Mapeamento participativo dos serviços ecossistêmicos da APA de Sabiaguaba, Fortaleza/CE

Abstract

The surroundings of the Cocó River estuary in Fortaleza-CE provide a series of ecosystem services (SE) that are important for the well-being of the Sabiaguaba Community (CS). The expansion of the urban area to the eastern sector of the capital, motivated mainly by tourism, brought impacts to the permission holders of the Sabiaguaba Environmental and Gastronomic Complex (CAGS), a segment of the population that has a strong territorial identity. Faced with changes in this neighborhood, this study aims to evaluate the effects of changes in land use and land cover (UCT) and in ES, based on the community's environmental perception. As specific objectives, it seeks to identify the most important ES for CS; present and measure UCT changes for the years 1985, 2002 and 2021; generate maps and tables joining data from previous steps; and discuss the changes found. The research is conducted in three stages, namely: 1) description of changes in ES through Social Cartography, 2) analysis of the evolution of UCT units in the study area in a GIS environment and 3) analysis of identity elements for the community through the relations between the UCT and the ES. The results showed that the SE of Provision were predominant in the area, highlighting four classes among those proposed by the CICES model: "crops", "wild plants, algae", "wild animals", "fibers/materials from plants and animals for direct use or transformation”. The Cultural SEs identified were “symbolic”, “existence” and “entertainment”. In terms of change in the UCT, between 1985 and 2021, the Urban Area grew by 733.96% (or 1.25 Km²), advancing over the natural units of use and land cover, such as Mangrove and Beach, Dune or Sand. The vast majority of SEs that still benefit the community today are provided by the mangrove swamp and the Cocó River, while important SEs were lost after urban interventions such as the Bridge over the Cocó River, the CE 010, the CAGS, located in anthropic use units and ground cover. It is concluded that the loss of benefits is associated with the expansion of the Urban Area, and that the mangrove swamp and the Cocó River still play an important role in the community's subsistence and tradition.