Diagnóstico Ambiental em área de Preservação Permanente (APP) de cursos d´água no trecho urbano do município de Cristalândia do Piauí

Abstract

Environmental diagnosis is an essential tool for assessing environmental impacts in sensitive areas, such as Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs). Riparian forests are natural formations on the banks of water bodies, with a fundamental role in soil and water conservation and management. The study aimed to assess environmental impacts in the APP of watercourses in the municipality of Cristalândia do Piauí. A descriptive checklist was used to describe the environmental factors, their relationships and interrelationships, for the biotic, abiotic and anthropic environments. To quantify the impacts, a numerical weighting based on environmental parameters and pre-defined weights was used, when they found locations classified in the “poorly preserved” and “degraded” categories. Thirteen different environmental impacts were identified, when the diagnostic assessments indicated significant variations in the degree of conservation of the APP, with some points presenting better environmental conditions while others showing impacts by anthropic actions. Regarding land use and coverage, between 2016 and 2022, the assessment indicated a reduction in natural vegetation, representing a loss of 2.03 ha. At the same time, there was an increase in anthropogenic classes, from 27.62% in 2016 to 37.65% in 2022, highlighting the influence of human activities on the degradation of the APP, especially when urban areas grew by approximately 6.4%. It is essential to adopt measures to recover degraded areas and to implement urban and environmental planning policies that reconcile development with the conservation of the protected area