A mineração no município de Caucaia – Ceará: uma proposta de zoneamento ambiental minerário

Abstract

The environmental impacts caused by mining are increasingly recurring due to the growing demand for mineral resources and the lack of planning in the areas where they are chosen to mine. Locational rigidity is a problem, as minerals are resources of a local nature, with no possibility of alternative and often uniquein a single region. Knowing this, the integrated approach is essential, highlighting the licensing processes, the application of social and environmental conditions, the operation of the mining and the inspection. The study area is delimited by the municipality of Caucaia, which is part of the Fortaleza Metropolitan Region (RMF). The city is geologically diverse, which favors mineral extraction, since the largest consumers are located a few kilometers away, the capital Fortaleza and the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex (CIPP). The research aims the environmental diagnosis of the municipality, discuss the environmental impacts caused by mineral extraction correlating the impacts with conflicts of land use and occupation. Elaboration of Environmental Mining Zoning to delimit areas favorable or not to mining according to the natural vulnerability of the area. The methodological procedures to achieve the results were the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Crepani et al (1996) Natural Vulnerability and Mineral Environmental Zoning (TANNO & SINTONI 2003) methodologies. As a result, three mining or non-mining zones were identified. Preferred zones are correlated to more stable environments where mineral potential is high and few land use and land use conflicts have been identified. Controlled zones are environments where there is one or another land tenure conflict or environments where mineral potential is low. Blocked zones refer to areas where there are protected areas, indigenous lands, quilombolas, rural settlements, urban areas and vulnerable environments, indicating areas where mining activity should not take place. Considering the proposed methodology the obtained results allowed the analysis of the environmental impacts and the proposal of zones for the mining allowing a strategic planning for a better management of the use and occupation of the soil in order to minimize the social and environmental impacts.