Institution responsible: INSTITUTO TERRA VIVA

The subproject Recovery and Ethnoecology for the Restoration of the Caatinga the Natural Monument of the São Francisco River aims to recover demonstrative and experimental areas of the Natural Monument of the São Francisco River, using participatory methodologies and principles and practices of ethnoecology, agroecology, and environmental education.

The application of the project will have the Lameirão Settlement as the epicenter, in addition to adjacent communities, in the municipality of Delmiro Gouveia (Alagoas). According to an estimate by the IBGE (Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute), the operating area comprises a total of 11,500 hectares, containing 350 homes and a population of 1,500 inhabitants. As an initial step, community representatives will be mobilized and sensitized, thus making it possible to explain the project’s objectives and intentions. Soon after, the selection of participating families will be carried out. The selection criterion is based on active participation in the local production chain, with 300 families covered, with two representatives expected per family, totaling 600 participants.

Technical training, which aims to provide participants with theoretical and practical mechanisms throughout the process, will occur by encouraging the awareness of individuals, through lectures, application of dynamics and exchange of knowledge between groups. Field visits, excursions and exchanges that will allow the practical recognition of native species and successful sustainable management experiences will be promoted. The training will address fundamental techniques for the development of the proposal, such as, for example, methods of implementing Agroforestry Systems, selection, collection and processing of seeds, experiments to break seed dormancy, seedling production, nursery techniques and selection of tree species. Altogether, 20 demonstrative units will be implemented, each containing 0.5 hectares.