Identificação de áreas para conservação no município de Pacatuba - CE por meio de ferramentas de geoprocessamento

Abstract

The exploitation of natural resources has intensified with the urbanization process, where the cities of metropolitan regions are the most affected. This happens due to the disordered expansion and the migration from the capital to these cities in search of space. As a way to achieve the preservation of natural resources, the delimitation of spaces emerged as a policy from the Convention on Biological Diversity, which adopted the term Protected Areas. Located 25 km from the capital of Ceará, the municipality of Pacatuba-CE is part of the Fortaleza Metropolitan Region and is experiencing increasing urbanization. However, the municipality has remarkable environmental attributes in its local landscape, such as humid forest enclaves, making it an exception in the semi-arid context of Ceará. Given the need to understand in order to preserve, this study aims to analyze the socio-environmental aspects of the municipality using GIS tools to assist in the identification of relevant areas for conservation. For this purpose, in addition to the analysis of the geo-environmental characterization of Pacatuba, the components considered essential in this research for the identification of areas to be preserved were also characterized. These components were distributed into three categories: Biophysical (altimetry, slope, and water resources), Protected Areas (Conservation Units, Permanent Preservation Areas, and other protected areas), and Social Aspects (land use and occupation, the legal status of Permanent Preservation Areas, and tourist and cultural zones). From this perspective, Pacatuba fits into a favorable environmental framework for preservation, with a remarkable landscape diversity in the maciços residuais, depressão sertaneja, and tabuleiros pré-litorâneos. It also presents important particularities, among which the Serra da Aratanha Environmental Protection Area conservation unit, the Pitaguary indigenous community, the Atlantic Forest enclave, and tourist activities stand out. Thus, it was possible to identify three areas favorable to preservation through the creation of new conservation units, with a total area of 2,954.33 hectares. This study will serve as a basis for the planning, monitoring, conservation, and management of natural resources by the Public Authorities, using the specific municipal database developed in this research.