Partnership to support the environment

In order to aid more and more small farmers, the Earth Conservation Organization (OCT) has established a new alliance with Braskem. The “Nascentes do Rio Oricó” project that is born from this alliance aims to recover 112 headwaters in 50 rural properties along the river, located in the city of Ibirapitanga in the Baixo Sul region of Bahia, where OCT currently operates.

OCT, one of the institutions executing the Program for Development and Growth Integrated with Sustainability (PDCIS), was created and is coordinated by the Odebrecht Foundation. It works alongside rural producers to promote the environmental and productive conservation of natural resources. “With this additional support, we started working in a more comprehensive manner, in other communities and benefiting more people,” explained Bruna Sobral, Director of Socio-Environmental Planning at OCT. According to her, the commitments undertaken through Braskem’s collaboration have been implemented since late 2018, when the agreement was signed, and will continue until the end of 2021.

The total investment is R$723,407.60. Besides recovering headwaters in the rural properties, the farmers will also be registered in the State Environmental and Water Resources Information System (SEIA) and in the State Forest Registry of Rural Properties (CEFIR), as well as the Integrated Planning of Properties (PIP).

Partnership will enable the recovery of 112 headwaters in the Baixo Sul region of Bahia

According to Rogério Ribeiro, Coordinator of Environmental Conservation at OCT, the institution is currently mapping the headwaters. So far, 40 have been georeferenced in 24 rural properties. “Our plan is to conclude this process by early March and begin planting seedlings. The work is done in four stages: identifying the areas to be reforested, implementation, maintenance and, then, monitoring. These activities consolidate the recovery and guarantee the commitment undertaken,” he explained.

The project represents a strategy to achieve the targets agreed upon under the municipal program “Water Producer” in Ibirapitanga, which aims to reestablish the Oricó River’s water resources, thus helping to recover the natural landscape of the Environmental Protection Area (APA) of Pratigi in Southern Bahia. “With this partnership, Braskem provides OCT with an opportunity to recover 112 headwaters. Combined with other environmental conservation initiatives we have in the region, it cements a comprehensive approach in terms of social, economic and environmental sustainability for the communities,” said Joaquim Cardoso, Executive Director of OCT.