Strategic payment plan for environmental services in Itaquarinchim Arroyo Basin, RS: integrating responsibilities

ABSTRACT This paper aims to develop a Strategic Payment Plan for Environmental Services (SPPES), for the maintenance of water and soil quality in the watershed of Arroyo Itaquarinchim, in St. Angelo/RS. Based on an environmental assessment of the river basin, of the actions proposed in the Municipal Sanitation Plan and the Plan of Ijuí River Basin, major environmental problems in the basin were raised, also defining services and indicating possible environmental benefits. PEPSA proposes an integrated analysis of policies related to water resources, linking them with the goals and objectives of the plans analyzed. In order to accomplish the proposed actions, PEPSA suggests, after identifying possible funding sources, putting together a fund to pay for environmental services. The sistematically organized PEPSA can be understood as a base tool for effective actions and goals proposed in different plans and programs, and thus, for the implementation of public policies.