The roads and cycle paths provided for in the Municipal Mobility and Accessibility Plan (PlanMob) will have to be adapted to the layout of the future Municipal Natural Park of Lagoa Encantada, in Vila Velha. The definition is contained in the technical reports available at public consultation for the creation of the integral protection conservation unit, which is open online until April 24.
At the consultation address, it is possible to access maps, reports and a twenty-minute video telling the entire history of social mobilization in favor of the legal protection of Lagoa Encantada and its wetlands, as well as the steps that will be taken until the formal creation of the unit of conservation, after the contributions of the population.
The video is presented by biologist and doctor in Ecology Manuela Batista, manager of Natural Resources and Environmental Education at the Municipal Environment Department (Semma), accompanied by geographer and environmental expert Ediene Vaccari, coordinator of conservation units at the city hall.
“The location of the roads that will bypass this conservation unit [UC] essentially aims to contribute to the delimitation and preservation of the area. However, the routes depend on the unit’s delimitation and the need to review the types of planned roads and their domain strips is highlighted, especially those close to the most sensitive environments such as water bodies, mangrove and restinga vegetation”, explained the manager.
The adequacy of the roads initially planned by PlanMob for the region, according to the needs of the future Natural Park, had already been confirmed a month ago. by the municipal secretary of Urban Development and Mobility, Milena Ferrari, during a public hearing held within the scope of the UC creation process.
The guarantee of protection was a response to the questioning made by defenders of Lagoa Encantada, who pointed out some routes that were planned over the mangrove of the Aribiri River and in the direct surroundings of the lagoon, disrespecting important Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs).
Water, ecological and social importance
The documents available for public consultation define Lagoa Encantada as a Permanent Preservation Area (APP) located southwest of the junction of the Carlos Lindenberg and Darly Santos highways. Surrounded by an urban and industrial area, it is located between the neighborhoods of Vale Encantado, Jardim do Vale, Santa Clara, Rio Marinho, Jardim Marilândia, Rodovia Darly Santos, Rodovia Carlos Lindemberg and the area of the Superintendence of Industrial Polarization Projects (Suppin).
And they emphasize the “relevant role in the regulation of urban floods” of the Lagoa Encantada complex, as “it works like a sponge, which dampens the peaks of floods, accumulates water during times of flooding and releases it during periods of drought.”
The essential aspects are also highlighted: “the area presents values of ecological indexes (richness, diversity, density and equitability) close to the already protected areas of integral protection, such as the municipal natural parks of Jacarenema and Morro da Mantegueira”. In fact, “one of the main motivations [para a proteção legal da área] is the presence of several endemic, rare and endangered species of fauna and flora”.
The studies point out that the mangrove is “relatively well preserved and suffers from sewage discharge, garbage accumulation and the edge effect, which is greatly enhanced by the intense urban densification around this area”.
The “socio-environmental motivations” are another important aspect for the creation of the Natural Park, as “the area has been the stage of numerous popular trials for protection claims for years. Popular movements and collectives emerged due to the need to protect the area. carried out by entities with environmental education, reforestation, cleaning efforts, bird watching, generating environmental awareness and income for the community”.
buffer zone
The reports explain that the Natural Park is the category of UC, among those established by the National System of Conservation Units (SNUC – Law 9985/2000), most appropriate for the protection of Lagoa Encantada. An alternative scenario, creating an Area of Relevant Ecological Interest (ARIE) in most of the area, with a small stretch declared a park, was not considered satisfactory for the desired conservation objectives.
The forecast is that the future park will have 205.38 hectares and, in its management structure, an advisory council, a management plan and a buffer zone. All private areas within the boundaries of the UC must be expropriated and, in the buffer zone, there will be specific rules, regulating the occupation and use of natural resources, under the management of Semma.
History and procedure
As manager Manuela Batista explained, the demand for the creation of a UC in Lagoa Encantada arrived in the municipality in 2016, through a public civil action filed by the State Public Ministry (MPES). “It’s also an old and well-known desire of the community,” she pointed out.
The first technical studies took place between 2017 and 2019, generating an environmental diagnosis, which served as the basis for defining the category and delimitation of the conservation unit.
After the public consultation, the definitions of the UC category and delimitation will be forwarded to the Municipal Attorney’s Office and the MPES, which will carry out land assessments and other developments. Finally, the city hall must prepare a draft bill for the creation of the UC, which will have to be appreciated and approved by the City Council.
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