Brazilian Portuguese acronym for Programa Áreas Protegidas da Amazônia (ARPA), which means Amazon Region Protected Areas Program. The program was launched in 2002 by Federal Decree #4,326 and went into operation in 2003. The ARPA program aims to protect significant samples of Amazonian biodiversity on an unprecedented scale, bringing together state of the art in conservation biology and participatory integration of local communities.
By the end of 2012, a total of 117 protected areas were supported by ARPA.