Management Council of the Combu Island Environmental Protection Area approves Management Plan for environmental protection

In an important achievement for participatory management of state Conservation Units, the Environmental Protection Area (APA) of Combu Island, in the island region of Belém, approved the content of its Management Plan during an extraordinary assembly of the Management Council. The meeting, held on Monday (7), was attended by residents and community leaders who actively participated in the collective construction process of the document.

During the meeting, the first complete version of the plan was presented, which received praise and suggestions from the councilors and the local community. Now, the text will undergo specific adjustments requested during the meeting and will proceed for legal evaluation by the Legal Advisory of Ideflor-Bio, a necessary step for the formalization of the final approval.

“This is a fundamental step to ensure that the decisions built with the community are officially incorporated into the management of the APA,” said Márcia Segtowitch, representative of the Management Plans Commission (Coplam) of Ideflor-Bio.

“We presented the complete content of the Management Plan to the local society, to the Management Council, and to the people who contributed in the workshops. With the last requested adjustments, the document will be ready for the approval processes,” Segtowitch added.

Listening - The plan is the result of an active listening process of the communities living on the island and participating in community-based tourism, agro-extractive production, and other traditional activities. The preparation involved participatory workshops, technical meetings, and field visits conducted by the Ideflor-Bio team, through Coplam and the Administrative Region Management of Belém (GRB).

One of the councilors of the APA and a resident of the island, Dona Prazeres Quaresma, owner of the tourist and cultural space Saudosa Maloca, highlighted the importance of the document to contain processes of environmental and cultural decharacterization. “I do believe that the Management Plan will bring us benefits, especially regarding the uncontrolled occupation by people from outside the island and the control of urban enterprises that clash with our riverside homes, which are a valuable attraction of local tourism. My expectation was huge. It’s as if this document could truly give us a direction,” she declared.

Achievement - For the head of GRB, Júlio Meyer, the approval of the plan is a milestone for the consolidation of public policies in Combu. “Combu Island is a natural and cultural heritage of Belém, and the management plan will ensure concrete instruments for territorial planning, strengthening sustainable activities, and valuing the way of life of traditional populations. This achievement is the result of a collective, democratic process that is sensitive to the specificities of the region,” the manager emphasized.

Located on the banks of the Guamá River, the APA of Combu Island is one of the most visited ecotourism destinations in Belém and houses areas of floodplain forest, streams, and communities with rich production of artisanal chocolate and typical cuisine. The new plan will be fundamental to guide the sustainable use of the territory in the face of increasing urban and tourist pressure.

The expectation is that, in the coming weeks, the Management Plan will be officially instituted as a legal instrument of the APA, establishing clear guidelines for environmental conservation, the valorization of riverside culture, and sustainable development on Combu Island.