Parque Natural Municipal das Dunas de Sabiaguaba (Fortaleza, Ceará): diagnóstico e planejamento ambiental usando o método DPSIR

Abstract

The post-World War II baby boom spurred rapid population growth, which in turn led to intense urbanization and the disorderly expansion of cities. In this context, natural parks emerged as a response to the need for biodiversity and landscape conservation. However, the expansion of urban areas toward conservation units has generated significant pressures, compromising their ecological integrity. Therefore, the need arose to assess the negative environmental impacts on the Sabiaguaba Dunes Municipal Natural Park, in the municipality of Fortaleza, Ceará. To this end, the DPSIR methodology was used, which consists of assessing environmental impacts based on their Driving Forces, Pressures, State, Impacts, and Responses. In addition to other systems, systems such as Google Earth Pro and QGIS (map creation), Google Scholar and Scite.AI (secondary data), and field studies (primary data) were also used. Among the findings, pollution, illegal occupation, biodiversity loss, and habitat fragmentation stand out. The Sabiaguaba Dunes Municipal Natural Park in Fortaleza, Ceará, illustrates this issue well. The study area is the scene of events such as real estate expansion, the emergence of the CE-010 highway, and the proliferation of mass tourism. These are causing serious environmental pressures, such as population growth and vehicle traffic. Currently, the park has a coastal dune biome rich in fauna and flora, providing important ecosystem services. However, these are fragile when it comes to environmental changes and are at the mercy of the environmental impacts present in the park. These include reduction in the park's area, excessive accumulation of garbage, fires, unsustainable tourism activities, water pollution, shifting dune landslides, degradation of the archaeological site, risk of reduced groundwater supply, deculturalization of the local community, and noise and air pollution. Therefore, the implementation of effective public policies and integrated environmental management are necessary for mitigation, such as the implementation of environmental education activities, monitoring through geoprocessing, and updates to master and management plans that take into account the realities of this environment. Finally, the city's lack of preparation for the preservation and conservation of natural environments is evident, as there is insufficient management and oversight of residents and visitors.