Decree No. 53.037 creating and regulating the State System of Conservation Units (SEUC).

This Decree, composed of 21 articles divided into five Chapters, creates and regulates the State System of Conservation Units (SEUC) provided for in Law No. 9.519 of 21 January 1992, on the Forest Code of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and arts. 36 to 50 of Law No. 11.520 of 3 August 2000, establishing the State Environmental Code. SEUC, is made up federal, state, municipal and private Units of Conservation created within the territory of the State, and has the following purposes: promote and encourage the creation, implementation and maintenance of Conservation Units in order to protect representative natural ecosystems in the state territory and its jurisdictional waters, ensuring the conservation and preservation of biodiversity; promote the preservation and restoration of ecosystems, the ecological management of the species and the use of the natural resources of the Conservation Units in accordance with the existing legislation and the guidelines established in the Management Plans; strengthen services for the preservation of the ecology, fauna, flora, historical, archaeological, paleontological, cultural and scientific heritage contained in legally protected areas, providing for their use in conditions that ensure their conservation; promote the policy of creation, implementation, valorization, use and register of the Conservation Units in the State; demonstrating the established criteria, observing the pertinent legislation; prioritize areas where a danger of elimination or degradation, or where rare, endemic or threatened species exist; encourage and coordinate scientific research, studies, monitoring, education activities and environmental interpretation in Conservation Units; foster cooperation between federal, state and municipal public agencies and civil society organizations; and protect and recover water resources.