Geoecologia das paisagens aplicada à gestão ambiental da APA dos Pequenos Lençóis, Maranhão, Brasil

Abstract

This study aims to develop an environmental zoning model as a planning and management instrument for the Environmental Protection Area of the Preguiças River Mouth – Pequenos Lençóis – Adjacent Lagoon System, hereafter referred to as the Pequenos Lençóis Environmental Protection Area, located on the eastern coast of the state of Maranhão, Brazil. The study is grounded in the theoretical and methodological assumptions of Landscape Geoecology, combined with the integrated use of geotechnologies, with the objective of supporting strategies for rational use and conservation of this sustainable use Conservation Unit. The research problem is associated with the limited effectiveness of territorial management instruments and institutional coordination, which has contributed to unplanned land occupation, inadequate use of natural resources, and the intensification of socioenvironmental conflicts. To address this issue, the study adopts a systemic and interdisciplinary approach, structured into sequential phases of organization, inventory, integrated analysis, diagnosis, and proposition. These phases involve the collection of physical-biotic, socioeconomic, and cultural data, field surveys, the mapping of geoecological units, and the development of an integrated cartographic database, including an analysis of land use and land cover changes between 2007 and 2023. The geoecological landscape analysis identified and spatially delineated four geoecological units: fluvio-marine plains, fluvial or fluvio-lacustrine plains, coastal plains, and dune fields. The spatialization of these units enabled the construction of an integrated environmental diagnosis, assessing natural, social, and legal constraints, as well as environmental potentials and vulnerabilities. This diagnosis highlighted prevailing land-use patterns and the main environmental impacts affecting the study area. The propositional phase resulted in the formulation of a geoecological-functional zoning scheme for the Pequenos Lençóis Environmental Protection Area, accompanied by environmental management guidelines based on the carrying capacity of landscape systems. The proposed zoning aims to mitigate identified impacts, guide territorial organization, and promote local sustainable development. The outcomes of this research provide robust technical support for the development of the Management Plan of the protected area and contribute to the conservation of the associated coastal system.