Origin and goals

Welcome to the site of Cílios do Ribeira – a campaign aiming to recover the riparian forest zones in the Ribeira Valley. The partnership between the Vidágua Environmental Institute (Instituto Vidágua) and the Socio-Environmental Institute (Instituto Socio-Ambiental or ISA), in partnership with more than 40 public institutions and local organizations, will develop an effort to focus on strategic activities with the goal of protecting water resources and reversing the current rate of degradation to the Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) in Ribeira de Iguape River watershed, where one can find some of the best preserved stretches of Atlantic rainforest in Brazil.

What is a riparian forest?

The term “riparian forest” refers to the forests closest to the shores of rivers and larger streams, usually located within 30 and 100 meters (100 to 330 feet) from the shores of the water ways. They play an important role in maintaining the health of the waters and support an especially rich biodiversity that is not only beautiful, but provide priceless services to the overall health of the ecosystem.

In the last 20 years the Vale do Ribeira lost more than 10,500 football fields of riparian forest just in the area of the region which is located in the state of São Paulo. The Ribeira de Iguape River, which was one of the first areas to be colonized in Brazil, is now facing a new threat. As if past problems with lead and pesticide contamination, the Valo Grande dam built in the estuary between the valley and Ilha Comprida, and proposals for the construction of other hydroelectric dams in its waters weren’t enough, it is now threatened by the rise of destructive and short sighted economic activities along its shores. The information collected thus far points to the destruction of more than 500 football fields of riparian forest per year, the consequences of which are being felt as the river becomes filled with sediments, the water quality is compromised due to contamination by heavy metals and pesticides, fish stocks diminish, flood levels increase, soil erosion continues, and fertility is reduced.

Soil Erosion in the Vale do Ribeira: small islands forming in the riverbed reveal the impacts of sedimentation

Concerned with this situation, Vidágua and the ISA approved two projects aimed at beginning a dialogue on the issues related to the protection of the waterway and the recovery of buffer forest in the region. Vidágua, along with the National Fund for the Environment (FNMA), approved the project titled “The Strategic Plan for the Recovery of Buffer Forests in the Ribeira de Iguape River Watershed”, and the ISA approved, along with the Ribeira de Iguape River Watershed Committee, a project called “Sustainable Ribeira: Social Mobilization for the Conservation and Recuperation of Buffer Forests in the Ribeira River Valley”.

In October of the past year both institutions reached an agreement for the collective development of two initiatives and began a movement integrating the issue of riparian deforestation into the region’s environmental agenda. The overarching goal is to seek the creation of a larger regional campaign to spread initiatives and activities aimed at the defense of the cultural heritage and biodiversity of the Vale do Ribeira.

The destruction of riparian forests results in soil erosion on the river’s shores

Goals of the Campaign

The Cilios do Ribeira Campaign is primarily oriented to the promotion of regional action against riparian deforestation by involving a wide range of organizations, community, state, and federal governing bodies, businesses, schools, and property owners. It aims to elaborate a strategic and sustainable plan for the recuperation of riparian forests and began by working on 120 hectares (2.47 acres) with the goal of protecting the rivers and the biodiversity in the area. The project will include 33 communities in the basin (23 of them in the state of São Paulo, 10 in Paraná) and will refine technical studies on the loss of buffer forests, produce 230,000 seedlings of native species, as well as promote the training of technicians and local communities in the process of reforestation and the production of seedlings. It is also looks to directly involve public schools in the Vale do Ribeira in environmental education activities and engage the rural property owners and the communities at large in the reversal of current environmental degradation.

A project of this magnitude requires widespread community involvement in order to have success, whether it be in familiarizing people with the issues and promoting the understanding of the problems facing the development of planned activities, or creating sustainable alternative income sources. The proposal of a widespread regional involvement of diverse segments of the populations of São Paulo and Paraná is in the long term interests of the initiative and strengthens the debate over plans for intervention, recovery, and protection of riparian forests and the health of the waterways in the Ribeira de Iguape River watershed.

Overview: The Cílios do Ribeira campaign seeks to:

• Strengthen the understanding of the essential role played by riparian forests in order to demonstrate the possibility of improving the quality of the water and other natural resources in the region
• Stimulate a discussion of the new relationships and partnerships between the public powers and the local communities
• Involve local communities in the management of their water resources
• Develop new and sustainable alternatives for the rational use of land
• Construct replicable, efficient, and participative models for reforestation, with the possibility of generating jobs and income.
• Conserve and protect biodiversity

Other goals of the campaign:

• Map local actors and institutions for the discussion of the campaign’s strategies
• Forge partnerships for the formation of an advisory board for the management of the campaign
• Expand on current technical studies on the situation in the Permanent Protection Areas (APPs), especially of those concerning riparian forests in the section of the Ribeira basin lying in Paraná
• Solicit new funds for the financing of projects protecting sources of drinking water and buffer forests
• Mobilize and engage public and social sectors for participation in the environmental regeneration of the basin
• Produce and make available technical information for the protection, maintenance, and recuperation of the buffer forests
Specific goals:
• Recover 120 hectares of buffer forest, divided between the 30 municipalities in the basin (including both São Paulo and Paraná)
• Produce 230,000 seedlings of native forest species
• Generate jobs and income for the local communities in reforestation and the production of seedlings
• Train 250 local technicians in the production of seedlings and seeds
• Directly involve 93 public schools from the Vale do Ribeira in environmental education activities