The Brazilian program of environmental services, called "Water Supplier", is based on financial incentives relative to the erosion reduction by the implementation of voluntary soil conservation projects by farmers. However, this program has no pre-established restrictions of eligibility of application areas or conservation proposals. With a view to contribute to the methodological development of this program, a new approach was proposed, by analysis of two main changes: introduction of eligibility criteria, and the use of land suitability for recommendation of proposals for intensive soil use and conservation. For this purpose, a rural catchment was studied near the Brazilian Pantanal, in Terenos, MS. The new eligibility criteria were based on the natural erosion risk (ratio of natural erosion potential and soil loss tolerance). The land use proposals, in turn, were based on a pre-defined land suitability map. This study reveals that the new eligibility criteria covered only about 40 % of the study area. The classification of land suitability in this area reduced the intensive land use alternatives dramatically, indicating it largely for cattle ranching. The analysis of the two innovation proposals of the program "Water Supplier" allowed inferences on their potential to generate strategies for implementing the program, and to promote a more efficient use of financial resources for payment for environmental services in the Brazilian context.
sustainable land use; soil conservation; agro-environmental policies
