Valoração ambiental da bacia do rio Bagagem sob a óptica dos munícipes da cidade de Iraí de Minas - MG

Abstract

An efficient environmental resource management requires an assessment of its current situation. Planning actions to eliminate problems and developing new sustainable practices are necessary. Thus, Bagagem River was the object of this study. It is an important source of water for Iraí de Minas, in state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, as it is the only river that supplies the urban area. Techniques of Digital Image Processing (DIP) and the econometric techniques of Environmental Assessment were used to assess the river. The first article of this research is about the techniques of DIP, which aimed to analyze the landscape changes occurred from 1984 to 2015 in Iraí de Minas by orbital images. The second article of this study is about the techniques of neoclassical economics of Environmental Assessment through the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). Urban inhabitants’ willingness to pay (WTP) was used to assess the economic value of the river. Awareness, environmental perception and characteristics that could relate to the WTP were also assessed. Significant changes occurred in the last 30 years in use and occupation were found. They are the following: massive agricultural expansion with central pivot irrigation; Nova Ponte hydroelectric lagoon flooded 10% of the total area of the city; cultivated vegetation and intense agricultural practices replaced natural and undergrowth vegetation. The Northern region of the city, which has been flooded, has an abundant water supply, while the Southern region, the urban area of the city, faces a water crisis. The CVM identifies that a) most inhabitants interviewed were worried about the current situation of the river; they were aware that the amount of water available has been decreasing and that pollution has been steadily increasing in the last years; c) they were willing to pay to improve the levels of quantity and quality of Bagagem River water. The logit model used showed that younger people living nearer the river, with higher family income and greater environmental awareness, would be more likely to be willing to pay (WTP> 0) to improve the river situation. Inhabitants were willing to pay R$ 21.98, in average, for river conservation, which sums approximately R$ 1,827,593.04 per year. Public policies on river management may consider this amount for investments in environmental assets or for environmental compensation. Faced with the water crisis and considering these research findings, public managers should consider people's appeal, who call for the mitigation of the problem, besides precisely acting to re-establish the optimal levels of quality and quantity of the Bagagem River water.