Arapiraca creates first municipal environmental conservation unit

Davi Salsa (Mayor’s Office)

Photos: Charlemagne

Municipal Decree 2,919/2024 was signed, this Friday (26), by Mayor Luciano Barbosa, officially establishing the creation of the Jurema Environmental Protection Area (APA), the first environmental conservation unit in Arapiraca.

The signing took place at the Ecospiração space, in the Brisa do Lago Housing Complex, in the Olho d’Água dos Cazuzinhas neighborhood.

The event was attended by the superintendent of Environment and Sustainability, Felipe Barbosa, who represented the municipal secretary of Urban Development and Environment, Rosa Lira.

The ceremony also brought together representatives from the Environment Institute (IMA/AL), Chico Mendes Institute of Biodiversity (ICMBio), Environmental Police Battalion and State Secretariat for the Environment and Water Resources (Semarh), in addition to the partnership with Agreste Saneamento for the recovery of degraded areas of the Caatinga and the municipality’s affiliation with the Caatinga Biome Social Carbon Credits Association due to the presentation of the results of the public consultation of the Wildlife Refuge (Revis).

APA Jurema has an area of ​​245 hectares, the equivalent of more than 200 football fields, between the Olho d’Água dos Cazuzinhas and João Paulo II neighborhoods.

With the decree in force, the entire area will be protected and preserved through technical cooperation in the defense of biodiversity, vegetation, soil and animals that live in the area, such as mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, as well as the environmental education and scientific research.

For Mayor Luciano Barbosa, the decree and the creation of the environmental conservation unit will be recorded in the history of Arapiraca and a legacy for new generations. “I want to congratulate the joint work of the Municipal Department of Urban Development and Environment with all bodies and partners involved in the action”, he stated.

National reference

The municipality of Arapiraca is a national reference in programs to create green areas and protect the environment.

Recently, the Tree Cities of the World program chose the most wooded cities in Brazil.

In Alagoas, Arapiraca leads the ranking with the largest number of green areas. It is also the fourth most wooded city in the entire Northeast Region and the 21st municipality in Brazil.

In the city center is its “green lung”, the Bosque das Arapiracas, the Deputada Ceci Cunha Park and the Dom Constantino Lüers Green Area.

Lago da Perucaba and the Riacho Piauí Marginal with Ladeira do Claudenor are also part of the urban geography.

Among the actions carried out by the municipality of Arapiraquense, the creation of programs such as Arapiraca Verde, started in 2021 with the Viveiro Municipal Fiscal José Raimundo, responsible for the direct planting of 25 thousand trees; the Arborometer, a tool that counts the balance of planted and suppressed trees, and which acts as a database to control species diversity; plant health in trees in public spaces and public spaces; and Environmental Education Programs with public and private schools in the municipality.

Tree Cities of the World is an international program led by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN).