Environmental indicators as an integrated management instrument for watersheds

Abstract

Environmental problems at the watershed level are complex and require solutions that minimize socioeconomic, environmental, and political-institutional impacts. Within this context, a crosscutting analysis of concepts related to sustainable development, sustainable agriculture, watershed structure, and the use of indicators to measure local sustainability is of paramount importance for planning development at the local level. The objective of this research was to collect information related to management practices and rural development regarding the watersheds of Ribeirão Cachoeirinha and Córrego do Meio in the municipality of São Luiz do Paraitinga, SP. The goal was to propose sustainability indicators that would support an integrated watershed management strategy and promote sustainable development. Indicators should be based on the sustainability of watershed activities, be useful tools for implementing sustainable development and serve as reference in the decision-making process. Methods involved a general characterization of the area and the community using field surveys and published sources. The criteria utilized for defining the boundaries of the area were based on the Watershed State Program developed by the Agriculture and Supply Secretariat of the State of São Paulo. The results led to the development of 83 sustainability indicators and indicated the need for the community to develop an integrated strategy to promote local sustainable development.