Policy Brief RPPN

This document addresses the role of Brazil’s Private Natural Heritage Reserves (RPPNs) – Flávio Ojidos and Nature Investment Lab (NIL) – as a strategic instrument for biodiversity conservation, maintenance of ecosystem services, and climate change mitigation. Ojidos is a specialist in sustainability and green business and the author of the book “Conservation in Continuous Cycle,” which presents approaches for generating resources through nature and ensuring the financial sustainability of RPPNs.

The brief highlights the main challenges faced by RPPNs and proposes measures to expand financial incentives that can ensure their long-term sustainability. The RPPN is a legal instrument that designates a private property as a conservation unit—thus representing a relevant model for scaling up Nature-based Solutions (NbS).

Key points of the document include:
  • RPPNs are perpetual and created voluntarily by private landowners.
  • Brazil currently has 1,902 RPPNs, protecting 837,000 hectares across all biomes.
  • Despite their importance, incentives remain insufficient: restrictions outweigh benefits, discouraging new owners from creating RPPNs.
  • RPPNs contribute directly to carbon sequestration (900,000 tCO₂e/year), ecological corridor formation, and support for sustainable agribusiness, reducing climate and water risks.
To increase both the number and effectiveness of RPPNs, the specialist makes several recommendations:
  • Strengthen climate finance, through the creation of specific credit lines for RPPNs, authorization for carbon credit generation within the Brazilian Emissions Trading System (SBCE), and implementation of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) schemes.
  • Expand fiscal and legal incentives, advancing the bill that provides full exemption from the Rural Land Tax (ITR) and income tax deductions, while also granting RPPN owners access to social security and credit benefits.
  • Improve governance and data, by including dedicated RPPN fields in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the National System of Conservation Units (CNUC), and by encouraging grouped projects to reduce costs and increase scale.

The upcoming COP30 in Belém represents an excellent opportunity to strengthen the recognition of RPPNs within the climate agenda and attract international financing. In this context, the Nature Investment Lab (NIL) can play an effective role by leading coordination efforts among government, the financial sector, and rural landowners, and by structuring incentive mechanisms.