Pagamento por serviços ambientais: uma metodologia para identificação de imóveis rurais com potencial para prestação de serviços ecossistêmicos

Abstract

Payment for Environmental Services (PES) programs have become instruments of great importance in environmental and development policies around the world. A PES involves the voluntary transfer of a specific environmental service or land use that may result in the provision of that service, whereby a payer of environmental services transfers financial resources or another form of remuneration to a provider of these services, respecting legal and regulatory provisions. The definition and regulation of PES in Brazil occurred only in January 2021, with the publication of Law No. 14,119/2021, which instituted the National Policy for Payment for Environmental Services (PNPSA). The main objective of this study was to develop and propose an integrated methodology for the characterization and selection of rural properties with potential for providing ecosystem services, using the evaluation of multiple environmental criteria and indicators. Based on the conceptual assumptions of ecosystem services, the four modalities (provision, support, regulation and cultural) were considered to better measure and understand these services. The proposed methodology was applied in the municipality of Lavras, resulting in the creation of four specific indices of ecosystem importance (IIE Provision, IIE Support, IIE Regulation and IIE Cultural), which allowed the scale evaluation at the level of rural properties in relation to each service modality. These indices were used to calculate the Final Ecosystem Importance Index (Final EII), representing the total ecosystem service provided by each rural property. Based on the application of the methodology, the Final EII was segmented into five classes, with class V comprising 187 properties with the greatest potential for providing ecosystem services. The methodology proved to be suitable for replication in different geographical contexts, offering subsidies for the selection and prioritization of rural properties with potential to participate in Payment for Environmental Services (PES) programs and contributing to the implementation of the National Policy for Payment for Environmental Services (PNPSA). This study contributes to the conservation of biodiversity, the protection of water resources and the mitigation of climate change, providing a solid basis for decision-making and the development of public policies aimed at providing ecosystem services and complying with international climate agreements and targets.