Espírito Santo, Santa Catarina and Minas Gerais will have resources to recover springs in areas of permanent preservation, through projects of civil society organizations contemplated by the National Environmental Fund (FNMA). In the last week of December 2016, the Fund allocated R$ 8.2 million to three projects registered in Notice 01/2015, entitled Recovery of Permanent Preservation Areas for Water Production.

“The three projects celebrated in December consolidate FNMA’s historic partnership with civil society organizations for the conservation and recovery of the environment,” said Environment Minister Sarney Filho.

The Secretary of Water Resources and Urban Environment of the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) and director of the FNMA, Jair Vieira Tannús, said that the forest restoration of areas bordering water bodies contributes directly to increase water availability. “The 01/2015 Call is a response of the ministry to the water crisis that continues to affect several metropolitan areas of the country,” he said.

METROPOLITAN REGIONS
The objective was to select projects aimed at forest recovery in permanent preservation areas located in hydrographic basins whose surface sources contribute to the supply of reservoirs in metropolitan regions with high water criticality index.

The notice has the resources of six partners, in addition to the FNMA: Climate Fund, National Forest Development Fund, Caixa Social Fund, Fund for the Defense of Diffuse Rights of the Ministry of Justice and National Water Agency, with an investment of R $ 45 million.

Espírito Santo
The Brazilian Sea Institute (Ibramar), located in the state of Espírito Santo, received R$ 2.8 million for forest recovery in permanent preservation areas around the springs and marginal strips of the watercourses of the Jucu River Basin, located In the district of Paraju, municipality of Domingos Martins. The surface water sources of this river contribute to the supply of the reservoirs of the Greater Vitória metropolitan region.

With the Santa Maria da Vitória River Basin, Rio Jucu is responsible for supplying about 90% of the population of Greater Vitória. According to a study carried out by MMA, the project area is part of the Atlantic Forest biome, considered a priority area of ​​extremely high biological importance for conservation, sustainable use and sharing of benefits of Brazilian biodiversity (MMA Ordinance No. 9, January 23, 2007 ).

According to a study carried out by the SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation, land use in the Jucu river basin is mostly agricultural and livestock farming, also with economic activities in horticulture, industry, tourism and electric power generation. Due to these activities, the basin suffers a series of environmental impacts and deforestation, especially in areas of riparian forest, which causes silting of water courses.

The beneficiaries of the project will be mainly small rural family farmers with properties of up to four fiscal modules, distributed in 12 communities (Alto Tijuco Preto, Tijuco Preto, Barra do Tijuco Preto, Cristo Rei, São Rafael, Alto Areinha, Areinha, Ribeirão Capixaba, Goiabeiras, High Point, Perobas and Alto Paraju). Approximately 602 families will benefit directly, and indirectly, teachers, students, public managers, community leaders and organized civil organizations.

SANTA CATARINA
The Association of Municipalities of the Itapocu Valley will have R$ 2.9 million to recover rivers in areas of springs and riparian forests that contribute to the supply of municipalities in the Catarinense Northeastern Region of the Itapocu River Basin, in the Mata Atlântica biome.

The main water body targeted for recovery is the Itapocu River. A total of 256 hectares of recovery is estimated at 535 properties of family farmers. All microbasins and areas to be recovered are of extremely high and very high priority for the conservation of biodiversity, according to the Map of Priority Areas and Protected Areas published by MMA.

We identified 66 springs to be recovered. For the execution of the project will be used the Municipal Nursery of Corupá, where will be received, stored and cared for seedlings acquired for later planting in degraded areas.

The main land use in the areas of permanent preservation in the Itapocu Valley is agriculture, especially banana cultivation and riziculture. There are also exotic species (eucalyptus, ornamental plants and palm trees), other crops and also many pastures.

MINAS GERAIS
The Biodiversitas Foundation for the Conservation of Biological Diversity will receive R $ 2.5 million for Forest recovery from areas of permanent preservation areas that contribute to the supply of the metropolitan area of ​​Belo Horizonte. The region has 1.7 million people, mainly supplied by water from the Paraopeba and Rio das Velhas systems.

Of the Paraopeba system, with only 30.5% of its capacity, the Rio Manso System reservoir supplies more than 28.3% of the population. Of the total of 67 thousand hectares of basin area, only 9 thousand hectares are the responsibility of the Companhia de Abastecimento de Minas Gerais (Copasa). The rest suffers from various environmental degradation processes, due to poor soil use.

Almost 80% of the soil of the Manso River Basin is occupied by agricultural activities. The remnants of semideciduous seasonal forest vegetation correspond to a little more than 15% and are mostly located around the reservoir. Remnants of cerrado and campo, add up to just under 3%. The great fragmentation of the natural vegetation indicates the necessity of recomposition of the vegetation. There are also mining activities in the basin.

The restoration projects will be developed in the special protection area of ​​Rio Manso, created by state decree 27,928 of 1988 to protect the spring in the municipalities of Brumadinho, Rio Manso and Itatiaiuçu. The project aims to restore approximately 410 hectares along water courses and small family farms’ smallholdings owned by up to four tax modules. Farmers already enrolled in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) of Minas Gerais will have priority and assistance will be given to those who have not yet done the CAR.

The restoration shall comply with that established by Forest Law 12.651 / 12, considering the width of the consolidated APP as a function of the size of the rural property. In the Manso River Basin, 1,946 springs and 1,731.48 linear kilometers of water courses were mapped. It is estimated that 150 to 200 properties to be served, considering an average restoration of 2 to 2.5 ha per property. The remnants of natural vegetation will be used as a seed bank for community nurseries to be installed.

CONTRACTS
In total, 18 projects were selected by the Deliberative Council of FNMA. In 2016, eight contracts were signed, totaling R$ 22 million, of which R $ 14 million from MMA and R$ 8 million from the Caixa Socioambiental Fund.

In addition to these three projects with civil society organizations, throughout 2016, agreements were signed with the Municipality of São José dos Campos, the Bahia Water Infrastructure and Sanitation Secretariat, the Bahiana Water and Sanitation Company (Embasa), the Sanitation Company of Goiás (Saneago) and the Company of Sanitation of Minas Gerais (Copasa).