Urban Brazilian watersheds: when to opt for restoration, revitalisation or recovery

Abstract

Brazilian cities, like other cities in developing countries, have changed in the last few decades due to accelerated population growth and rural–urban migration. Since these changes are not accompanied by urban planning, they represent a great risk to the maintenance of a balanced environment. This results in deforestation, excessive soil waterproofing, floodplain occupation, river pollution and much environmental damage. The main threats to watercourses in Brazilian urban areas are polluting loads, loss of ecosystem services due to changes in the natural channel design, as well as the impacts of unplanned occupation in watersheds. When it comes to watershed rehabilitation, three techniques can be adopted: restoration, revitalisation or recovery. The choice between these is based on watershed features and the desired outcome of the rehabilitation process. This paper proposes a method to select water rehabilitation techniques adapted to the context of Brazil.