Café com Prosa: Caring for the Earth was promoted
26/05/2010

On the 30th of April the first Café com Prosa:  Caring for the Earth was promoted at the Centro de Informação Pato Aqui, Água Acolá (Pato Aqui, Agua Acolá Information Center),  in São Roque de Minas.  The event, targeting farm producers, was created with the objective to divulge practices of soil and water management in an environmentally adequate manner and to promote the discussion and experience exchange about related themes to farm production and the everyday life in the country.
 
Café com Prosa was a success and counted with the participation of around 30 people.  Permaculture, Agro-ecology and water management in farming properties were the themes approached in the chat with farm producers who watched presentations by professionals of the area, especially invited to the event. 
 
One of the important aspects presented was the possibility of the use of agro-ecology for the recovery of gallery forests in places where it was removed, which is common occurrence today in the region.  Besides complying with the legislation, gallery forests recovery is of extreme importance to the maintenance of the integrity of the region’s water courses.
 
Culture diversification was also highlighted as an important practice, such as pest control, as well soil quality maintenance, contributing to a lower cost of farming inputs and pesticide contamination of the soil and watershed.
 
The presentation about water management at farming properties raised a great interest in the people present, confirming the relevance and actuality of the matter. From the discussions generated it was possible to realize that many farming producers have important doubts regarding the laws and regulations and the use of the water in their lands. To meet demand, June’s schedule of the Information Center will include a specific lecture about water law and regulation.

Other editions of the Café com Prosa are already being planned and also other actions taken to farming producers who play a fundamental role in the conservation of the regional ecosystem.
 

The mating season of the Brazilian Merganser
26/05/2010

This month, which corresponds to the arrival of the breeding season of the Brazilian merganser, we are initiating the monitoring of nests in the Serra da Canastra region.  In previous years, in the month of May, the nesting of the first eggs was observed.

In 2009, five nests were monitored, and it was possible to follow the growth of 20 ducklings.

Our expectation for this year is to monitor the known nests and try to find new nests, increasing the knowledge about the reproductive biology of the species and therefore the proposition of conservation measures of the species. 
 

Rural Diagnosis: Peixe river
24/02/2010

Data were collected in order to perform an environmental diagnosis of rural properties along Peixe river. This diagnosis is part of the rural producer’s work – one of the fronts of the “’Aguas Claras, Águas Raras” Project (Clear Waters, Rare Waters Project) supported by IEF-MG. All together, 41 rural properties were visited and the information obtained during visits and interviews was georeferred and is being processed.
 
It was possible to verify a large number of water springs in the mapped properties. Nevertheless, most of them need support to reconstitute their riparian forests. This fact has also been observed regarding the riparian forest along the river, where it´s rarely seen.   In general, this forest is very narrow and degraded, with an evident need to be recovered.
 
Another important consideration is that the cattle has free access to the river in all properties visited. We consider this fact an important link between our work and that of rural property owners, aiming to search for alternatives to minimize the degradation on the shore of the river.
 
On the other hand, good practices were registered in the property management, such as rain water harvesting, installing and using a biodigester with bovine manure, implanting level curves as a way to prevent erosion and an appropriate management of the road, thus protecting the soil. These initiatives, in spite of being prompt, are very important as examples of appropriate management and use of natural resources, and may stimulate other rural property owners from that region.