Brazil: a key regulatory revision underway for sustainable forest management

IBAMA and CONAMA: key institutions explained

At the center of this process are two key institutions in Brazil’s environmental governance:

IBAMA (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis) is the Brazilian federal environmental agency responsible for implementing environmental policies. It oversees monitoring, enforcement, and compliance related to the use of natural resources.
CONAMA (Conselho Nacional do Meio Ambiente) is the National Environmental Council. It is a consultative and deliberative body that establishes environmental standards and regulations applicable at the national level.

Revision of CONAMA Resolution 406

IBAMA has officially announced its intention to revise CONAMA Resolution No. 406 of February 2, 2009, which sets out the technical parameters governing:

the submission of Sustainable Forest Management Plans,
their technical evaluation,
and their implementation.

This resolution has been a cornerstone of Brazil’s SFM regulatory framework for over 15 years.

To support this revision, IBAMA Ordinance No. 2460/25 established a working group composed of 17 members from IBAMA, academia, and research institutes.

A strategic issue for the tropical forestry sector

The revision of Resolution 406 is of high importance for the entire sustainable forest management sector in Brazil.

Beyond its national scope, this process may:

influence similar regulatory revisions in other Amazonian countries,
and contribute to reshaping operational standards for sustainable forest management across the region.

After more than 27 years of implementation of the current framework, forest management practices have significantly evolved, particularly in terms of:

inventory and monitoring technologies,
market requirements,
international legal frameworks,
and administrative procedures.

ATIBT’s engagement

In early March, IBAMA hosted at its headquarters in Brasília a group of private sector representatives (AIMEX, ATIBT, FNBF, and Precious Woods) to discuss key points of the report and to open a channel of communication with the sector. ATIBT is part of this private sector discussion group.

The goal is to contribute to a regulatory framework that is ambitious, enforceable, and tailored to the contemporary challenges of sustainable tropical forest management.