Recovery initiatives redesign the production model by using technologies and expand repair work.
Rural owners of Mariana participate in a series of initiatives aimed at repairing the rural properties affected by the collapse of the Fundão dam and, at the same time, the environmental adaptation required by Brazilian legislation. The activities developed by Renova Foundation’ s Sustainable Land Use Front (Frente de Uso Sustentável da Terra – UST) redesign the production model with the use of sustainable technologies and strategies, relying on the engagement and awareness of those rural producers.
The recovery actions go beyond repairing the damage caused by the tailings; they adopt a systemic view on the rural properties. The production activity and the need to work on the environmental compliance adaptation according to Brazilian legislation norms are considered.
“The protagonists of all these processes are the rural producers, and all integrated repair work is carried out taking into account the preferences of the family and the suitability of the property,” says Renova Foundation UST Specialist Gabriel Kruschewsky.
As of July this year, 54 rural properties in Mariana have received the Socioeconomic and Environmental Compliance Plan (Plano de Adequação Socioeconômica e Ambiental – PASEAs). The initiative is part of the Socioeconomic and Environmental Compliance Plan (Pasea), implemented in partnership with the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Company of the State of Minas (EMATER-MG). The objective of Pasea is to promote environmental compliance, recovery of springs, degraded pastures and legal reserves, compliance and improvement of rural structures such as animal enclosures and stables, installation of domestic sewage treatment systems, diversification of products, among other measures.
Renova Foundation also encourages the adherence to project development assistance programs, such as Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Ater), regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply. As of July, 40 Mariana producers received assistance, adding up to 681 hours.
To encourage livestock genetic improvement and increased productivity, the Renova Herd program combines artificial insemination technology with herd management techniques. As of July this year, 39 visits were made to producers in the municipality, with 102 births and 35 pregnant animals.
Water
The conservation of water and soil in the impacted areas in the city is done through the implementation of techniques such as the construction of 43 mini dams (small reservoirs for rainwater collection) in pasture areas.
The recovery of Springs is another area of work of Renova Foundation in the municipality. By July, 248 springs were assessed and 144 were fenced. Another 34 springs received native species from the Atlantic Forest.
For the environmental compliance of rural properties and control of erosive processes, approximately 83 thousand meters of permanent preservation areas (APPs) were fenced and about 77 hectares of native species were planted for forest restoration.
On the sustainable production work front, about 325 hectares have already gone through pasture recovery and 189 hectares have received agricultural plantations. Approximately 14.492 tonnes of animal feed (silage) were also supplied to 105 local producers.
Currently, due to the new coronavirus pandemic, some of Renova Foundation’s Sustainable Land Use Program reparatory actions have been halted, such as Renova Herd, Ater, Demonstration Units, as well as planting and maintenance of agricultural crops. Program activities are expected to end in 2021. The Ater program should be extended until 2023 and the monitoring of forest restoration areas until 2026.