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Natural Infrastructure for Water in the Metropolitan Region of Greater Vitória

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Forests and other forms of native vegetation can serve as effective nature-based solutions for water resource management. They can enhance the performance and resilience of conventional structures or rehabilitate the landscape for water with greater regularity and better quality.

The Natural Infrastructure for Water in the Metropolitan Region of Greater Vitória report demonstrates how forest restoration of critically degraded areas in the Jucu and Santa Maria da Vitória watersheds could improve the performance of the water reservoir and treatment for the Metropolitan Region of Vitória, Brazil. The report performs a cost-effective analysis of the implementation of natural infrastructure, discusses its economic feasibility compared to investments focused only on conventional infrastructure, and outlines recommendations on how to strengthen ongoing forest restoration programs and initiatives in Brazil.

As a result of this report, the state government of Espirito Santo, Brazil adopted a law that prioritizes the restoration of water-critical forested areas upstream of the Vitoria Metropolitan Area. The resulting investment in green infrastructure will reduce sediment pollution, saving the local water company $26 million over 20 years, a 14% return on their investment.

Authored by

Suzanne Ozment, Erin Gray, Thiago Belote Silva, Rafael Feltran-Barbieri, Marcelo Matsumoto and Mariana Oliveira