Caderno Técnico: um corredor, cinco paisagens: subsídios ao planejamento territorial e ambiental do corredor da Estrada de Ferro Central do Piauí (EFCP) Trecho Parnaíba – Luís Correia

Abstract

This study assesses the territorial and environmental conditions of the Central Railway of Piauí (Estrada de Ferro Central do Piauí – EFCP) corridor along the section between Parnaíba and Luís Correia and characterizes its Landscape Units, aiming to identify sensitivities, conflicts, potentialities, and prospective impacts relevant to the planning of a possible railway reactivation. The study is applied in nature, exploratory and descriptive in character, and predominantly qualitative in approach. The methodological procedures included bibliographic and documentary research, consultation of official databases, cartographic analysis, interpretation of satellite imagery, photographic records, and fieldwork conducted during the dry and rainy seasons. Areas of influence were delineated for methodological purposes, the current condition of the railway alignment and its remaining infrastructure was assessed, and the relationships between the railway, land use and occupation, natural features, and historical and cultural heritage were analyzed. The integration of the physical, biotic, and anthropic components enabled the corridor to be divided into five Landscape Units representing rural and natural settings, transition areas, consolidated urban sectors, and coastal and estuarine environments. The results demonstrate that the corridor presents heterogeneous territorial conditions, with differences regarding drainage, erosion processes, vegetation cover, wetlands, occupation of the railway right-of-way, mobility, land tenure conflicts, and the state of conservation of the remaining structures. Currently observed impacts were identified, including infrastructure deterioration, obstruction of drainage systems, alteration of railway sections, occupation of the right-of-way, and loss of heritage elements, and were distinguished from potential impacts associated with possible future interventions. Potentialities related to regional logistics integration, the Port of Luís Correia, the Parnaíba Export Processing Zone, tourism, and the enhancement of railway heritage were also identified. The absence of an official reactivation project, operational parameters, and specialized studies limits the assessment of the magnitude and significance of prospective impacts. It is concluded that the division into Landscape Units contributes to identifying different levels of sensitivity and the corresponding investigation and treatment requirements along the corridor. The study does not determine the environmental, technical, or economic feasibility of reactivating the railway; instead, it provides territorial and environmental information to support future feasibility assessments, engineering projects, environmental studies, planning, and decision-making.