Environmental restriction or an opportunity for sustainable development? The Karst Aquifer in the metropolitan region of Curitiba

In environmental terms, the expansion of urban areas has become a problem that is more serious than that of population growth it self. To face this challenge, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) indicates the need for changes in city management with the adoption of participative intervention as a strategy to reduce socio-environmental conflicts and control the effects of pollution on the natural environment. The background of this paper is the formulation of watershed occupation policies in urban contexts. The paper studies the perception of residents and representatives of government institutions about the conservation of karst groundwater in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba.