Project seeding forests

SOWING THE FUTURE This initiative aims to plant 30 million trees and to recover 40,000 springs, 6,000 hectares of riparian vegetation and 2,000 hectares of degraded areas in all 17 developing territories in Minas Gerais by 2018.

The program will encourage environmental recovery of degraded areas contributing to preserve nature and promoting the wellbeing of the population of the state of Minas Gerais. The initiative is characterized by a large social mobilization that raises awareness among the population to own the Project and to have an active role throughout the whole process.

The action will prioritize regions with environmental damages, river springs and its tributaries and riparian vegetation, as well as urban afforestation.

The implementation of the program has potential to benefit 20 million inhabitants in the state. The Minas Gerais Economic Development Company (Codemig) is in charge of the coordination and the logistics and operational support of the project.

More than 5 million people in the state of Minas Gerais are directly affected by climate change. This number represents more than 25% of the state population according to the Index of Climate Vulnerability of Minas Gerais IMVC (its acronym in Portuguese), that shows that more than half of the 853 municipalities Map of vulnerability to climate change in Minas Gerais have low capacity to adapt to climate change and its effects, 78% are highly sensitive to climate changes and 15 % are on extremely vulnerable areas.

LIST OF PARTICIPATING MUNICIPALITIES Central Region: Alvorada de Minas, Congonhas do Norte, Datas, Dom Joaquim, Gouveia, Materlândia, Monjolos, Presidente Juscelino, Presidente Kubitschek, Sabinópolis, Santo Antônio do Itambé, Santo Hipólito, Serra Azul de Minas e Serro.

Southeastern Region: : Barão de Cocais, Bom Jesus do Amparo, Caeté, Itabira, Itambé do Mato Dentro, Nova União, Santa Maria de Itabira, São Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo e Taquaraçu de Minas.

Southern Region: OBelo Vale, Brumadinho, Catas Altas, Congonhas, Ibirité, Itabirito, Mariana, Moeda, Nova Lima, Ouro Branco, Ouro Preto, Raposos, Rio Acima, Sabará, Santa Bárbara e Sarzedo.

Central Southern Region: Carmésia, Conceição do Mato Dentro, Morro do Pilar, Santana do Pirapama, Santana do Riacho, Santo Antônio do Rio Abaixo e São Sebastião do Rio Preto.

Northern Region: Augusto de Lima, Buenópolis, Couto Magalhães de Minas, Diamantina, Felício dos Santos, Francisco Dumont, Jaboticatubas, Jequitai, Joaquim Felicio, Lassance, Olhos d’Água, Rio Vermelho, São Gonçalo do Rio Preto, Senador Modestino Gonçalves e Várzea da Palma.

Organized by

RESTAURAÇÃO FLORESTAL NA SERRA DO ESPINHAÇO

NA SERRA DO ESPINHAÇO

Network of Synergies MINISTÉRIO DO MEIO AMBIENTE

PREFEITURAS

MUNICIPAIS

CONTACT AND DETAILS: semeandoflorestascolhendoaguas@institutoespinhaco.com.br +55 (31) 3868.2362 | facebook.com/institutoespinhaco www.institutoespinhaco.org.br

THE LARGEST AND BOLDEST EFFORT TO RECOVER NATIVE VEGETATION OF MATA ATLÂNTICA AND CERRADO BIOMES WITH THE GOAL OF MINIMIZING CLIMATE CHANGES, PROMOTING FOREST RECOVERY, INCREASING “WATER PRODUCTION” AND SUPPORTING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 17 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS - SDGS IN THE ESPINHAÇO MOUNTAIN RANGE IN MINAS GERAIS.

THE PROJECT: PLANTING FORESTS HARVESTING WATER IN THE ESPINHAÇO MOUNTAIN RANGE The implementation of the project Sowing the Future – Planting Forests Harvesting Water in the Espinhaço Mountain Range aims to contribute to forest recovery in the State of Minas Gerais with the production of tree seedlings of native forest species, helping to implement the Bonn Challenge, a non-binding international effort to restore forest landscape with the goal of recovering 150 million hectares of deforested or degraded areas by 2020 and an additional 200 million hectares by 2030. Brazil joined the challenge and is committed to promote the restoration of 12 million hectares of forests by 2030.

The project Sowing the Future – Planting Forests Harvesting Water in the Espinhaço Mountain Range has the goal of contributing to forest restoration in the State of Minas Gerais, more specifically in the Espinhaço Mountain Range region, producing and planting 3 million native forest tree seedlings in order to meet the requirements of different forest recomposition projects through the acceleration of secondary succession.

SOME OF THE GOALS OF THE PROJECT IN THE ESPINHAÇO MOUNTAIN RANGE Mobilize and raise community awareness in the municipalities and core areas of the Espinhaço mountain range in Minas Gerais, with the objective of implementing the project Sowing the Future – Planting Forests Harvesting Water in the Espinhaço Mountain Range.

Promote the dissemination and use of environmental educational processes for rural communities using special techniques. The goal is to inform them about sustainable processes of land use and rural area management in order to maximize the productive potential together with the environmental protection .

Implement 5 plant nurseries in core areas of the 61 municipalities in the Espinhaço Mountain Range in the state of Minas Gerais.

Produce and plant 3 million native plant seedlings (Mata Atlântica and Cerrado) from the Espinhaço Mountain Range region in the state of Minas Gerais.

Look for and promote synergies between the Sowing the Future – Planting Forests Harvesting Water in the Espinhaço Mountain Range project and government initiatives at the state, national and internationally levels.

SOWING THE FUTURE – PLANTING FORESTS HARVESTING WATER IN THE ESPINHAÇO MOUNTAIN RANGE: LINK TO INTERNATIONAL PLATFORMS The Sowing the Future – Planting Forests Harvesting Water in the Espinhaço Mountain Range project has also the aim of promoting knowledge and valuing human capital, especially in small communities and family farming, generating employment and income in sectors including forest restoration, seed collection, seedling production, the use of non-timber forest products, social mobilization, project preparation, planting the seedlings and monitoring. The focus of the project is the environmental recovery of springs, streams and rivers, as well as recharge areas. One of its objectives is to establish good relationships between the communities and the environment using demonstration projects of sustainable development in tune with the platforms of the Man and the Biosphere Program of UNESCO and with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs of the United Nations Development Program UNDP/UN.

THE ESPINHAÇO INSTITUTE ESPINHAÇO INSTITUTE – Biodiversity, Culture and Social and Environmental Development- is a non-profit civil association working on the topics of biodiversity, culture and social and environmental development, with the use of innovative practices at a local level with an international reach.

The Espinhaço Institute was created based on the social mobilization process that resulted in the Unesco approval of the Espinhaço Range as a Biosphere Reserve area in 2005. The Institute has more than 70 members in six Brazilian states, namely MG, DF, RJ, SP, RS and GO and in 11 countries: Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, France, Germany, Portugal, the United States, Spain, India, China and Italy.

Member of the IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature– an international organization with more than 1,100 members in 160 countries – the Espinhaço Institute has the responsibility of implementing and coordinating the Sowing the future project in the Espinhaço Range region, state of Minas Gerais, with the project Planting Forests Harvesting Water in the Espinahço Range.

The work of the Espinhaço Institute is to build bridges between global ideas and local actions, integrating scientific knowledge into our daily life and associating them with traditional knowledge. The Institute covers more than six Brazilian states, including the Federal District, with special focus on territories approved by Unesco as Biosphere Reserves. In the Espinhaço Range region in the state of Minas Gerais, the Institute works directly in more than 61 municipalities with sustainability programs, disseminating and supporting the implementation of the 17 SDGs using innovation and social participation platforms.

STRATEGIC ACTIONS RELATED TO THE PROJECT • Contribute to the dissemination and implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs in the 2030 Agenda.

• Contribute with local solutions for global problems.

• Support the preservation of biodiversity, recovery and improvement of ecosystem services. Encourage the sustainable use of natural resources.

• Strengthen existing models and support new models for sustainable development.

• Support the creation of a network of successful experiences on sustainable development in the Biosphere Reserve area of the Espinahço Range.

• Encourage scientific research and experimentation networks for academic extension in the Biosphere Reserve area of the Espinhaço Range.

• Contribute to reduce Brazilian emissions of green house effect gases.

• Promote the restoration and/or recovery of permanent protection areas and legal reserves in line with the Environmental Registry and the Program for Environmental Regularization (CAR/PRA in its Portuguese acronyms), restoring strategic areas for water “production”.

• Contribute to increase Brazilian native vegetation cover in the Cerrado and Mata Atlântica biomes, promoting the restoration of priority areas in order to preserve biodiversity and to create biodiversity corridors.

• Implement forest plantations in degraded areas with the goal of offering products such as non-timber forest products and the development of new productive chains that support income generation for small farmers.

• Connect global platforms for innovation and sustainable development in areas where the Espinahço Institute is present.

• Develop new geospatial intelligence methodologies in partnership with universities, researchers and government bodies, integrating information in the areas included in the Unesco network of Biosphere Reserves.

• Cooperate in carrying out actions and studies to identify and develop alternative solutions with the objective of minimizing negative impacts to the environment caused by unsustainable practices of land use and occupation.

• Develop a network of partnerships with the goal of generating scientific knowledge, valuing traditional knowledge, technology transfer and implementing multiple platforms of sustainable development • Develop demonstration projects of integrated cultural management of the territory in partnership with universities, NGOs and international entities.

• Multiply information on the understanding of the risk and potential impacts of climate change and other global environmental changes caused by local anthropic action.

And cooperate in the identification of other options to adapt and mitigate green house effect gases.

• Cooperate in disseminating both locally and regionally the conclusions and results of national and international panels on climate change in order to raise awareness and the resilience capability of communities and territories.

• Cooperate with studies and trend analysis and models on land use and climate changes in biosphere reserve territories.

• Promote and develop good relationships between people and the environment implementing demonstration projects of sustainable development in tune with the MAB, (Man and the Biosphere) program of Unesco.