Araújo Ingredy Nataly Fernandes, da Cunha Karina Patrícia Vieira, Cunha Giulliana Karine Gabriel, de Matos Maria de Fátima Alves
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho, 3000, Natal, RN, 59078970, Brazil.
Environ Monit Assess. 2024 Jul 13;196(8):730. doi: 10.1007/s10661-024-12857-y.
Tropical semiarid regions are naturally prone to environmental damage. Human activity can worsen this situation. To understand how human actions affect the ecosystem, plan land use effectively, and establish targeted management practices, assessing environmental vulnerability is crucial. This study focuses on a sub-basin receiving water transfers from the São Francisco River in Brazil's semiarid region. Here, we map and evaluate how land use and occupation alter natural vulnerability. We also propose zoning strategies to support water resource management and implement sustainable development policies in the region. To achieve this, we conducted an integrated analysis of physical factors (soil types, geology, climate, vegetation, and landforms) and spatial land-use data using geographic information systems (GIS) and map algebra techniques. Map algebra allowed us to combine these various datasets within the GIS environment, enabling the creation of maps that synthesize both natural and environmental vulnerability across the study area. Following analysis of these vulnerability maps, our findings reveal a high level of vulnerability. The areas with high to very high degrees of natural vulnerability coincide with the places that have high slopes, high altitudes, Lithic Neosols, and thick vegetation. Furthermore, the interaction between environmental factors and human activity exacerbates vulnerability. Based on the environmental vulnerability assessment, we defined four environmental management zones. These zones require distinct protection measures and management approaches. As a method to potentially improve the basin's vulnerability scenario, soil conservation measures are recommended. This approach is highly relevant for managing land in tropical semiarid regions and, with adaptations to specific regional factors, can be applied globally.
热带半干旱地区自然容易遭受环境破坏。人类活动会使这种情况恶化。为了了解人类行为如何影响生态系统、有效规划土地利用并制定有针对性的管理措施，评估环境脆弱性至关重要。本研究聚焦于巴西半干旱地区一个接收圣弗朗西斯科河调水的子流域。在此，我们绘制并评估土地利用和占用如何改变自然脆弱性。我们还提出分区策略，以支持水资源管理并在该地区实施可持续发展政策。为实现这一目标，我们使用地理信息系统（GIS）和地图代数技术，对物理因素（土壤类型、地质、气候、植被和地形）和空间土地利用数据进行了综合分析。地图代数使我们能够在GIS环境中合并这些不同的数据集，从而创建能够综合研究区域内自然和环境脆弱性的地图。对这些脆弱性地图进行分析后，我们的研究结果显示出高度的脆弱性。自然脆弱性高到非常高的区域与坡度高、海拔高、石质新成土和植被茂密的地方相吻合。此外，环境因素与人类活动之间的相互作用加剧了脆弱性。基于环境脆弱性评估，我们定义了四个环境管理区。这些区域需要不同的保护措施和管理方法。作为一种可能改善流域脆弱性状况的方法，建议采取土壤保护措施。这种方法对于管理热带半干旱地区的土地非常相关，并且经过针对特定区域因素的调整后，可以在全球范围内应用。
