This output aims at consolidating policies that integrate SLM into state-level planning in Sergipe with a focus on semiarid areas. Although there are already several public initiatives, programs and projects related to SLM, such as the PAE-SE and the Forestry Program (FAP), these tools are not always sufficient or are not being implemented as required. In other cases, there are gaps to be filled, especially with regard to municipal policies, and at other times there is a lack of integration and interaction among different policies, programs and projects.
With a focus on integration among public initiatives, the PAE-SE and PAF will be updated in connection with state-wide land use planning. Information gaps to be filled include the following: 1) updated information on LD within priority semiarid areas of the state (the Alto Sertão) and the remainder ASD in the state; 2) completed baseline LD measurements with indices and monitoring procedures to guide decision-making; 3) final prioritization of actions identified in the PAE-SE; 4) detailed procedures to optimize relevant sector intervention for these priority areas; 5) clarification of institutional roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the PAE-SE; 6) detailed funding needs for PAE-SE actions and funding sources for those that are not presently covered by existing programs; 7) assess expected climate change impacts on LD and develop related adaptation strategies. With the support of the Standing Committee to Combat Desertification, this information will be used in the Pluriannual Budget (PPA) to include programs and actions for sustainable management, conservation and land use and reclamation for the implementation of PAE-SE and PAF, targeting food, energy and water security and conservation of biodiversity, with a clear definition of procedures and institutional and sectoral roles for implementation as well as the necessary amounts of budget funds.
In the seven municipalities of ASDs subject to severe degrees of desertification, Municipal Action Plans (PAMs) will be developed. These plans will contribute not only to the promotion and implementation of SLM, but also the strengthening of municipalities with the definition of appropriate technical frameworks that can contribute to and guide the implementation of these plans. Through the development of municipal policies and programs for strengthening and qualification, fostering partnerships with federal and state government and private enterprise, it will be possible to achieve the consolidation of sustainable local economic development.
Territorial planning constitutes an important tool for managing urban and rural areas. Within this planning, the use and occupation of land must be carefully organized so as to promote sustainable use of resources and avoid future problems. In this context, Ecological Economic Zoning (EEZ) is an indispensable tool to support government decisions, guiding development processes, land use, biodiversity conservation and monitoring in ASDs. Thus, all instruments for strengthening and implementation of SLM undertaken by the project should serve as inputs and be aligned and integrated with the Ecological Economic Zoning and the forest inventory of Sergipe, also considering the state water resources plan, watershed plans (in preparation) and SEMARH's Waters of Sergipe project, among others.
The project will promote consolidation and strengthening of the Standing Commission for Combating Desertification (GPCD) created by state decree. To be more workable, this commission has a maximum of twenty members. The selection of members considers institutions in two situations: the first is related to the specific content of PAE-SE, with the institutions that are responsible for carrying out actions in the program, and the second takes into account the institutions that were given priority in the development of participatory workshops in the ASD for preparing PAE-SE. This commission has the mandate to ensure, encourage and induce compliance with the actions and strategies defined in the PAE-SE, optimizing actions to favor their integration. It will entail technical chambers and working groups with specific functions for articulation of institutional actors and implementation of programs foreseen in the four-year pluriannual budget (PPA) to be defined in 2015. The project will promote strengthening their on SLM and on the advances of this and other related projects and share information on SLM best practices, providing technical information for decision making.
