The Amazon Fund has quadrupled the annual rate of project approval since the resumption of its governance in 2023. The annual average of approvals went from around R$300 million between 2009 and 2018 to R$1.3 billion in the recent cycle, between 2023 and 2026.  The balance was presented, this Thursday (11), by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA) and the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES). Related news: Deforestation in the Amazon falls 61.4% in May 2026. Amazon Fund will reward initiatives from traditional peoples. According to BNDES, the mechanism totals R$5.3 billion in donations and 153 approved projects, with activities focused on preventing, monitoring and combating deforestation, in addition to supporting forest restoration, environmental and territorial regularization and sustainable production.  “Created to transform Brazil's results in reducing deforestation into concrete international cooperation, the Amazon Fund reaches its 18th anniversary as the largest and most successful REDD+ initiative in the world in terms of volume of resources and results”, said the BNDES, in a note, referring to the incentive developed within the scope of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to financially reward developing countries for reducing emissions.  Between 2023 and 2025, the annual average disbursed reached R$224 million, above the average of R$206 million recorded between 2010 and 2018.  “The growth occurs after the reactivation of the Fund’s governance, the recreation of the structure dedicated to the mechanism at BNDES and the definition of new guidelines for the application of resources, in alignment with public policies to combat deforestation and sustainable development in the Amazon”, informed the bank. The period from 2023 to 2026 accounts for 57% of all approvals and hiring in the history of the mechanism. According to the ministry and BNDES, in terms of number of operations, the average went from ten projects approved per year, in the previous period, to 15 projects annually between 2023 and 2025, an increase of 50%.  The Fund already benefits more than 650 organizations, 169 indigenous lands, 192 conservation units and 260 thousand people.