
• The framework identifies a high density of cultural and archaeological sites within the target areas, including cave paintings dating back more than 25,000 years.
• The project will implement a tripartite Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) involving FUNBIO, WWF-US, and the GEF Secretariat to ensure transparency and accessibility for affected parties.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). Environmental and Social Management Framework & Process Framework & Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Planning Framework. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/4d34k56y0r_Brazil_ARCA_ESMF_ITPPF_PF_Final_4_19.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Environmental and Social Management Framework & Process Framework & Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Planning Framework. n.d. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/4d34k56y0r_Brazil_ARCA_ESMF_ITPPF_PF_Final_4_19.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Environmental and Social Management Framework & Process Framework & Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Planning Framework |url=https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/4d34k56y0r_Brazil_ARCA_ESMF_ITPPF_PF_Final_4_19.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndenvironmental, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Environmental and Social Management Framework \& Process Framework \& Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Planning Framework}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/4d34k56y0r_Brazil_ARCA_ESMF_ITPPF_PF_Final_4_19.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }