Reforestation program Mutirão Reflorestamento, Rio de Janeiro

Date of entry : 02/04/2019

Date of last edition : 01/12/2020

Tabgroup

Informations

Solution ID

Title of Nature Base Solution

Reforestation program Mutirão Reflorestamento, Rio de Janeiro

External links

https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/58723

https://www.lincolninst.edu/sites/default/files/pubfiles/lange_wp18wl1.pdf

Description of solution

Summary (Challenges; Objectives)

The general mission of this program is to restore the vegetation cover of the Mata Atlântica biome in the city of Rio de Janeiro by recovering degraded and permanent protection areas. The program started in the 1980s as part of measures by city hall to increase the quality of lif e in the informal settlements. The activities were from the beginning implemented with strong social inclusion as the workers for reforesting the areas came from the surrounding communities. Nowadays the program functions as well via contracting by private companies, environmental compensation or by mechanisms of tributary exemption (fiscal incentives).

Thus, reforestation projects aim not only at reducing landslide risk, but at the same time contribute to biodiversity protection and enhancement of ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration and food provision as well as increasing scenic beauty. Therefore, these measures also seek to provide benefits for the communities, for instance using fruits and medicinal plant organs, according to the reforestation expert from SMAC.

2 cases were studied in detail: Morro da Formiga and Morro dos Prazeres

Technical characteristics

Regarding the implementation of a reforestation project, a multi-criteria prioritization methodology has been developed more recently considering the following criteria:

Adjacency to existing forest fragments;
Adjacency to existing reforestation projects;
Proximity to informal settlements less than 1,000 meters;
Within an environmental conservation area;
Area size bigger than ten hectares;
Access via public road;
Landslide risk;
Slope higher than 30 percent; and
Slope orientation to north.

These criteria are ranked by their importance which shows that the factor of landslide risk is so far of less priority as it only gets the lowest value of four, whereas the adjacency to existing fragments and reforestation areas get the highest values of 19.Data of the vegetation mapping of SMAC (SIG Floresta) shows that reforestation projects have been implemented in 2,158 ha.

Success factors / lessons learnt

Ecosystem-based solutions have also been considered but are so far limited to reforestation measures that could be strongly enhanced and are not fully integrated in overall urban policies and planning. Here, a more holistic approach could serve to tap the full potential of reforestation measures, e.g. by including additional benefits for the local population or by combining approaches used by SMAC and Geo-Rio to hybrid solutions as well as paying more attention to small scale areas and monitoring. The interlinkages between urban planning, environmental management, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction require a more systematic and comprehensive approach to disaster risk management, which in the past has mainly been reactive rather than preventive, engineering focused rather than based on planning and use of natural landscape features to prevent disaster risks. Thus, there is still a high potential that has not been explored yet.

Location Latitude

-22.9134110000

Location Longitude

-43.3299800000

Comment on location

Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Keywords

Ecosystem (s) impacted

Urban

Hazard(s) concerned

Floods

Landslides

Other challenges

Climate adaptation

Ecosystem conservation

Human well-being/Recreational activities

Local communities involvement

Ecosystem restoration

Exposition

Exposed assets

Urban or residential areas

Is there population exposed?

Yes, high density of population (>200 persons/km2)

International classification

Sustainable development goals addressed

SDG3 – Good Health and Well-being

SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 13 – Climate action

Sendai Frameword priorities addressed

Priority 3. Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience

Actors

Who are the beneficiaries of the action

inhabitants

Others

Participatory process

Yes

Partcipatory approaches/ community involvement

The already implemented projects have been carried out in cooperation with the local communities.

Evaluation

Risk reduction

Hazard

Exposure

Vulnerability

Feasibility

Technical Feasibility

Economic Feasibility

Environment

Water

Soil

Vegetation

Landscape

Biodiversity

Society

Quality of Life

Community involvement

Landscape Heritage

Economy

Revitalization

Local Economy