Nature-Based Solutions for Water in the Peri-Urban: Case Study Brief - Brazil

The Water and Forest Producer Project (PAF) - Rio Claro / RJ is located in the municipality of Rio Claro / RJ, where the head of Piraí River’s is located. It is in-serted in the basin of the Guandu river, a vital source of drinking water for 12 million people in the metro-politan region of Rio de Janeiro. The degradation of the Atlantic Forest has compromised the supply of environmental services, among which the provision of water in quantity and quality stands out. The proj-ect aims to encourage conservation and restoration of the forest through the mechanism of payment for environmental services, to improve the quality and quantity of water for several municipalities in Rio de Janeiro. The project works through voluntary action by rural landowners, who are financially compen-sated for adopting conservation and restoration practices on their properties. Currently, the project is being monitored with 70 rural landowners, ~ 4,562 ha of conservation areas, ~ 564 ha for restoration and R$ 8.5 million in investment in the first five years of operation.  The impact scale of the project for now is local. The idea is to expand the project aiming to cover whole Guandu watershed. 

This case study aims to disseminate the methodology of the PAF Project and strengthen environmental restoration as part of the solution for water resource management in the Guandu basin. Its interest is the environmental recovery of the basin, aiming to improve the quality and quantity of water.