VALUATION OF WATER ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE IN THE BUFFER ZONE OF A STATE PARK IN THE SEMI-ARID OF MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL

Abstract

The study aimed to propose a valuation method for the Payment for Water Environmental Services (PEWS) in the buffer zone (BZ) of Lapa Grande State Park (LGSP), in the semi-arid region of Minas Gerais. For this, a database was built to collect and organize information on PEWS initiatives in Southeast Brazil. The initiatives were analyzed according to categories and attributes, supporting a methodological proposal for the environmental valuation PEWS. It was found that despite the PEWS initiatives being in the same region and having similar objectives, the valuation methods are different, varying according to the types of intervention adopted. For the valuation, the value for the environmental service of water supply was selected, adapted and calculated, resulting in R$ 59.07/ha/year. With the application of the chosen valuation method, the payment varied between R$ 0.15 and 50.29/ha/year, for modality III, of conservation of remnants of native vegetation. The values were low compared to other similar PEWS initiatives.