Government of Pará conducts consultation on REDD+ with quilombola communities in Óbidos
With active listening and the protagonism of the communities, the State continues the participatory construction process of the REDD+ Jurisdictional System
The Government of Pará, through the State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainability (Semas), is conducting, from July 1 to 4, the 6th Free, Prior and Informed Consultation (CLPI) with quilombola communities in the municipality of Óbidos, in the Lower Amazon region. This action is part of the participatory construction process of the REDD+ Jurisdictional System (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) of Pará.
The event brought together representatives from various quilombola communities in the region and partner institutions, such as the State Coordination of the Associations of the Remaining Quilombo Communities of Pará (Malungu). During the four days, topics such as the functioning of the SJREDD+, its socio-environmental safeguards, the benefit-sharing strategy, and the legal framework of the project are being discussed.
Redinaldo Alves, from the Arapucu quilombo, located 17 km from the municipality of Óbidos, highlighted the importance of participating in the event with his community. “Our goal here is to discuss the REDD+ system, an initiative that is ensuring our right to be consulted. This is fundamental, as it involves our territories and communities. The government has recognized this need and has sought to listen to us, which is important for this public policy to advance in our State,” he said.
“We are being consulted within the scope of the REDD+ Jurisdictional System, through the Free, Prior and Informed Consultation, and it is very important that the State is listening to traditional communities within the territories, considering our proposals and opinions. We thank you for this initiative, which represents a great advance for us, quilombolas, especially in the debate about carbon credits,” explained Davi Ferreira da Silva, also from the Arapucu quilombo.
Ana Maria da Silva Gomes, from the Nossa Senhora das Graças quilombo, in the municipality of Óbidos, also attended and made a point of actively engaging in the process. “I am very pleased to participate in this consultation, an important initiative that reaches our quilombo. I hope it brings real benefits to our territories and traditional communities,” evaluated the participant.
“This process of active listening with quilombola communities reaffirms the State's commitment to building environmental public policies in a participatory and respectful manner. REDD+ in Pará is only possible with the direct contribution of traditional peoples and communities, who are fundamental to the preservation of our territories and the Amazonian sociobiodiversity,” highlighted the Deputy Secretary of Water Resources and Climate Management at Semas, Renata Nobre, who leads the construction of the system.
The event held in Óbidos is part of the historical series of territorial listening sessions promoted by the State, integrating the largest consultation process ever conducted with Indigenous Peoples, Quilombolas, Traditional Communities, and Family Farmers (PIQCTAFs) in Pará, following the principles of ILO Convention 169, which ensures the right of traditional communities to be consulted on public policies that directly impact their ways of life.
The goal is to ensure that climate change mitigation policies in Pará, such as REDD+, are built with transparency, climate justice, and respect for the sociocultural diversity of the Amazon.
The consultations follow international and national guidelines on the rights of traditional peoples and communities, reinforcing the commitment of the Government of Pará to an inclusive and participatory ecological transition.
