The Copaíba Environmental Association analyzes Bill No. 028/2023 and offers suggestions for addressing environmental issues in the Serra Negra/SP Master Plan
The Copaíba Environmental Association analyzes Bill No. 028/2023 and offers suggestions for addressing environmental issues in the Serra Negra/SP Master Plan
The Copaíba Environmentalist Association, in line with its mission to conserve and restore the Atlantic Forest in the Peixe and Camanducaia river basins, as well as the promotion of socio-environmental public policies in the 19 municipalities in which it operates, was convened by sectors of the population of Serra Negra /SP to evaluate the environmental aspects of Bill No. 028/2023, which aims to establish the municipality's new Master Plan.
In view of this, the Association carried out a thorough analysis of Bill No. 028/2023 in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the future Master Plan in protecting the unique environmental characteristics of Serra Negra. This legislation, which guides the occupation of the territory, must be perfectly aligned with the particularities of Serra Negra, which is a water producing municipality and a Tourist Resort. This is due to the abundance of springs and watercourses, distributed throughout its territory, which are extremely important from both an ecological and economic point of view, also considering its geographical location upstream of important river basins in the State of São Paulo. The specific topography of the region creates the conditions for the great wealth in the production of mineral waters, which makes Serra Negra a unique city among Brazilian municipalities. Based on these characteristics, it is essential to pay special attention to the environmental criteria of the Master Plan, which must guarantee long-term sustainability and the preservation of the Hydromineral Resort's characteristics.
With a view to identifying critical aspects, Copaíba prepared, in collaboration with the local environmentalist, Iza Bordotti, material to support civil society participation in the public hearings held at the City Council on the 24th, 25th and 26th of August 2023 . Subsequently, these contributions were consolidated and forwarded to the City Council and City Hall of the Hidromineral Tourist Resort of Serra Negra/SP, through letters that also presented suggestions for improving the text and annexes of Bill No. 028/2023 .
The documents are available to the population for public consultation, highlighting the importance of understanding these crucial elements, which could not be completely presented during the Public Hearings.
Contributions from civil society and the population must be analyzed both by councilors and by the company Geo Brasilis, responsible for conducting the review process together with the Municipal Executive Branch. In this way, Copaíba expresses its interest in collaborating to improve the final text of the legislation that will govern the Master Plan.
Some aspects of the plan that require careful review of Bill No. 028/2023 include:
1. The need for adequate demarcation of landscape heritage, areas of protection, preservation and recovery of the natural environment, as well as water resources and spring areas, in addition to areas with restrictions on urban occupation. It is understood that the demarcation of these areas cannot be done superficially, under penalty of not reaching the minimum content of the Master Plan defined by the City Statute (Federal Law 10,257/2001) and Resolution No. 34/2005 of the Council of Cities .
2. The importance of not restricting the Green Area System to urban areas only. This would exclude areas of scenic and environmental interest, such as hilltops, which include Alto da Serra Negra. The future destiny of these areas must be the subject of democratic discussion during the Master Plan review process, translating into clear occupation parameters in the draft law.
3. The need to avoid an incomplete representation of forest fragments of the Atlantic Forest Biome in urban and rural areas, protecting them from illegal suppression, given the few remaining areas in the region.
Furthermore, it is essential to evaluate the omissions in the documents that were highlighted in the analysis in light of the Organic Law of the Municipality of Serra Negra, especially in its chapters VII – Environment and VIII – Ecology. The guidelines and protected areas defined by this law must be included in the Plan. Furthermore, many of the matters in the Municipality's Organic Law require regulation by specific law, with the Master Plan being the appropriate law for many of these regulations, as it is the main instrument of municipal territorial policy.
Finally, it is important to highlight the democratic management of cities, guaranteed by the City Statute, as a fundamental pillar for sustainable urban development. It is the participatory Master Plan that provides guidelines for other municipal laws for planning and regulating spaces and constructions, including the Land Subdivision, Use and Occupation Law, the Works Code and other Sector Plans. Therefore, it is essential to conduct the process of preparing the Master Plan carefully, broadly involving the different sectors of the community and carefully considering all contributions. These procedures are also fundamental requirements of the City Statute, as detailed in Resolution No. 25/2005 of the City Council.
The Copaíba Environmentalist Association, made official to the Municipal Chamber of the Hidromineral Tourist Resort of Serra Negra/SP its willingness to participate in a specific meeting with councilors before the vote on Bill No. 028/2023. It is their desire to directly share their perspectives with the municipal Legislature and Executive and with the population in general, present the contributions made and debate the solutions that could be beneficial for the conscious growth of Serra Negra.
Dialogue and cooperation between civil society are fundamental for the construction of solid and effective public policies, therefore, it is necessary to contribute constructively to the advancement of the debate around the review of the Serra Negra Master Plan.
Environmental aspects of PD Serra Negra Analysis Bill No. 28
Analysis and suggestions PD Serra NegraAnalysis of the Master Plan
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