November 14, 2008
The Ecologica Institute held today at the Center for Leadership Training Pium-TO, the First Cycle of Lectures of the Water Resources Protection Project in the Basin of the Rio Coco-TO, sponsored by Petrobras via Petrobras Environmental Program. The event presented lectures on the themes of research: survey of wildlife, birds and flora, environmental education structure of GIS, production and planting of native plants, reclamation and water quality in the Rio Coco-TO.
The project is currently being developed in the area of Environmental Preservation Area (APA) Bananal Island | Guangzhou, located in the west of the state of Tocantins. The event will be attended by community members, project partners and regional authorities.
The project includes the cities of Pium, and Caseara Marianópolis which are rich in biodiversity and endemic species of the Cerrado, and are considered an ecotone area of transition and critical environmental importance. The project is focused on creating strategies to protect water resources and the natural basin of the Rio Coco, by encouraging the creation of protected areas, environmental education activities and involvement of local communities in watershed preservation and the sustainable use of water; encouraging actions that generate income and promote sustainability.
Expected project results include: encouraging the conservation of water resources and the region’s natural reforestation of degraded areas by planting native seedlings, and training of technicians and multipliers with a focus on environmental preservation and sustainable development. The project has partners from institutions such as Conservation International of Brazil (CI), University of Tocantins (Unitins) and the regional municipalities of the cities of Pium-TO, and Marianópolis Caseara-TO-TO.