Considered the most wooded city in Brazil, Campo Grande (MS) was the stage this Tuesday (8) for the last regional face-to-face workshop of the National Urban Afforestation Plan (PlaNAU), an initiative of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), with technical support from ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL), among other partners. The meeting brought together more than 150 representatives from around 20 municipalities, including governments, civil society, academia and the private sector to discuss solutions and strategies for greener and more resilient cities, consolidating an unprecedented movement of participatory construction in the country.

Part of the Resilient Green Cities Program (PCVR), the PlanNAU is scheduled for launch at COP30 in Belém and proposes guidelines to expand tree cover in urban areas, valuing biodiversity, ecosystem services, and quality of life. The regional workshops were fundamental in gathering demands and experiences from all regions of Brazil, already held in Manaus, Recife, Curitiba, Campinas, and now concluded in the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Campo Grande, which holds the title of the most tree-filled city in Brazil according to IBGE (2022) and has already been recognized six times as a "Tree City of the World" by the FAO and the Arbor Day Foundation, highlighted its leading role in the environmental agenda. "Hosting this workshop is a great honor for us, as we are a benchmark in urban arboriculture and have been working to further strengthen the sustainability of our city," stated Mariana Massud, executive director of the Municipal Agency for the Environment and Urban Planning (Planurb).

Regional debate

The event was attended by authorities such as the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment, Urban Management and Economic, Tourism and Sustainable Development, Vera Bacchi, and representatives of national entities such as the Brazilian Society of Urban Arboriculture (SBAU), CB27, Anamma, CRBio, as well as specialists and technicians in urban planning, architecture, biology, engineering and the environment.

In the program, participants discussed regional diagnoses, best practices, financing mechanisms, governance, and urban forestry strategies adapted to the characteristics of the Central-West region. “Based on the information collected throughout the participatory process, ICLEI will draft the plan, ensuring that territorial, technical, and social inputs are reflected in the final document. The central objective of our work in this process is to promote urban forestry as a strategic tool for the development of more resilient, healthy cities focused on human well-being,” explained Léa Gejer, technical coordinator of ICLEI Brazil.

For the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), broad social participation is one of the pillars of the National Plan for Urban Afforestation (PlanNAU). “This is the first time we've created a national-level plan on this topic. We have the Green and Resilient Cities program, established a year ago by decree. It's a program with six areas of focus, carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Cities and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. One of the areas is urban afforestation. We understand that afforestation and its leadership should remain with the municipalities and be addressed locally, but we want to coordinate the activities and actions of municipalities, states, and other sectors of society, sharing responsibilities, now for the first time also at the national level,” highlighted Jennifer Viezzer, project manager of the ministry's Urban Environment department.

National and international recognition

In addition to hosting the PlanAU workshop, Campo Grande has expanded its role in environmental issues on the international stage. The municipality and the state of Mato Grosso do Sul are associated with ICLEI and have been developing actions to address climate change, conserve the Pantanal wetlands, and reconcile agribusiness and sustainability.

The process also has the support of educational and research institutions, 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 Federal Council of Engineering and Agronomy (Confea), the Federal Council of Biology (CFBio), the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil (CAU/BR), as well as the municipal governments of Campinas, Manaus, Curitiba, Recife and Campo Grande, and the state governments of São Paulo, Paraná, Pernambuco and Mato Grosso do Sul.

Contributions are still open.

For those who did not participate in the in-person workshops, it is possible to submit suggestions to the PlanAU until July 11th, using the online form. Available on the ReDUS platform.