The sea is the final spillway for everything that comes from the continent - shall we take this journey together? From the river to the sea?
Brazil is a continent of rivers. In the domain of the Atlantic Rainforest, it is common to find small streams, less than 2 km long, flowing down the mountain slopes and across the plains towards the ocean. In essence, they are streams of clear water, or the color of mate tea, with a bed of sand and pebbles. When it meets the sea, the river provides it with nutrients, and sediment and opens the way for the movement of animals that move from the sea to the river for their lives. But these environments of calm waters and meditative noise take on other aspects of the fabric of cities. Most urban rivers have lost their enchantment and have become known as ditches, a pejorative name associated with ditches and waste channels.
But all is not lost. Urban streams in the Atlantic Forest can and should be restored. In the municipality of Niterói, in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro - voluntary social movements are consolidating their defense of life in aquatic environments. Initiatives to revitalize the mangroves and restore the riparian forest of its streams have begun in recent years.
One of these recent initiatives is the containment of solid waste by the so-called Ecobarriers.
An eco-barrier is a floating structure installed across water bodies to contain solid waste. The Ecobarrier is made from simple, low-cost materials such as gallons, ropes, and nets, tied end to end. In this way, they can contain floating waste that is discarded upstream and carried downstream by the current.
Although still in its infancy, the eco-barrier movement is gaining ground in various territories.
In coastal water systems, eco-barriers prevent a considerable volume of garbage and waste from reaching the sea, especially plastic and styrofoam waste.
The Itaipu lagoon in Niterói, north of Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is fed by four streams which, with the city's urban expansion, have become dirty and polluted. In the 21st century, the lagoon became eutrophicated, i.e. with an excess of nutrients due to the sewage load.
With only shallow waters draining from its rivers, fishing has been drastically reduced.
One of the ways to restore health to the lake ecosystem is by restoring its river drainage systems. So an eco-barrier was installed on the João Mendes River, the largest contributor to the lagoon.
The work of collecting, weighing, and separating solid waste is carried out by volunteers from the NGO Amadarcy and collaborators. This initiative prevents tons of floating garbage from reaching the lagoon and the sea.
A clean lagoon, a beach, and a sea full of life. It's a step towards the conservation of protected areas such as the Serra da Tiririca State Park and the Itaipu Marine Extractive Reserve, as well as the well-being of the population living in the Itaipu lagoon system.
Because together we make a difference!
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By Luisa Maria Sarmento Soares
SDG 6, SDG 14
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