UPAN - Union for the Protection of the Natural Environment

- Actual research projects
- Activities
- Councils
- Partner
- History
- Contact

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Actual research projects:

• Birds in rice plantation: what effect do rice fields have on bird communities?
• Food and environmental education: how poor communities can improve their food and health with small-scale planting? An applicated research project.
• Bibliographical data-collecting on dioxins and furanes: there is little information available in Brazil about persistant organic pollutants, therefore Upan collected this information and published it on the web-site. Further work and field research on the subject is being prepared.
• Riverside inhabitants on the Rio dos Sinos river: do the traditional inhabitants of the riversides on the Rio dos Sinos contribute to the preservation of the river and its wetlands?
• Effects of the forest structure and the selective logging on the natural regeneration of the brazilian Araucaria (Araucaria angustifolia)

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Activities:

• Reforestation project "Idéia Verde": through a group of young people and the finantial support of an enterprise for the tree nursery, riversides and other priority areas in south Brazil (Montenegro) are being reforestated. This initiative will be spread to other regions.
• Environmental education through vegetable garden in the schools: for years Upan helps public schools in the Rio dos Sinos valley in the build-up and use of vegetable gardens, using them for environmental education and for a healthier food in the school kitchen.
• Integration through waste recycling: waste gatherers that go alone through the streets collecting waste, and storing the valueless part around the own home are common in Brazil. In São Leopoldo Upan helped such lonely workers to found a self-governed cooperative, to raise the value of their work, achieve regular income, and even to help other families to improve their livelihood.

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Chairs in Councils:

Upan is politically very active, participating on decision making processes, representing the interest of the society regarding the environment. The councils Upan participates are:

• National Council of Cities
• State Council of Pró-Guaíba
• Council of the Rio dos Sinos Basin
• Regional Development Council of the Rio dos Sinos Valley
• State Environment Council
• Environment Council of the City São Leopoldo
• City Planning Council of Sao leopoldo

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Among the actual or earlier Partners of Upan are:

• Brot für die Welt,
• Cetrel Lumina,
• CNPq,
• Escola Estadual Técnica São João Batista,
• Escola Agrícola Visconde de São Leopoldo,
• Damien Foundation,
• Friends of the Earth,
• Fundação o Boticário de Proteção a Natureza,
• Fundo Municipal de Meio Ambiente de Novo Hamburgo,
• International Foundation for Science,
• Luftech Soluções Ambientais,
• Governo do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul,
• Greenpeace,
• Misereor (Igreja Católica),
• National Wildlife Foundation,
• Petroflex Indústria e Comércio S.A.,
• Rainforest Action Network,
• Sergs - Sociedade de Engenharia do Rio Grande do Sul,
• Unibanco Ecologia,
• Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos - Unisinos,
• Vis Vitalis.

For further information please contact trough projetos@upan.org.br.

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History

UPAN is the second oldest environmentalist NGO in Latin America, founded in 1971. During this time participated on important international developments of the environmental area, together with partners such as Brot für die Welt, Misereor, National Wildlife Foundation of USA, Rainforest Action Network, Damien Foundation, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and several Brazilian organizations.

The Union for the Protection of the Natural Environment (UPAN) is a recognized socio-environmental organization with 33 years of activity in the region, founded in 13 July 1971 in São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil. In 13 October 2004 was awarded as OSCIP by the Ministry of Justice of Brazil. Actually Upan has 397 associates and 28 active volunteers.

At the national level participated in the National Environment Council (CONAMA), the Council of the National Fund for the Environment (FNMA), and today is member of the National Council of the Cities. Participated actively in several other instances, among which the United Nations Conference for the Environment (Rio 92), the Rio Grande do Sul State Environment Conferences, the National Conference of the Cities (2003, as delegate), and National Conference for Environment Education (1997, as delegate).

Regionally participates in the Deliberative Council of the Pró-Guaíba, the Council of Representatives of the Preservation, Management and Research Committee of the Sinos River Basin (Comitesinos) and the Regional Development Council of the Sinos Valley (Consinos).

In São Leopoldo Upan participates in the City Environment Council, the Municipal Council of the Managing Plan (Complad) as well as the Advisory Council for the Director Sanitation Plan.

Upan participates in the Network of Environmental Organizations of Rio Grande do Sul (Apedema/RS), which it helped to create in 1990, and in the Network of NGOs of the Atlantic Forest - RMA.

In the local scale, among the projects conducted, Upan was a partner in the creation of the Municipal Environment Secretary, the installation of a solid waste recycling and composting plant in São Leopoldo and the creation of the Cooperative of Waste Collectors and Service Providers of São Leopoldo.

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