Contradições e desafios para a proteção de mananciais hídricos em Minas Gerais : os casos das Áreas de Proteção Especial de Vargem das Flores e Serra Azul - Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte

Abstract

This study discusses the conceptual, legal and operational paradoxes of the Special Protection Areas (SPA) in Minas Gerais through research of historical processes of the Serra Azul and Vargem das Flores public water sources, both located in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte. The work seeks to highlight the ineffectiveness of SPAs in protecting the Minas Gerais public water supply sources as well as the issues involved. The methodology uses a multi-temporal analysis of land use in the two watersheds studied, as well as legal review and normative rules related to watershed protection. From the results , the work illustrates some of the limitations and challenges of watershed protection initiatives in Minas Gerais via implementation of SPAs .The state of Minas Gerais has no effective protection categories in the watersheds of public water source, given the inefficiency of the SPA as a regulatory instrument of human pressures in the water sources basins.