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Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011

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2010 Category 3: Brazil<br />

Lat<strong>in</strong> America <strong>and</strong> the Caribbean<br />

Brazil<br />

2010 category 3 – 1st Place W<strong>in</strong>ner<br />

Support Programme for Integrated <strong>and</strong> Susta<strong>in</strong>able<br />

Development of the Pratigi Environmental Protection Area<br />

(Programa de Apoyo al Desarrollo Integrado y Sostenible del APA del Pratigi)<br />

Guardia da APA do Pratigi—Organización de la Sociedad Civil de Interés Público,<br />

Califica.<br />

Description<br />

A programme for susta<strong>in</strong>able <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>tegrated regional development based on participatory<br />

governance.<br />

Summary<br />

In 2000, as part of Brazil’s effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the<br />

Government of the State of Bahia <strong>and</strong> the Federal Government <strong>in</strong>itiated a susta<strong>in</strong>able<br />

<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>tegrated regional development programme. The aim was to create new participatory<br />

decision-mak<strong>in</strong>g mechanisms that would foster the social <strong>and</strong> economic <strong>in</strong>tegration<br />

of disenfranchised populations <strong>in</strong> the Lower South region, so as to advance<br />

human, social <strong>and</strong> economic development <strong>and</strong> environmental susta<strong>in</strong>ability. This<br />

<strong>in</strong>itiative, which rapidly resulted <strong>in</strong> tangible results for the eradication of poverty <strong>and</strong><br />

social exclusion, ma<strong>in</strong>ly focused on the decentralization of decision-mak<strong>in</strong>g mechanisms,<br />

the creation of private-public partnerships <strong>and</strong> the establishment of a new legal<br />

framework more favourable to citizen engagement.<br />

The Problem<br />

The Pratigi Environmental Protection Area is located to the south of Bahai, the capital<br />

of Salvador, <strong>in</strong> a region referred to as the “Lower South”. This district was characterized<br />

by deep environmental <strong>and</strong> socio-economic imbalances. In addition to poverty,<br />

the <strong>in</strong>habitants experienced <strong>in</strong>equality <strong>and</strong> social exclusion. Economic activity<br />

was essentially agriculturally based <strong>and</strong> dependant on the use of primitive, <strong>in</strong>efficient<br />

farm<strong>in</strong>g methods. Agriculture, therefore, did not reliably provide adequate liv<strong>in</strong>g<br />

conditions for the resident population. In addition, the farm<strong>in</strong>g methods used contributed<br />

to the progressive destruction of the forests <strong>in</strong> Mount Atlantic, caused great<br />

damage to the flora <strong>and</strong> fauna of the area, <strong>and</strong> seriously harmed the water system,<br />

which was one of the region’s most important treasures.<br />

Social exclusion deprived the <strong>in</strong>habitants of access to education, health <strong>and</strong> nutrition<br />

<strong>and</strong> contributed to perpetuat<strong>in</strong>g their poverty. These circumstances led many to move<br />

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