CONTEXTUALIZATION 

Porto dos Gaúchos is located in the central-north of the state of Mato Grosso, some 620 km from the capital of Cuiabá. It covers and area of 6,994 km2, with a population of approximately 5,500 inhabitants, according to the 2010 Census conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), representing a demographic density of 0.72 inhab./km². The municipality was created by Law Nº. 1,945, of November 11, 1963, as part of a project for private colonization which began in the 1950s. Currently, there are close to 745 rural properties in the municipality, according to data from the Institute of Farming and Cattle-raising Defense in the State of Mato Grosso (IDEA-MT).

The environmental situation in Porto dos Gaúchos is similar to that in other cities in the central-north region of the state. Most are undergoing rapid growth in terms of occupation, due mainly to uncontrolled cattle-raising, farming and timber exploration. Thus, the municipality presents problems, such as degraded permanent preservation areas, burn-offs and illegal deforestation, and, in the beginning of 2008, it was placed on the list of priority municipalities, prepared by the Ministry of the Environment, for efforts to prevent and combat deforestation in the Legal Amazon. 

THE PROJECT

The project in the municipality of Porto dos Gaúchos seeks to supply instruments for efforts such as environmental management, physically and operationally structuring the Municipal Secretariat of the Environment and Tourism (SEMATUR), equipping it to combat and control deforestation.

INTERVENTION LOGIC

This project falls under the “Monitoring and control” component of the logical framework of the Amazon Fund.

Click on the following image to view its objectives tree, that is, how the project's outputs and linked to the expected outcomes and impact.

ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED

According to the intervention logic of the project, Amazon Fund support for the municipality of Porto dos Gaúchos seeks to supply basic instruments for efforts, such as environmental management, physically and operationally structuring the city’s SEMATUR, by purchasing:

• computer, multimedia and GPS equipment;
• furniture; and
• a pick-up and a boat, so as to prepare it to combat and control deforestation.

The furniture and electronic equipment are currently being used on a daily basis by SEMATUR. The 4x4 pick-up is used to inspect, raise rural owners’ awareness about deforestation and burn-offs, help develop rural property registration, and lectures in communities etc. The boat is used in partnership with the State Secretariat of the Environment and the Military Police in the state of Mato Grosso to inspect rivers and surrounding areas. The multimedia projector and screen are used in lectures in the urban headquarters and rural communities in Porto dos Gaúchos.

INDICATORS OF RESULTS AND IMPACTS

Among the project’s indicators and impacts, measuring SEMATUR’s growing annual budget has become customary. This budget has increased due to the use, in 2011, of support resources from the Amazon Fund. From 2010 to 2012, this increase was more than three-fold, indicating an expansion in terms of the secretariat’s capacities.

Another indicator is the annual deforestation rate in the municipality of Porto dos Gaúchos, which is measured by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) (Chart 2). In 2012, the deforested area in Porto dos Gaúchos accounted for 42% of its total area. 

The chart above shows a substantial drop in deforestation as of 2006, as a result of public policies to combat deforestation implemented as of 2004. In the year immediately following support from the Amazon Fund, that is, in 2010, annual deforestation was 21.7 km2. In 2012, deforestation measured by the INPE was 7.4 km2. While favorable, these results can not be exclusively attributed to the Amazon Fund.