Antônio Pereira Magalhães Junior,MIGUEL FERNANDES FELIPPE, UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE MINAS GERAIS, Phd student, felippegeo@yahoo.com.br
ABSTRACT
The search for sustainable water management is, nowadays, a common issue present in several countries’ environmental policies. In this setting, alternative principles and fundaments in water management are important. This text discusses the relevancy of the river springs in sustainable water management. It’s based on studies of 79 river springs in the city of Belo Horizonte, southeastern Brazil. Even though water management is a process that depends on a broader context in different levels (local, regional, national and international), and the local protection of the river springs is a crucial link in the harmonizing chain of relationships between man and water. In this sense, the Brazilian case illustrates the reality of developing nations. Some of the territorial intervention strategies and water management conservation steps currently applied in Belo Horizonte seek to modernize the relationship between society and the environment, minimizing human pressures and impacts and striving for river springs and water protection.