Instrumentos econômicos para a conservação: um estudo de caso do ICMS ecológico e carbono evitado para RPPNs na Caatinga

Abstract

The paper aims to develop ways to generate financial benefits for owners of Private Natural Land in the Caatinga biome, as a way to go beyond public resources for conservation. The hypothesis is that the creation and maintenance of Private Natural Land can be stimulated if resources from economic instruments for conservation are transferred to these owners. The article therefore develops two hypothetical models for economic mechanisms applied to conservation: the Ecological ICMS and Avoided Carbon. The results show that if the Ecological ICMS were institutionalized in the states of the Caatinga biome, a significant amount of funding could be allocated to municipalities with Conservation Units. The analysis of avoided carbon emissions (REDD), meanwhile, suggests a low opportunity cost for conservation in RPPNs, meaning that the price per ton of carbon does not have to be high for it to be viable to conserve a large part of the area analyzed. Therefore, economic instruments would act not only as an incentive for the preservation of natural areas, but also as an important additional source of income, given that the region is characterized by high poverty rates and difficulties in coping with drought.