Suellen Nunes*
Water, a strategic natural resource for sustaining life, was at the center of discussions at the event “Conecta Águas: cooperation and partnership for water security in the Amazon”, held on April 16 in Belém (PA). The initiative brought together representatives of public authorities, civil society and environmental organizations to expand cooperation and dialogue between different players, promoting strategies that guarantee water security, environmental conservation and quality of life for Amazonian populations.
The event highlighted the strategic role of integrated water resource management for the sustainable development of Pará, helping to broaden the debate on actions aimed at promoting quality water, reducing conflicts between different uses, supporting riverside and indigenous communities, protecting aquatic ecosystems and preparing the state for extreme climatic events such as droughts and floods.
“Through a partnership between IPAM’s Science and Public Policy directorates, with the support of the Moore Foundation and in dialogue with SEMAS and the Water Resources Directorate (DIREH), we decided to support the construction of the bases for the revision of Pará’s State Water Resources Plan. The initiative analyzed the current plan to identify synergies and redundancies between actions, resulting in a draft that can support the state in the effective revision of this instrument, strengthening water management and public policies,” said Gustavo Furini, IPAM’s public policy researcher.
The meeting also discussed the process of building and revising the State Water Resources Plan (PERH), which took five years to prepare and included public consultations in four hub cities, Belém, Santarém, Altamira and Marabá. This process ensured the participation of different regions of the state and made it possible to analyze the current plan, identify synergies between actions and organize priorities, creating technical bases to support SEMAS in conducting its review.
“This moment shows how essential partnerships are between the public sector, the private sector, agriculture and organized civil society around a common good: water. This security will only be possible through cooperation between actors and integration between policies. Everyone needs to understand that water security only works in an integrated way. So there is a need for decentralized and participatory management, with coordinated actions to guarantee resources and sustainable development,” said Luciene Chaves, director of water resources at Semas.
Proposals were put forward to consolidate the preparatory stage of the plan and move forward with revising the PERH, including integrating systems and databases, improving the wording of actions, continuous monitoring and ensuring information security. In addition, the debate reinforced the need to expand coordination with other bodies and municipalities, reduce institutional dependency and strengthen water policy governance in the state.
Amazonia Women’s Seal
During the Conecta Águas program, a solemn ceremony was held to certify the “Amazônia Mulher Seal”, an initiative aimed at women entrepreneurs who work with a focus on the environment. The project brings together bioeconomics and sustainable development, valuing products that carry the identity of Pará’s territories, while at the same time strengthening women’s role in biodiversity conservation and income generation.
“We certify ourselves, guaranteeing that the service comes from a woman, from a company that lives in the Amazon, which adds its regionalization, its territorial planning and its geographical appreciation to the product. The aim of the seal is for anyone who buys it to understand that it carries not only economic value, but also environmental value and gender equality,” explained Thais Braga, the project’s coordinator.
The certification reinforces the commitment to sustainable production, the valorization of biodiversity and the recognition of traditional knowledge, highlighting the leading role of Amazonian women.
The program was promoted by SEMAS (State Secretariat for the Environment, Climate and Sustainability) in partnership with IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute), the Moore Foundation, TNC (The Nature Conservancy) and the Amazon Women’s Project.
IPAM communications analyst.*
