Hydro to fight against deforestation

As part of Brazil’s “Green Municipalities” program, Hydro is joining a project that will monitor deforestation throughout the Amazon region.

Hydro’s bauxite mining operation in Paragominas signed an agreement June 18 with the Pará State Secretariat of the Green Municipalities Program and environmental organization Imazon to train 90 technicians who will work on the program.

"Our commitment to making society more viable is strong,” says Johnny Undeli, head of Hydro’s Bauxite & Alumina business in Brazil. “Hydro's cooperation with the state of Pará and Imazon covers education and training of technicians to ensure that Pará has the necessary competence to monitor deforestation and thereby contribute to curbing climate change.”

The technicians will come from Pará municipalities that have signed on to the program, which aims to reverse deforestation and develop a stronger and more sustainable economy in the region.According to the program, a “green municipality” develops sustainable productive activities with low carbon emissions and a high social and environmental responsibility profile. The program also assures that the environmental developments are continually monitored to help assess progress.

Launched in March 2012 by the Pará government, the program is based on the successful project developed originally in Paragominas, a city which had experienced environmental challenges over the years.

According to Hydro, by 2008, Paragominas ranked among the most critical Brazilian cities in terms of deforestation. In order to avoid penalties from the federal government, the city made a strong effort involving the main social actors in a commitment to improve environmental performance. Due to the initiative, Paragominas was the first municipality in Brazil to leave the Brazilian deforestation “black list.”

In order to become a “green municipality,” it is necessary to reduce deforestation, assure compliance with social and environmental legislation, foster the recovery of degraded areas, better use areas already opened and properly manage the native forest.Actions taken by a municipality must include: making a local pact with relevant social actors; developing a municipal diagnostic system; and establishing partnerships.

A Green Municipalities Secretariat was created to manage development of the program, which has been popular with local authorities. Of the 143 municipalities in the state of Pará, 90 have signed on to the program.

The goal is to reduce deforestation by 80 percent by 2020 and to assure environmental compliance, which would move 16 municipalities off the list of cities in the Amazon region with the worst deforestation levels.

Green Municipalities program representatives will be participating in various events at the United Nations' Rio+20 conference, including a presentation of the program and the signing of a partnership with Fundação Globo for developing video classes on forest management.