PAYMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES IN THE STATE OF ACRE BY THE SISA PROGRAM
Keywords: Payment for Environmental Services, SISA, Environmental Public Policies, Socioenvironmental Justice, State of Acre.
The present study focuses on the theme of Payment for Environmental Services, with an emphasis on the State System of Incentives for Environmental Services (SISA), established in the State of Acre through State Law nº. 2.308/2010, and its practices carried out through the ISA-Carbon and REM Acre programs. The research problem consists in understanding the main factors leading to the disqualification of proposals submitted by civil society organizations (CSOs) working with Indigenous peoples, traditional communities, and family farmers under Acre’s PES public calls, as well as how technical, legal, and institutional management information can help mitigate these barriers. The general objective is to analyze the PES calls for proposals published by the State of Acre between 2016 and 2024, identify the main reasons for ineligibility, and subsequently investigate the main difficulties experienced by participating organizations during the application process, with the aim of proposing strategies to improve CSOs’ access to these programs. The study is justified by the pursuit of greater equity in access to environmental public policies, promoting socioenvironmental justice for Indigenous peoples, traditional communities, and family farmers. The methodology is both qualitative and quantitative, with a descriptive approach and documentary method. Public calls and results under SISA were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive statistical tools, and a survey was conducted with participating civil society organizations. The research is also supported by a bibliographic review of the legal framework of PES, highlighting Federal Law No. 14,119/2021 and State Law No. 2,308/2010. As a result, recurring documentation flaws were identified in the proposals submitted, particularly due to the lack of legal and informational support for applicant organizations. The study culminates in the development of a technical-educational product: a manual that presents, in a didactic and schematic way, the guidelines, concepts, and requirements of SISA’s public calls, aimed at assisting organizations in improving their applications. It is expected that this material will contribute to expanding access to funding opportunities, valuing local knowledge, strengthening sociocultural participation, enhancing institutional capacity, and improving the efficiency of environmental project implementation, while promoting the inclusion of socially vulnerable groups in PES programs.