SEMA - DEFAP (SECRETARIA ESTADUAL DO MEIO AMBIENTE - DIVISÃO DE FLORESTAS E ÁREAS PROTEGIDAS)

What SEMA - DEFAP (SECRETARIA ESTADUAL DO MEIO AMBIENTE - DIVISÃO DE FLORESTAS E ÁREAS PROTEGIDAS) does

SEMA - DEFAP is a division within the Secretaria do Meio Ambiente e Infraestrutura (SEMA) of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It operates as a state government environmental agency responsible for environmental policy, conservation unit management, water resource governance, wildlife and flora regulation, rural environmental registration, and environmental infraction adjudication across the state's territory. The agency serves rural landowners, municipalities, citizens, and regulated entities through a portfolio of public services including licensing, water use authorization, conservation area management, and animal welfare programs.

The agency runs several digital platforms that constitute its core technology stack: the Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR), migrated in August 2024 to the federal SiCAR platform with Gov.br authentication; the ClimaRS real-time climate and river-level monitoring platform (which recorded over 13,000 accesses during a single week of intense rainfall in late July 2026); the Sistema de Outorga de Água (SIOUT/RS) for water use authorization; the SEUC (Sistema Estadual de Unidades de Conservação) managing 24 state conservation units, 4 Private Natural Heritage Reserves, and 37 municipal conservation units; and the SOL (Sistema de Olinda) process management system used by the Juntas de Julgamento (JJIA and JSJR) administrative tribunals for environmental infractions. IT infrastructure is operated by PROCERGS, the state's central technology provider.

SEMA is funded through state government budgets rather than commercial revenue, and does not sell products or services in a commercial sense. Its "customers" are constituents, regulated parties (rural producers, water users, conservation permittees), and municipal governments receiving technical support. FEPAM (Fundação Estadual de Proteção Ambiental) operates as a related state foundation under the same government umbrella, handling licensing execution. Operational divisions include DUC (Conservation Units), DIPPA (Domestic Animal Policies), Juntas de Julgamento (JJIA/JSJR), and ancillary units such as the Jardim Botânico, Parque Zoológico, and Museu de Ciências Naturais.

Name

SEMA - DEFAP (SECRETARIA ESTADUAL DO MEIO AMBIENTE - DIVISÃO DE FLORESTAS E ÁREAS PROTEGIDAS)

Legal name

Secretaria do Meio Ambiente e Infraestrutura do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul

Website

https://sema.rs.gov.br

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SEMA-DEFAP is the forestry and protected areas division of Rio Grande do Sul's state environmental secretariat in Brazil, operating digital platforms (CAR/SiCAR, ClimaRS, SIOUT) and managing conservation units, water rights, and environmental infraction tribunals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Environmental Governance and Regulation

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

SIC

Forestry (800), Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration (BPAIABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH), Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG), Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM)

Keywords

• Environmental regulation services
• Rural environmental registry
• Water use authorization
• Conservation units management
• Environmental licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Porto Alegre

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SEMA-DEFAP is the State Environmental Secretariat of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, providing statutory environmental governance services including rural environmental registration (CAR), environmental licensing, water use authorization (outorga), conservation unit management, flora and fauna oversight, climate monitoring through the ClimaRS platform, and administrative adjudication of environmental infractions through the JJIA and JSJR judgment boards. The agency manages 24 state conservation units, a botanical garden, a zoological park, and a natural sciences museum, and operates specialized digital platforms integrated with federal systems like SiCAR and Gov.br.

Product overview

SEMA (Secretaria do Meio Ambiente e Infraestrutura) is the State Environmental Secretariat of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, operating as a government agency rather than a commercial technology company. Its core product portfolio consists of regulatory and service platforms including the Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR) for rural environmental registry, the ClimaRS real-time climate and river monitoring platform, and the Sistema de Outorga de Água for water use authorization. Administrative services include the Juntas de Julgamento (JJIA and JSJR) for environmental infraction adjudication. The agency manages 24 state Conservation Units, a Botanical Garden, Zoological Park, and Natural Sciences Museum. Service modules cover flora and fauna management, water resources, environmental licensing, and domestic animal policies. Most digital services migrated to federal platforms (SiCAR) with Gov.br authentication integration. The organization does not offer commercial products but provides public environmental governance services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ProClima2050: Climate change strategies and programs for Rio Grande do Sul, including greenhouse gas estimation, climate monitoring, and decarbonization initiatives
• Juntas de Julgamento
• SEUC - Sistema Estadual de Unidades de Conservação
• Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR)
• ClimaRS
• CECA - Câmara Estadual de Compensação Ambiental
• Jardim Botânico
• Parque Zoológico
• Museu de Ciências Naturais

Products and services

• Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR) The Rural Environmental Registry is an electronic public registry of environmental information for rural properties in Rio Grande do Sul, promoting identification and integration of environmental data to support environmental planning, monitoring, deforestation combat, and environmental regularization. Migrated to the Federal SiCAR platform in August 2024 with Gov.br authentication.
• ClimaRS Platform A real-time climate and river level monitoring platform that aggregates meteorological and hydrological data for the state of Rio Grande do Sul, providing alerts, river level tracking, and emergency contacts to support prevention actions during extreme weather events. Recorded over 13,000 accesses in a single week during intense rainfall events.
• Juntas de Julgamento de Infrações Ambientais (JJIA) First-instance administrative tribunal for environmental infractions, composed of four judgment chambers with technical members from SEMA, FEPAM, military police, and civil society entities that conduct judgment sessions to analyze environmental infractions and defenses in Rio Grande do Sul.
• Junta Superior de Julgamento de Recursos (JSJR)
• Water Use Authorization (Outorga) - SIOUT/RS
• Flora Management Services
• Wildlife (Fauna) Services
• Conservation Units Management
• Water Resources Services
• Jardim Botânico do RS
• Parque Zoológico de Sapucaia do Sul
• Museu de Ciências Naturais
• Environmental Legislation Portal
• Domestic Fauna - DIPPA Public Policies for Animals
• ProClima2050 Climate Change Program
• CECA - Câmara Estadual de Compensação Ambiental
• Parque Estadual de Itapuã
• Estação Ecológica Estadual Aratinga

Quantifiable outcome

• SEUC manages 24 State Conservation Units, 4 Private Natural Heritage Reserves, and 37 municipal conservation units
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PROCERGS (Centro de Tecnologia da Informação e Comunicação do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul S.A.)coreTechnology or IntegrationPROCERGS serves as the technology operator for SEMA's information systems, providing IT infrastructure and digital platform maintenance. Address: Praça dos Açorianos, s/n - Centro Histórico, Porto Alegre – RS. CEP 90010-340.
• FEPAM (Fundação Estadual de Proteção Ambiental)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFEPAM is the state environmental protection foundation that works in conjunction with SEMA for environmental licensing, monitoring, and enforcement. Located in Rio Grande do Sul.
• Defense Civil (Defesa Civil)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for climate monitoring and emergency alerts through the ClimaRS platform, enabling coordinated response to extreme weather events.
• CEEE EquatorialminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElectricity distribution company that reports to SEMA on distribution operations in Rio Grande do Sul through the CEEE Par program.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IBAMA - Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis: Brazil's federal environmental agency overseeing national-level licensing, enforcement, and environmental policy. Provides the federal regulatory framework that state agencies like SEMA operate within, including shared SiCAR Federal infrastructure.
• ICMBio - Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade: Brazilian federal institute responsible for managing federal conservation units. Comparable as a conservation unit operator in Brazil and as a higher-tier authority that may intervene in state-level conservation matters.

Direct peers

• INEA - Instituto Estadual do Ambiente do Rio de Janeiro: State environmental institute of Rio de Janeiro performing licensing, water resource management, and conservation oversight. Comparable scope and digital platform portfolio (INEA provides similar state-level regulatory authority and monitoring services).
• IMA - Instituto do Meio Ambiente de Santa Catarina: State environmental institute of neighboring Santa Catarina, performing environmental licensing, monitoring, and conservation management. Directly comparable due to regional proximity and similar agricultural and climate context in Brazil's South Region.
• SEMA - Secretaria de Estado de Meio Ambiente de Mato Grosso: Mato Grosso's state environmental secretariat managing a large conservation and forestry portfolio. Comparable for its role in CAR registration, deforestation monitoring, and biome-specific conservation policy.
• IAT - Instituto Água e Terra do Paraná: State environmental institute of Paraná handling water resources, environmental licensing, and biodiversity. Highly comparable as a neighboring South Region state with similar agricultural landscape and water governance challenges.
• SEMAD - Secretaria de Estado de Meio Ambiente e Desenvolvimento Sustentável de Minas Gerais: State environmental secretariat of Minas Gerais. Directly comparable as another large Brazilian state-level environmental authority handling licensing, conservation, water resources, and biodiversity management with similar institutional structure.

Emerging players

• FEPAM - Fundação Estadual de Proteção Ambiental Henrique Luiz Roessler: FEPAM is the environmental licensing foundation operating alongside SEMA within Rio Grande do Sul's environmental governance. Comparable as a related state foundation handling licensing, monitoring, and enforcement that complements SEMA's regulatory authority.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@semargs
• Facebookfacebook.com/secretariadomeioambienters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sema---defap-secretaria-estadual-do-meio-ambiente---divis-o-de-florestas-e-reas-protegidas-
• Instagraminstagram.com/semargs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SEMA - DEFAP (SECRETARIA ESTADUAL DO MEIO AMBIENTE - DIVISÃO DE FLORESTAS E ÁREAS PROTEGIDAS)