Government establishes key zones for water recharge in the Cerrado to ensure water security and preservation.
Brazil is making strides in water resource management with the recent designation of Priority Water Recharge Areas in the Cerrado biome, known as APRHICs. This federal initiative marks a milestone in environmental planning and ensures the water supply for one of the country’s most vital ecosystems. The goal is to focus conservation, restoration, and management efforts on strategic regions, ensuring long-term water sustainability.
The Cerrado, known for its importance in forming Brazil’s major river basins, possesses unique characteristics, such as deep soils that facilitate water infiltration and storage. These properties make it fundamental for recharging aquifers and maintaining river flow, especially during dry seasons. The initiative recognizes the interconnection between the health of the biome and water availability for various regions of the country.
Developing the mapping of the APRHICs involved an extensive collaboration spanning over two years between the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), research institutions such as the Institute of Hydraulic Research at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), the National Water and Sanitation Agency (ANA), the Instituto Cerrados, and the Tamo de Olho initiative. This multidisciplinary approach ensured the plan accounted for the hydrological complexity and specific needs of the Cerrado.
The importance of protecting water recharge areas goes beyond conserving riverbanks and springs. As highlighted by Isabel Figueiredo, coordinator of the Cerrado Program at the Institute for Society, Population and Nature (ISPN), the APRHICs provide an integrated territorial view, which is essential for public officials and social oversight.
“This is a very useful tool for public managers in controlling activities harmful to the environment and for civil society to promote actions and exercise social oversight.”
Yuri Salmona, executive director of the Instituto Cerrados, uses a human body analogy to explain the relevance of these areas:
“The APRHICs highlight the importance of protecting and restoring the Cerrado beyond the riverbanks already covered by legislation, which are like the arteries, but do not protect the heart, which is responsible for pulsing water through the system.”
This perspective reinforces the need for more comprehensive protection to ensure the country’s water “pulse.”
The awareness that current deforestation impacts future water availability is a pillar of the initiative. The loss of native vegetation in the Cerrado has already resulted in a significant reduction in the safety flow of rivers. The intensification of extreme weather events underscores the urgency of proactive conservation policies. Protecting and restoring recharge areas is viewed as a “water savings account for the future.”
The definition of APRHICs will serve as a guide for public investment and programs for restoration, inspection, and the creation of conservation units. The goal is to direct resources more effectively to the most sensitive areas, ensuring that environmental conservation translates directly into benefits for water availability, which is essential for human consumption, agricultural production, and electric power generation. The effectiveness of these measures will depend on integrating these areas into the plans and actions of the competent authorities.
