Responsive governance

The Rio Doce Panel sees the restoration work underway as an opportunity to establish more responsive and participatory governance for the Rio Doce Basin, one that looks to the future and ensures the continuity of efforts even after the current programs have ended. 

Considering these principles, the Panel recommends the participatory construction of a shared vision for the sustainable future of the Basin.  

Government and management institutions must also be strengthened to continue the work performed by the Renova Foundation, thus ensuring the continuity of restoration efforts. 

Given the water governance structure in Brazil, the Panel also recommends strengthening and increasing the participation of the Rio Doce Watershed Committee (CBH-Doce) in restoration actions. The CBH-Doce brings together representatives from the government, the private sector and society and is the institution in charge of preparing and approving the Integrated Water Resources Plan for the Basin, currently under review.  

Data collection and systematization must also be expanded, and the data must be made publicly available to the communities, which, once empowered, can increase their participation in decision-making processes. 

Learn more about all the recommended actions to strengthen the long-term governance of the Rio Doce Basin in Thematic Report 4: From restoration to responsive governance.

Rio Doce Panel - Long-term Governance

There have been several successful examples of responsive governance in Brazil and abroad. Though the models may vary, they all have certain features in common, such as effective communication, commitment, understanding and clarity about the desired outcomes. 

Some of the cases include: 

Social participation in the watersheds of the Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí Rivers (Brazil)

Communication and transparency in Chesapeake Bay (United States)

Participation of beneficiaries in a post-disaster housing project (Colombia) 

The current governance structure of the Rio Doce Basin needs help achieving greater efficiency in restoration actions.  

The fact that some programs have been taken to court, coupled with the challenges of reaching a consensus on reparations and governance deadlocks, have delayed the establishment of Independent Technical Advisors (Assessorias Técnicas Independentes, ITA). The Technical Advisors are predicted in the Terms of Conduct Adjustment - Governance (Termo de Ajustamento de Conduta-Governança, TAC-GOV) signed in 2018 to ensure greater participation by the affected population. 

In a recent decision, the Federal Judge of the 3rd Federal Court of Colatina (ES) ratified the Terms of Commitment signed by the Independent Technical Advisors (also called Technical Advisors) for services in 12 affected territories. In late 2022, the Renova Foundation was notified to deposit the amount referring to the first six months of work. 

However, as the Foundation is not responsible for the region's long-term development, the state governments and relevant agencies must agree vis-à-vis the transition to the post-Renova era, set priorities, secure funding, and get the communities involved. As of this writing, no decision has been made on the matter. 

Some of the Panel's recommendations are consistent with actions already underway by Renova, such as communicating the findings of the aquatic biodiversity and fish toxicity assessments to the affected communities. This material has been made available to the affected communities, and all other stakeholders at Portal do Monitoramento (Monitoring Website).  

Other recommendations, such as adopting the source-to-sea and integrated landscape approaches in the Rio Doce restoration efforts, were only partially accepted. However, the measures required to implement such approaches are still under discussion. 

Some recommendations were entirely rejected, such as developing a climate action plan for the Basin. In the Panel's view, this and other issues will require attention in the near future. 

The Rio Doce Panel believes that building responsive governance is critical to ensuring not only the mitigation of the effects of the disaster but also a sustainable future for the river and its populations.  

This future must be planned for in the present by drawing on science, and joint action and good practices from companies and governments to first ensure that disasters as Fundão the Dam failure, never happen again. Second, guarantee great preparedness for societies to respond effectively.

How about knowing more details about the work done by the Panel and IUCN?

On the site of the Rio Doce Panel, you can find information about the work and access all the Thematic Reports and Issue Papers.

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IUCN's international website is where you will get all the information about the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and its projects around the world.

And, if you want to get in touch, just write to [email protected].