Curitiba, a Generation Restoration pilot city, laid the foundation for Brazil’s first municipal environmental asset market, while demonstrating how expanding urban/peri-urban agriculture can restore ecosystems while strengthening food security and climate resilience.

About the city

Curitiba has a population of approximately 1.7 million people, and its metro area has a population of over 3.2 million. It is located in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil, and is situated inland approximately 100 miles from the Atlantic coast. Curitiba has a humid, subtropical climate, with mild winters and warm summers, generally receiving rainfall all year. Curitiba is known for its strong economy, which is dominated by industry and services, and is recognized as an ecological capital for its urban and environmental innovations.

Local challenges

Despite Curitiba’s significant rainfall year-round, extreme precipitation poses threats to the city, with consequences including soil impermeability, flooding, and landslides. At the same time, rising temperatures pose challenges, particularly due to the urban heat island effect. These challenges are exacerbated by Curitiba’s rapid expansion in recent decades. In the last 40 years, Curitiba’s urban expansion has resulted in the loss of over 8,000 hectares of agricultural land and 600 hectares of forests on the city’s periphery, leading to fragmented green areas and a loss of agricultural production and resilience. Furthermore, Curitiba struggles with issues of pollution from low recycling rates and open dumping, as well as substandard water quality in several waterbodies.

Action through Generation Restoration

The pilot project in Curitiba aimed to establish the foundations for innovative financing mechanisms and planning tools that connect local restoration initiatives to new sources of environmental revenue. The project involved two complementary components: 1) inputs for the creation of a municipal carbon market, encouraging projects that protect biodiversity, support the provision of ecosystem services, and support community development, and 2) strengthening agroecological urban and peri-urban agriculture as a productive form of ecosystem restoration.

Carbon market

The carbon market analysis began with a comprehensive inventory of Curitiba’s natural capital, including ecosystems, species, and green spaces. Natural capital was linked to six strategic areas related to ecosystem services: food security, conservation and restoration of biodiversity and habitats, water quantity and quality, soil protection and use, greenhouse gas emissions vs. removals, and renewable energy use and energy efficiency. From this, an initial economic valuation of Curitiba’s natural capital was conducted, considering select assets such as urban gardening, carbon sequestration from street trees and native vegetation, and biodiversity credits, highlighting the economic value of the city’s natural assets. 

The project also created a proposal for an updated and improved Biodiversity Index for Curitiba, reflecting the current state of biodiversity in the city and serving as a management tool to support conservation efforts. The methodology focused on three categories: urban biodiversity, ecosystem services, and governance and management. Overall, the results were positive for Curitiba. The report determined that habitat restoration, control of invasive species, water regulation, climate regulation via vegetation, budget allocated to biodiversity, and the number of biodiversity projects implemented annually need improvement, providing a basis to focus attention on restoration projects that would most support biodiversity within the city. 

Another analysis included an in-depth assessment of the ecosystem services provided by local biodiversity conservation and nature protection policies, especially those focused on climate adaptation and resilience. The assessment emphasized initiatives such as conservation units, tree planting, and urban agriculture, and resulted in a series of recommendations to improve the city’s provision of ecosystem services, including environmental, social, and governance interventions. The assessment was intended to inform the design and improvement of future policies and projects that will enhance the city’s sustainability and livability.

The project engaged in a strategic analysis of environmental markets and methodologies relevant to the municipality’s programs and projects. The analysis focused on carbon market credits, renewable energy credits, plastic credits, and biodiversity credits, with a focus on urban environments. Key findings showed that Curitiba already implements various policies and programs that are eligible for environmental markets, and that its projects in electromobility, solar energy, plastic recycling, urban agriculture, reforestation, and native forest conservation are the most promising for generating credits. This provided the Curitiba municipality with strategic insights for market participation and potential revenue generation.

From this, the project conducted a comprehensive study on the technical and financial feasibility of environmental assets projects in Curitiba, such as carbon credits, that could be conducted by the Curitiba city government. The study evaluated 10 initiatives, considering factors such as project outputs, credit volume, revenue, investments, net present value, internal rate of return, and payback period. The study proposed creating a municipal environmental asset market to incentivize good practices in greenhouse gas reduction, plastic pollution mitigation, renewable energy generation, and biodiversity conservation. From this analysis, the project identified priority environmental projects, based on their eligibility and feasibility for generating carbon credits, biodiversity credits, and other environmental assets. These include e-mobility, composting, biochar application in urban agriculture, biodiversity credits from native green areas, and plastic credits from recycling. These projects were deemed especially strategic due to their short-term and high-impact nature. 

Following this, the project created detailed roadmaps for environmental asset projects in Curitiba, to move projects from concepts to active initiatives on the ground. The roadmaps outlined steps for implementation, including registration, validation, monitoring, verification/certification, and issuance of credits, focusing on carbon credits from e-mobility, composting, and biochar application in urban agriculture.

Finally, the project involved training provided to the staff of the Curitiba city government, which aimed to present the scope and outcomes of the pilot project to government officials, discuss implementation of environmental assets projects, and gather feedback. 

Urban and peri-urban agriculture

The agricultural component of the project explored the potential for agriculture as a nature-based solution that simultaneously restores degraded land while providing food and other ecosystem services. 

The project produced a mapping of degraded areas throughout Curitiba, and where productive restoration could occur. To achieve this, the project analyzed land use changes in the city to map the fronts of urban expansion, and then linked these areas to other climate risks (i.e. heat and flooding). From this, areas with the highest degree of degradation were identified, and four restoration modalities were proposed: urban and peri-urban agroecological restoration, restoration within the built environment, restoration of protected areas, and restoration of forest and grassland remnants. This enabled the development of technical and spatial criteria to guide the planning and prioritization of restoration actions.

Another component involved the design of sustainability criteria for Curitiba’s public food procurement that would promote sustainable and local food production. This involved a rating system for producers based on factors such as waste management, water efficiency, soil conservation, biodiversity, and gender equity, as well as a system for certification and verification for small producers. 

The project also involved a quantification of ecosystem service benefits from the expansion of 2,000 hectares of urban/peri-urban agriculture in Curitiba, using scenario modeling. The findings indicated that carbon storage of 64,000 tons (236,000 CO2e) would equate to a value of approximately 3.5 million dollars. Additionally, local cooling effects of urban hotspots would increase by up to 1ºC in urban hotspots and strengthen resilience against floods. Financing for urban agriculture upscaling could be complemented by marketing carbon credits and ecosystem services. 

Finally, the project enabled policy recommendations to promote urban agriculture, agroecological transition, and ecosystem service provision, integrating innovative financing mechanisms to advance urban restoration, food security, climate resilience, and equity. Key recommendations include a commitment to no net loss of green or natural areas and offsetting new built or paved areas with restoration of re-naturalization equivalents; including urban agriculture in the city master plan, zoning, and land use policies; and strengthening and aligning Curitiba’s municipal program for urban and peri-urban agriculture by aligning it with regional food and resilience policies. 

Main outcomes

The pilot project in Curitiba established important analytical and planning infrastructure to create an innovative market for environmental assets while strengthening urban and peri-urban agriculture, contributing to the city’s climate resilience and food security. 

Through a series of assessments and analyses focused on natural capital, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and markets, the project enabled the identification of strategic opportunities for investment into nature-based solutions. A particularly novel approach was the project’s emphasis on small- and medium-sized local projects, creating a mechanism by which local buyers of carbon credits can invest in these smaller scale enterprises inside the municipality, strengthening the circular economy while supporting those engaged in local environment and sustainability initiatives. 

The project also advanced significant understanding of the potential of urban and peri-urban agriculture as an ecosystem restoration method while fostering urban food security in Curitiba. By modeling the conversion of 2,000 hectares of land in Curitiba for urban and peri-urban agriculture, there were various noteworthy findings: storage of 64,000 tons of carbon resulted in a carbon sequestration potential of 236,000 tons of CO2e, valued at 3.5 million USD; cooling capacity of 1°C; increase in water infiltration 233,130 m³ during heavy rainfall events, equivalent to gray engineering solutions and reducing flood risk; increased access to green space for 166,000 people; and potential to compost up to 20,000 tons of organic waste per year and avoid the emission of up to 7,000 tons of CO2e per year.     

This body of evidence and technical base, combined with close collaboration with the municipality’s technical teams and political leadership, accelerated policy uptake and is reflected in recent advances in public policies. The most significant uptake occurred in the Climate Law (16645/25), which proposes the creation of a municipal carbon market focused on community-based restoration initiatives, including urban agriculture based on the progress of the pilot project.

The Municipality of Curitiba has consolidated its trajectory in addressing the climate crisis in conjunction with the support of relevant institutional stakeholders, such as C40, ICLEI, financing agents, and multiple actors from the municipal public administration and organized civil society. This was done through internal and external governance structures, under the coordination of the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment of Curitiba and the Urban Planning Institute of Curitiba.

The project also resulted in various legal advancements for urban agriculture. This is reflected in the urban agriculture revised law (n.16646/25), which formally recognizes urban agriculture as a regenerative and conservation-oriented activity of social interest and economic relevance. These advances are also evident in the Solidarity Food Programme (decree n.2593), which incorporated urban farmers as both suppliers and beneficiaries, enabling public procurements to act as a driver for strengthening local food production, avoiding emissions, and generating income. Furthermore, the process of developing and incorporating the results of the ecosystem services assessment contributed to strengthening governance and engagement with different relevant actors, as well as unlocking funding for the city’s parallel “Food Connection” Program through strategic partnerships, notably with electric power companies. Taken together, these policies constitute a coherent policy mix, with converging actions on restoration, climate mitigation and adaptation, food security, and the transformation of urban food systems.

Overall, both project components provided a strong, interconnected framework for financing nature-based solutions, for a more climate-resilient, biodiverse, food-secure city.

Highlight impact metrics

  • Benefits of upscaling urban agriculture in 2,000 hectares: 236,000 tons of CO2e, valued at 3.5 million USD; cooling capacity of 1° C; increase in water infiltration 233,130 m³; increased access to green space for 166,000 people; and potential to compost up to 20,000 tons of organic waste per year
  • Environmental assets markets: 10 municipal environmental-asset projects evaluated; 5 priority projects identified

Pilot City

City Map

Partners

Ecosystem Types

Farmlands, Forests and Urban areas

Project Budget

$80,000 USD

Project Duration

October 2024 – September 2025

Climate, Biodiversity, and Pollution Risks Addressed

  • Extreme temperatures
  • Extreme precipitation / flooding
  • Habitat destruction
  • Species loss / extinction
  • Ecosystem degradation
  • Water pollution
  • Soil contamination
  • Waste mismanagement

Restoration Techniques Applied

  • Composting
  • Ecological connectivity
  • Tree planting
  • Urban agriculture

Key learnings & next steps

The project generated key lessons on how cities can scale nature-based solutions, productive restoration, and trade environmental assets:

  • Cities advancing carbon markets: The pilot project demonstrated the strategic role cities can play in emerging carbon markets, acting as enablers by keeping compensation within municipal boundaries, supporting the aggregation and commercialization of smallholders’ credits, creating local funds from credit sales to incentivize community initiatives, reducing monitoring costs, and facilitating engagement with potential corporate buyers.
  • Strong collaborations: A second key learning was the importance of close, continuous collaboration between the UNEP technical team and municipal secretariats, particularly Environment and Food Security. Working side by side allowed technical assessments to be directly shaped by policy needs, institutional mandates, and implementation constraints, increasing both relevance and uptake. This proximity also enabled an iterative process in which technical depth was maintained while progressively elevating discussions to higher decision-making levels, including other secretaries/bodies and the Mayor’s office, ensuring political ownership and strategic alignment.
  • Network activation and multi-level governance: Another lesson learned was the importance of networking by activating the ecosystem of companies and carbon market players, contributing to the strengthening of governance through collaboration with startups and large companies in the electricity sector. The project further highlighted the value of a multilevel governance approach. Alignment with national policies on urban agriculture, food security, climate action, and restoration helped legitimize local innovation, reduce institutional friction, and open pathways for scaling and replication. At the same time, drawing on international best practices allowed Curitiba to benchmark its ambitions, adapt proven instruments, and avoid reinventing solutions that have already shown results elsewhere.
  • Working group: Finally, the establishment of a working group on urban agriculture and restoration, connecting Curitiba with São Paulo, and Manaus, proved essential for peer learning. This horizontal exchange accelerated learning, fostered consistency across approaches, and created a community of practice capable of adapting the model to different socio-ecological contexts.     

Moving forward, Curitiba aims to integrate the technical evidence from the pilot project into the revision of the Municipality’s Climate Plan and the Master Plan, consolidating a future vision in which productive restoration, green infrastructure, and environmental incentive mechanisms become structuring elements of urban development. Based on this strategic alignment, the Municipality will advance the implementation of regulatory and financial instruments aimed at stimulating restoration and urban agriculture, ensuring scale, environmental integrity, legal security, and long-term territorial sustainability.

Meet the community

The information gathered for Curitiba by UNEP’s Urban Generation and Restoration project is essential for addressing the climate emergency, as it contributes to the design and implementation of evidence-based public policies that address one of the main causes of the climate and civilizational crisis we are experiencing, which is the distance between humanity and nature. By bringing the recovery of urban ecosystems and biodiversity to the center of the debate, expanding areas of access to nature, and strengthening urban agroecology practices such as community gardens and agroforestry, the project takes an important step toward building a truly sustainable and socio-environmentally just metropolis.

— Curitiba Institute for Research and Urban Planning (IPPUC), a strategic partner during the pilot project

The project encompasses all aspects of sustainability and is aligned with everything we have achieved through this partnership between the City of Curitiba and COPEL, as well as everything COPEL has been building in the area of sustainability, reinforcing our purpose to continue and further strengthen this partnership in favor of community gardens in Curitiba and the regularization of cultivation throughout the city. Copel also works constantly on climate issues, and it is very good to see urban agriculture also embracing this theme. We are very happy to be part of this movement and to see the growth of the city of Curitiba towards increasingly inclusive and sustainable development.

—Companhia Paranaense de Energia (COPEL), a strategic partner in the development of Curitiba's urban agriculture policy

The UNEP project is proof that urban regeneration is no longer a niche agenda but has become a strategic imperative. It requires changes in trust and traceability of impact. The partnership between Ambiente Livre and Bion was established on the direct recommendation of UNEP, which recognized the urgency of anchoring community impact actions in verifiable and traceable technology. UNEP's role was essential in helping us achieve great results in a decentralized manner, addressing everything from the micro to the macro, starting with community composting to achieve climate mitigation. This is fundamental, as decentralized composting not only restores the ecosystem (improving soil quality and diverting organic waste from landfills), but can also generate income for urban gardens through the sale of potential carbon credits.

—Coletivo Ambiente Livre (Free Environment Collective) – Compostroca Project, part of the Curitiba Urban Farm program

Beyond Restoration

In addition to its restoration projects, Curitiba has developed a strong institutional and technical foundation to integrate nature-based solutions into long-term urban planning and decision-making. The city uses a robust set of data and analytical tools, provided by the Institute for Research and Urban Planning of Curitiba (IPPUC), to guide spatial prioritization and policy design. These include geospatial datasets on land use change, flood-prone areas, urban heat islands, food access, and socio-environmental vulnerability, which are used to identify areas where restoration can simultaneously address climate risk, ecosystem degradation, and social inequities. 

Curitiba also employs various legal and financial support mechanisms to support its restoration and nature-based solutions agenda. These include the Transfer of Development Rights, which allows landowners in environmentally sensitive or protected areas to sell unused construction potential to other parts of the city, creating a direct financial incentive for conservation and restoration on private land. The city also utilizes environmental zoning and drainage planning instruments, which restrict development in flood-prone areas and enable the use of green infrastructure for urban flood management. In parallel, Curitiba applies a set of innovative financing and implementation mechanisms to operationalize nature-based solutions, including environmental compensation funds, payment for ecosystem services schemes, and the integration of green infrastructure into drainage, sanitation, and urban redevelopment budgets. Curitiba's innovative cross-section of restoration programming also made it a Generation Restoration role model city. 

Other resources

This project also engaged the following collaborators: