Richard Eilers Smith,Rodrigo Cesar Cordova Bicudo Merege,Daniel José da Silva,Maya Ribeiro Baggio,Anne Browning-Aiken,João Daniel Torres Simões Pires, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Depto de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, richardambiental@gmail.com
This paper presents several results of the application of a water and territory governance model in Itapema, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The priority of this process s was to encourage and provide support for the local community to get activily involved in the process of creating and managing a municipal protected area, in order to maintain water sources and biodiversity safe.The methodologie used in this study was based on the Water and Territory Governance Model, developed in the Federal University of Santa Catarina by the Transdisciplinary Water and Territory Governance Research Group (GTHidro) in 2008, and adapted by the Environmental Education Center (NEAmb), for this project. The main product in this entire process is the map of participatory zoning of Itapema, including a protected area. This participatory zoning was built during the period of five months, with meetings that consisted of workshops, field trips and a final seminar with authorities, teachers, students and citizens. During the project the issue of water resource management has gained strength and became one of the main elements to guide the environmental zoning of the city of Itapema. Participants were involved with useful knowledge and key concepts related to the environmental themes, strengthening local leadership for an effective management of this protected area, including the protection of most water sources of the watershed. Besides the creation of the protected area, the process promoted a wide debate about the responsability of the city, its authorities and citizens in the conservation of water resources and biodiversity at the local level, improving the life quality for this and for the next generations.
Palavras-chave: Modelo de Governança, Unidade de conservação, Itapema.