In a scenario of increasing climate challenges, the adaptive capacity of Brazilian municipalities is key to ensuring sustainable development and protecting vulnerable populations. It is with this objective that the National Urban Afforestation Plan (PlaNAU), coordinated by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), in partnership with the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, has been working to expand afforestation in urban areas and promote biodiversity, ecosystem services, addressing the climate emergency, and improving the quality of life for the population. To achieve these results, the participation of representatives from different sectors of society is fundamental and constitutes one of the pillars of the plan's development.

On June 10th, the city of Campinas (SP) hosted the 1st Regional Workshop of the PlanNAU, a fundamental initiative to ensure that the various regions of Brazil, as well as different segments of society, can share their knowledge, experiences, and specific demands to support the construction of the plan. The event brought together more than 200 managers and technicians from municipal and state secretariats, members of the legislature, the Public Prosecutor's Office, environmental councilors, representatives of civil society, academia, and the private sector, adding diverse voices in favor of greener, more resilient cities adapted to climate change. “Tree planting is a matter of social well-being, public health, and plays a crucial role in mitigating the impacts of extreme heat island events, in addition to creating spaces for leisure and social interaction,” declared Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary of Urban Environment and Environmental Quality, at the opening.

During the first part of the workshop, the current version of the Urban Green Areas Plan (PlanNAU) and some key concepts were presented, with the participation of Maurício Guerra, Director of Urban Environment at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), and Jennifer Viezzer, General Coordinator of Adaptation of Urban Environments and Climate Change at the MMA. The next in-person workshops will take place in Manaus (AM), Recife (PE), Campo Grande (MS), Curitiba (PR), and Campinas (SP), always with the aim of promoting participatory construction. In addition, Maurício Lamano, from the Brazilian Society of Urban Arboriculture (SBAU), and Cláudio Maretti, Senior Fellow of ICLEI, presented a collection of technical content and recommendations that will serve as a basis for the consolidation of the plan and on urban green and blue area systems, highlighting the importance of integrating these structures with urban arboriculture. Rogério Menezes de Mello, from the José Pedro de Oliveira Foundation (FJPO), responsible for the administration of the Santa Genebra Forest in Campinas (SP), also participated with a presentation on local experiences in conservation and afforestation.

Local and state authorities also presented examples of best practices and addressed topics such as governance and environmental management. Speakers included Ângela Guirao, from the Municipal Secretariat for Climate, Environment and Sustainability of Campinas; Fabio Vicentini Diniz, biologist and head of the Environmental Inspection and Licensing Division of the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment; and André Schatz Pellicciotti, technical assistant of the Climate Change Advisory Office of the Secretariat for the Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics of the State of São Paulo. Ângela Guirao discussed the Reconecta RMC Program, which aims to establish cooperation between the municipalities that make up the Campinas Metropolitan Region for actions of mutual interest, conservation of fauna and flora, and exchange of technical knowledge.

The program continued in the afternoon with the activities of the participatory workshop, reaffirming the collective commitment to building a national plan focused on greener, more sustainable, and resilient cities. The PlanNAU (National Plan for Urban Development) is based on the understanding that urban planning and management only generate effective results when they are deeply connected to the territories and the people who inhabit them. 

In this sense, in-person workshops play a central role in the process, based on active listening and social participation. They seek to gather local and regional contributions, understand in a structured way the challenges and opportunities of urban afforestation, deepen the diagnosis in different contexts, and promote the collective construction of guidelines, proposals, and priorities for the plan. Furthermore, they are spaces for sharing best practices, ensuring the representation of different sectors of society, and consolidating a broad and diverse participatory base that will support the final drafting of the Urban Afforestation Plan (PlanNAU).

Follow, participate, and subscribe to the page to learn more: www.redus.org.br/planau

Submit your contributions by accessing the virtual contribution collection form available on the page.

The participatory construction of National Urban Tree Planting Plan (PlaNAU) It is part of the Resilient Green Cities Program (PCVR) and is coordinated by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), carried out in partnership with the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL) and implemented by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. It also has the support of the Brazilian Society of Urban Arboriculture (SBAU), the Forum of Secretaries of the Environment of Brazilian Capitals (CB27), the National Association of Municipalities and the Environment (ANAMMA), the Brazilian Association of State Environmental Entities (ABEMA), the Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering, Research & Development of Brazil (INESC P&D Brasil), the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil (CAU/BR), the Federal Council of Biology (CFBio) and the Federal Council of Engineering and Agronomy (CONFEA), and the municipal governments of Campinas, Manaus, Curitiba, Recife and Campo Grande, as well as the state governments of São Paulo, Amazonas, Paraná, Pernambuco and Mato Grosso do Sul.