Area of Environmental Protection of Pratigi

 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 bio- diversity 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

CitizenshipHuman capitalSocial capital Environmental capital Productive 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 eco- friendly 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 population’s 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