Southern Bahia. Inspiration, action and commitment

Transcription

1 Southern Bahia Inspiration, action and commitment

2 2 3 ARAPYAÚ IN SOUTHERN BAHIA Southern Bahia is an area of great historical significance for Brazil, in addition to housing one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the country. This cultural and natural wealth, however, is currently experiencing serious economic and social problems created primarily by the decline in cocoa cultivation and aggravated by lack of planning. Arapyaú participates in a network of organizations and leaderships committed to reverse this situation and promote the sustainable development of the region, based on local strengths and appreciation of social, environmental, economic and cultural characteristics of the region. Its performance takes place in the city of Uruçuca and the village of Serra Grande, and Arapyaú supports activities in three strategic areas: Production and dissemination of knowledge for transformation; Education and mobilization for transformation; Training of leaderships and change agents.

3 4 5 ARAPYAÚ IN ACTION Some of the main activities carried out between 2008 and 2013 Participatory assessment Since its founding in 2008, Arapyaú Institute is present in southern Bahia. Its performance in the region began in the village of Serra Grande. Arapyaú's first formal action in the area was the performance of a participatory assessment with the community to understand what issues were considered a priority by the population for their future. The need for improvements in education was the most important issue pointed out by the community. Secondly, residents assessed as urgent to solve problems related to housing. These results guided, from the beginning, all of Arapyaú's action in the region, in order to collectively build a new reality for the territory. Serra Grande's Plan of Urban and Environmental Reference (Plano de Referência Urbanístico e Ambiental Prua) The review of Sierra Grande's Prua was the path chosen to start solving the housing issues of the village. Prua's aim was to consolidate Serra Grande as a sustainable community, valuing the basic characteristics of its territory and its natural and sociocultural attributes. The preparation of Prua included studies on the region and the effective participation of the community. The population of Serra Grande followed the technical meetings and actively participated in consultations with the various districts. Sierra Grande's Prua was approved by the City Council in December 2011 and sanctioned in February Movimento Vila Aprendiz Since 2008, Movimento Vila Aprendiz an Arapyaú's initiative in partnership with the municipal school of Serra Grande stands as a bridge between public education and the Serra Grande community. It has become present in the lives of children and young people with educational extracurricular activities that gradually integrated with the school day. In games, entertainment, cultural activities, tutoring and projects inspired by traditional crafts, students and teachers began to use various public spaces of Serra Grande as places to learn. Projects conducted or supported by Vila Aprendiz, such as Merenda Solidária, Ecoloucos pela Vida, and Agenda Cultural were regarded as important activities of the Serra Grande community.

4 6 7 Nossa Ilhéus Institute (INI) Nossa Ilhéus Institute, founded in 2012 with the support of Arapyaú, aims to strengthen citizenship and participatory democracy through actions of mobilization and monitoring of public administration. Inspired by Rede Nossa São Paulo, where it sought knowledge and fundamentals to position itself in Ilhéus, the institute promoted, for the first time, the monitoring of the performance of city councilors and presented the results in real time to the people. From the Sustainable Cities program (Cidades Sustentáveis), the institute implemented the system of 70 social indicators of Ilhéus and exposed to the population the 12 axes of urban quality of life. See the indicators at: Serra Grande Integrated Education Campus (Campus Integrado de Educação) The Campus Integrado de Educação Project aims at building a public educational space in Serra Grande, structured as a participatory and democratic process involving all the local community, civil society, government and many education experts. The proposal is to develop an innovative, sustainable, and inclusive project that is also replicable to other regions of Brazil. And thus contribute to the debate on public policies in education in the country through the development of new standards for the construction of schools and pedagogical projects that consider the social and environmental contexts of the site. The Campus Integrado de Educação Project of Serra Grande includes elementary schools, middle schools and a nursery. Right now, the architectural design of the campus is being finalized. School of Environmental Conservation and Sustainability (Escola Superior de Conservação Ambiental e Sustentabilidade - Escas) Linked to the Institute of Ecological Research (IPÊ), the School of Environmental Conservation and Sustainability (Escas), from a partnership with Arapyaú, implemented a professional master's course in southern Bahia. Annually, 12 spots are opened, subsidized by Arapyaú and Fibria, to train leaderships who work in the region. The MA lasts two years. In the first year, students participate in a course taught in Sierra Grande with modular format and in-person classes for one week per month. The second year is devoted to the writing of the dissertation, which has as priority requirements the application of the initiative in the demands of the region and its replicability to other territories. Most graduates trained by Escas in southern Bahia occupy strategic positions in society and with operations dedicated to issues and sustainable development of the territory. For more information, visit: For more information about the INI, visit: Municipal Strategic Planning In 2013, Arapyaú articulated a partnership between the Town of Uruçuca and the Brazilian Institute of Municipal Administration (IBAM), aiming to support the definition of the strategic planning of the municipality until During the working process, workshops were carried out with the management team of city hall, community leaderships and representatives of organizations of the town. In addition to interviews with institutional and business leaderships in the region. The results of the initiative were presented publicly in December 2013 and consisted in the definition of three strategic priorities for the city: tourism promotion, qualification and territorial integration, and restoration and strengthening of activities in rural areas. The project represented a milestone in the history of Uruçuca; it was the first time that the government consulted the local population for the development of its strategic plan. Social participation was extensive and quite diverse, with representatives from all areas of the city, which turned the initiative into an example of cooperation between the sectors. Floresta Viva Institute (IFV) Since its founding, the Arapyaú works in partnership with the Floresta Viva Institute in the promotion and enhancement of forest economy in southern Bahia and accumulated knowledge around the Atlantic forest. Currently, IFV's activities are geared primarily for the management of native seedlings and nursery and Escola da Floresta, both in Serra Grande. Moreover, it is an ongoing project which aims the training of park rangers through a course designed specifically to meet the demand of the Serra do Conduru State Park and other protected areas. For more information about the IFV, visit:

5 8 9 Serra do Conduru State Park Created in 1997, the Conduru Park covers an area of 9,275 hectares between the towns of Uruçuca, Itacaré and Ilhéus. This locality is considered by the Ministry of Environment (MMA) as the highest priority for conservation due to high levels of plant species richness and high rates of Botanical endemism present in the region. However, despite the great importance that it has, the Conduru Park is not yet fully consolidated. For this to happen, it is necessary, among other things, that there is effective involvement of rural and urban communities that are in the park area. With the aim of strengthening the participatory management of the Conduru Park and expand the involvement of surrounding residents and other social players of the locality, Arapyaú Institute supported a series of initiatives set out by the Management Board of Conduru Park: Ação Florescer: Revitalization of the Escola Rural Nossa Senhora da Conceição a rural school located near the headquarters of the Conduru Park. Circo da Lua: Circus school in Serra Grande and the Conduru o Coração da Mata show. Festival Conduru Connecting Society and Nature. Hosting and site maintenance of Support for environmental monitoring Administrative Fund Amigos do PESC Creative Economy The natural beauty, cultural diversity and tradition of cacao farming are starting to gain weight in the search for economic alternatives for southern Bahia. Before treated only as a backdrop for the developments brought to the region, they have now become the object of studies and investment to promote the business of the creative economy. Through a partnership between Sebrae Bahia, Caleidoscópio and Arapyaú Institute, a mapping of the potential of the creative economy sectors was developed in the territory. They are: tourism, handicrafts, culinary arts, fashion, media and performing arts. Based on the mapping, there is an ongoing Structuring Project of the Creative Economy in Southern Bahia, which aims to encourage members of the creative business segments in the territory, promoting the competitiveness of small businesses in an intersectoral and participatory manner. Porto Sul Arapyaú Institute believes that the economy of southern Bahia can resurface from its own natural vocation. There are several initiatives and studies that prove this belief. Therefore, at first, we were part of the movement that questioned the initial design of Porto Sul and, in partnership with several local organizations; we sought to point out all the environmental, social and economic risks of the port. Currently, we are focused on enhancing and promoting sustainable development alternatives in southern Bahia. Alternatives that respect and preserve the wealth, knowledge and beauty of the region.

6 10 11 RENAISSANCE IS POSSIBLE The economy of southern Bahia can resurface its main vocations, as shown in an analysis conducted in 2013 by the consulting firm MB Associados Projection 2030 Projection Tourism Cocoa Timber 13,000 new jobs Increase of R$2 billion in income Opportunity to double the number of jobs and quintuple revenue of the sect or compared to ,000 new jobs in plantation Additional GDP of R$2 billion Opportunity to triple the GDP compared to ,000 new jobs 50,000 ha of new planted areas Additional GDP of R$650 million Opportunity to generate jobs through the sustainable use of degraded areas

7 12 13 AN APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Timber and furniture industry On the south coast there are 623,000 hectares available and sufficient to supply the timber pool and generate employment for 26,000 people. Areas degraded by grazing with productive employment; Silviculture as an alternative forest regeneration; Demands of consumer markets catered to the origin of tropical products. Cocoa and chocolate Bahia's cocoa can go from the current average of 300 kg/ha to Pará's average of kg/ha, equivalent to R$2.9 billion per year. A management that values local knowledge and integrates environmental and human issues; Production of cocoa and high quality chocolate in scale; Production of knowledge and technology; Cocoa and chocolate with gourmet international recognition. Tourism and creative economy Craftsmanship, performing arts and cuisine are vocations with great tourism potential. Sustainable tourism that brings jobs and income to the community; Rural and experience tourism, which values the ecosystem and cultural events: the Cocoa and Chocolate Road is an example; Sebrae and Arapyaú identify entrepreneurs in these fields.

8 14 15 STRATEGY THE SHARED DREAM The future of southern Bahia is in its people, culture, and nature. A future to be built collectively in a shared dream. This is the belief that guides the actions of Arapyaú. That is why, since its first structured action in the region, Arapyaú seeks to identify the liveliest aspirations of local society and contribute to the transformation of the territory. The process of building our operational strategy in southern Bahia in the coming years was no different. We conducted an extensive assessment of the region, which involved public opinion surveys, thematic and sector workshops, maps, surveys of secondary data and analyses of studies over the territory. With this information, we work closely with various representatives from all sectors of society and structure a strategy of action that seeks to contribute to make a collective desire come true Vision Southern Bahia is a territory characterized by high educational standard, sustainable economic growth, efficient and transparent management of natural assets managed in a responsible way and of valued regional culture. Benchmarks HDI: and IDEB: 7.0 Mission To articulate, from the municipality of Uruçuca, the transition of southern Bahia to sustainability by supporting the structural development actions related to the appreciation of natural and cultural heritage of the region.

9 INITIATIVES Knowledge Mobilization Leaderships Cocoa and Chocolate Production Chain Articulation between the main sector institutions operating in the region. Tropical Silviculture Production Chain Articulation to implement a pilot project for reforestation with native species, in order to generate a consistent database on financial, social and environmental outcomes of the activity. Creative Economy/Tourism Production Chain Monitoring the Structuring Project of Creative Economy and support the consolidation of the Cocoa and Chocolate Road. Elementary and Secondary Education in Serra Grande Monitoring the architecture firm responsible for the engineering and basic and executive projects of the integrated campus of elementary education of Serra Grande. Municipal Education Plan Support the implementation of the 2022 Municipal Education Plan. Environment Support the consolidation of the Conduru Park with the integrated management of Ucs, participation and support to Rede Esperança Conduru and the creation of the State Environmental Compensation Fund. Municipal Management Support the implementation of the Strategic Planning (Master Plan, Municipal Solid Waste Plan, Pilot Solid Waste and Housing Strategy in Serra Grande). Social Strengthening Promote the active participation of society in the definition of municipal policies. Community Fund Community Fund to support educational, cultural and social business projects. Political Action Network for Sustainability (Rede de Ação Política pela Sustentabilidade - RAPS) Train leaderships for politics and civil society, focusing on the qualification experiences of those with vocation, interest and commitment to professional, ethical and transparent exercise of politics.

10 18 19 A VISION TO TRANSFORM THE TERRITORY Southern Bahia is recognized around the world for being a place where everything and everyone is part of the same dream, the same reality. A place with a new policy, guided by sustainability and efficient public management. Where natural and cultural assets are valued. Where economic growth is for everyone. Where education is alive, inclusive and integrated into community life. A place to save and produce, live together and cooperate, innovate and transform.

11 20 Av. Nove de Julho, 5617, 3 o andar São Paulo Brazil Arapyaú in Tupi-Guarani means new time-space Rua Osvaldo Ribeiro, 351 / 353 Serra Grande / Uruçuca Bahia Brazil arapyau@arapyau.org.br www. arapyau.org.br