World Civic Forum, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 5-8 May 2009

Area of Environmental Protection of Pratigi

Presentation by Guido Bertucci, Executive Director, Governance Solutions International on behalf of Odebrecht Foundation

What it is: Innovative matrix of participatory governance promoting the human, social, environmental and productive capital of a region in an integrated manner
What it does: Aims to achieve the 8 Millennium Development Goals in a complementary way

Region south of Salvador, capital of the State of Bahia Covered by the dense Atlantic Forest, with humid tropical climate Hosts a very rich eco-system with great biodiversity and excellent regenerative capacity It spans from the mountains to the river estuary to the Atlantic coast It hosts a very rich hydrological system and it is conducive to diversified agricultural production

Region with excellent economic potential In 1998 was designated an Area of Environmental Protection (APA) by the Federal Government

Endemic poverty Inequality Social exclusion Deforestation due to primitive agricultural methods Endangerment of the fauna Endangerment of the hydrological system

Citizenship

Productive capital

Human capital

Environmental capital

Social capital

The solutions must come from the community itself and not from the outside Community engagement and mobilization is essential

Ensuring accuracy of personal documentation for all citizens Accurate recording of land ownership Improving access to justice Developing new legislative frameworks Establishing IDC (Institute for Rights and Citizenship) Establishing the Inter-Municipal Consortium of the APA Pratigi Developing local leadership

Providing new educational opportunities to young generations Providing basic, technical and professional training Providing training in modern agricultural methods Establishing educational focal points such as Youth Houses or Family Houses where the community meets and learns (Pedagogia de la Alternancia)

Promoting the creation of civil society organizations Promoting participation of the community in decision making IDES Institute for the Sustainable Development AGIR Association Warden of the APA Pratigi, which represents more than 40 civil society organizations

Halting the process of deforestation Recovering and reforesting land with the involvement of the local population Creating ecological corridors of total protection Utilizing clean and eco-friendly agricultural methods Producing clean energy utilizing water resources Promoting agro-eco-tourism

Promoting the utilization of efficient and ecofriendly agricultural methods Promoting the creation of cooperatives which unite the small producers of the region Strengthening capacity to transform raw agricultural products into high quality commercial products Forging alliances with the private sector for the commercialization and distribution of the products

Active community involvement in building its own future New educational opportunities for young people New economic opportunities for the population and increased household income High agricultural productivity - reducing land used for agricultural purposes Dramatic reduction of poverty Recovery and protection of forest area

Changing the populations cultural attitudes (from passive to engaged) required time and constant effort Lack of confidence in political and administrative authorities Need to establish or activate legislative frameworks Changing focus from subsistence agriculture to cooperative production and marketability Harmonizing agricultural production and methods with environmental protection Lack of coordination among the various levels of government

Need to coordinate small fragmented interventions and projects Need to harmonize the vision and action of all the actors involved (community, government, private sector)

The introduction of a bottom-up participatory approach through which the community is the main actor in determining its future, rather than the recipient of assistance from the top down The action of a catalyst, an organization which sets in motion the process with advice and resources, in this case the Odebrecht Foundation Partnership among the various levels of Government, Civil Society Organizations and the private sector

For additional information please visit:

www.fundacaoodebrecht.org.br Or contact

guido.bertucci@govsolutionsint.org