Eficácia da gestão de áreas protegidas frente à proteção de recursos hídricos: estudo em unidades de conservação no litoral cearense

Abstract

The state of Ceará presents a coastline with an extension of 626.89 km, with about 30 Protected Areas (PA) distributed throughout its coastal zone (terrestrial and maritime), featuring diverse environmental and social issues. Given this reality, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the conservation of water resources, and their associated environmental assets, safeguarded in coastal PAs of Ceará. The researched area focuses on 7 PAs present in 2 sectors of the Ceará Coastal Plain (Fortaleza/Metropolitan Region and West Coast), which overlap with 2 hydrographic regions (Metropolitan and Curu), they are: Paracuru Dunes Environmental Protection Area, Curu River Estuary Environmental Protection Area, Ceará River Estuary Environmental Protection Area, Pacoti River Environmental Protection Area, Ceará Botanical State Park, Sítio Curió Area of Relevant Ecological Interest, and Batoque Extractive Reserve.. The study, of an exploratory and descriptive nature, was developed in three complementary stages: (i) systematic literature review on water conservation in protected areas; (ii) environmental and territorial diagnosis of the analyzed units; and (iii) integrated analytical stage, involving participatory methodologies, analysis of institutional perception, and evaluation of public policies by the Theory of Change (ToC) method, culminating in the proposal of the Water Status Index of Protected Areas (IEH-PA). Article I demonstrates the relevance of protected areas as a primary strategy for safeguarding ecosystems and water resources across the diverse territories observed. Article II establishes the issue of 'limitations' as the focal point of environmental conflicts/impacts and the ecological functions of the evaluated protected areas; it further demonstrates that the mere existence of these areas does not guarantee adequate environmental protection, thus requiring the active and permanent engagement of diverse stakeholders. Article III aligns the perspectives of managers and social actors within the evaluated territories, who acknowledge the importance of water conservation while identifying vulnerabilities in environmental monitoring, institutional coordination, and the need for broader social participation and inter-institutional partnerships. These factors collectively informed the development of the IEH-UC proposal, which aims to support the environmental monitoring of water resources within PA.