ABSTRACT This research aims to identify the vulnerabilities of Rio Grande basin in Minas Gerais state as well as to investigate, through technical, legal, social, and governmental aspects, the relevance of SEA as an environmental tool for the conservation and preservation of watersheds. Rio Grande basin evaluation was performed by using this following database: soil classes, land use classification, water quality index, and economic ecological index. It was performed multi-criteria decision analysis based on analytic hierarchy process methodology. 52.5% of the studied area was classified as “good” preservation condition. Alto Grande (GD1), Mortes/Jacaré (GD2) and Furnas (GD3) units did not contain significant percentages of their areas corresponding to the preservation class “very good”. In the studied area, 34.51% was classified as “medium” preservation condition, thus indicating the need for effective measures for the river basin conservation. These findings highlight the potential importance of including the SEA in the decision-making process for plans, policies and programs related to the integrated management of water resources.

RESUMO A grande expectativa acerca do Novo Código Florestal consistiu-se em reduzir as distorções da hermenêutica e aumentar a segurança jurídica dos produtores rurais. Contudo, a nova legislação suscitou mais incertezas e discussões, principalmente, ao consolidar o uso antrópico e a permissão de atividades de baixo impacto ambiental em áreas que deveriam, por lei, ser mantidas intocadas. Este trabalho teve como objetivo levantar e descrever a legislação relacionada às áreas de proteção na propriedade rural (APP e RL), analisar as formas de uso-ocupação consolidados e de baixo impacto que podem ser desenvolvidos nestas áreas, bem como, propor soluções técnicas sustentáveis para intervenções nas áreas já consolidadas e recuperação das mesmas. O Sistema Agroflorestal constitui uma alternativa estratégica de intervenção e recuperação das APPs e RLs àqueles pequenos produtores que ainda não estão em conformidade com a Lei. As propriedades rurais devem sempre procurar inovar, diminuindo custos de produção e aumentando a lucratividade com responsabilidade ambiental e o sistema agroflorestal tem-se mostrado uma alternativa que congrega produção com proteção ambiental.

ABSTRACT The great expectation about the New Forest Code consisted in reducing the hermeneutics distortions and increasing legal certainty for farmers. However, the new legislation raised more uncertainties and discussions, mainly because it consolidates the anthropic use and allows of low-impact activities in areas that should, by law, be kept untouched. This study aimed to survey and to describe the legislation related to protected areas on the rural area (APP and RL), to analyze the consolidated forms of use, occupation and low impact activities that can be developed in these areas, and to propose sustainable technical alternatives for interventions in the areas already consolidated and their recovery. The text is based on literature and documents, elaborated on the survey and study of legal aspects about protected areas in rural properties of Brazil and the main low-impact farming techniques, highlighting the agroforestry systems as an alternative of consolidated occupations in environmental protection areas. The text provides in an organized way the main aspects of the legislation on such areas and describes the sustainable activities allowed in APP and RL according to the flexibility of the new Forest Code.