“Itutinga” Environmental Station

Itutinga Environmental Station (ITUES) is located in the municipality of Itutinga, at Km 306 of BR 265, near the cities of Lavras and São João Del Rei. It was officially opened in July 1994, with an area of 3.52 hectares and its infrastructure includes a Fish Farming Laboratory and a seedling nursery.  

The Fish Farming Laboratory has 16 tanks, which make up a total area of 6,200 m² of water line. In these tanks are carried out several activities related to fish farming in the formation of breeding stock, storage, acclimatization, monitoring of reproductive development and selection of breeders, which give support to research projects developed / supported by us, Cemig, in partnership with other research institutions.  

Furthermore, reproduction and production of larvae is performed following a series of processes, initiated with the hormonization of males and females (using the raw pituitary extract of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) or following another similar procedure of hormonization) to induce the formation of sperm and eggs, the extrusion of semen and eggs, incubation of eggs for the production of larvae and fry of native species caught in the basin of Rio Grande.  

Currently, there is no estimate for the production and release of fish except, when necessary, for the service of Research Projects in the reservoirs of “Itutinga” and “Camargos” HPPs hydroelectric complex.

In addition to tanks, the Station has a decantation pond, with a 500 m² water line, located at the exit of the system that receives all the effluents generated in the remaining tanks.  

Nurseries & Plants

The Seedling Nursery works with identified native species divided into two groups: Pioneers (PI), which grow fast and produce fruits that are attractive to the fauna and Climax (CL), which are demanding in terms of light, these are species that grow intermediate and appear in the last stage of forest succession.

The production of seedlings takes place through the process of sowing or staking, and the seeds and cuttings are collected in the region around the Environmental Station. After germination of seeds or sprouting of cuttings in greenhouses, they are transferred to tubers and are grown until they reach average sizes between 30 and 40 cm, depending on the species.

A minimum monthly production (from January to November of each year) of 2,500 seedlings/month of native species is foreseen, being 50% with pioneer species (PI) and 50% with climax species (CL), totaling 22,000 seedlings/year, considering an average loss of 10% per year. These native seedlings produced are used for revegetation in ciliary forest planting, recovery of degraded areas and for the protection of springs.

The Station will also provide support to activities related to the practices of the EEP (Environmental Education Program) of Itutinga and Camargos Power Plants, as required, through monitored visits by students and other interested parties, and also training in the areas of fish farming and forestry.