986 Landim Neto, et al. Application of the DPSIR model for the diagnosis of an estuary of the Brazilian Northeast: a tool for local and regional management Francisco Otávio Landim Neto, Adryane Gorayeb, Edson Vicente da Silva, Antonio Jeovah de Andrade Meireles, Narcélio de Sá Pereira Filho Dept. of Geography Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, 60833-500, Brazil [email protected] www.cerf-jcr.org ABSTRACT Landim Neto, F.O., Gorayeb, A, Silva, E.V, Pereira Filho, N.S, 2013 . Application of the DPSIR model to an estuary of the Brazilian Northeast: a tool for local and regional management, Proceedings 12th International Coastal Symposium (Plymouth, England), Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 65, pp. 986-990, ISSN 0749-0208. www.JCRonline.org The occupation and use of coastal environments are characterized by a general lack of planning, which provokes increasing pressures and the progressive intensification of problems such as deforestation, the pollution of water resources, inadequate disposal of solid waste, and the illegal occupation of public areas. The present study proposes a diagnosis of the environmental quality of the Guaribas estuary on the western coast of Ceará, in northeastern Brazil, based on the application of the DPSIR model (Driving Forces, Pressures, State, Impact, Responses). In the field, geographic coordinates were collected (GPS navigator), providing the data for the production of maps in an SIG environment, based on the interpretation of high spatial resolution satellite images. Based on the observed constraining factors, it was possible to predict eventual impacts, such as a reduction in fishery productivity, loss of habitats and biodiversity, and numerous problems in the sphere of public health. The appropriation of space was clearly related to the installation of the Pecém shipping terminal and industrial complex, as well as hotels financed by foreign investments attracted by the economic development policies of the state, which conflicts with the interests of the traditional local communities and creates a marked imbalance in the use of coastal space. The results of the present study indicate that the DPSIR model represents an excellent analytical tool for the evaluation of the local scenario, given the integrated analysis of socio-environmental problems, in addition to the identification of potential strategies that may be adapted to the perspective of public authorities, the economic sector, and society in general. Overall, there is clearly an urgent need for the regulation of the use of the coastal environments of western Ceará, Brazil. ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS: Models of environmental analysis, Brazilian estuaries, geoprocessing. INTRODUCTION The growing demand for natural resources reinforces the need for the development new approaches and the establishment of a more rational model of exploitation based on principles of environmental and social sustainability. The urgency of this initiative is reinforced by the characteristics of the modern lifestyle, and the increasingly sophisticated technological advances that contribute to the productivity of industrial and agricultural activities. As they form an interface between marine, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments, in which highly dynamic natural processes predominate, estuaries are extremely vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts. These transitional systems are characterized by a complex mixture of habitats in constant transformation, with generally shallow waters, which are influenced by precipitation rates, evaporation, and tidal forces (Cameron et al., 1963; Miranda et al., 2002; Marins, 2007). Estuaries play an important ecological role in coastal systems, transferring nutrients and organic material into adjacent coastal waters, and providing habitats for important fishery stocks, as well as generating goods and services for local communities (Clark, 1996). The Brazilian Northeast coast has a large number of ____________________ DOI: 10.2112/SI65-167.1 received 07 December 2012; accepted 06 March 2013. © Coastal Education & Research Foundation 2013 estuaries, with many well-structured areas of mangrove forest, most of which suffer ongoing anthropogenic impacts (Alves et al., 2003). In recent years, the occupation of estuarine habitats and the exploitation of the natural resources available in these systems have increased progressively, threatening the structure and functional properties of these environments (Meireles and Silva, 2002). In this context, the present study is based on a diagnosis of the environmental quality of the Guaribas estuary on the western coast of the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará. This estuary is exploited intensively by the local population and has suffered an unregulated process of urbanization, which intensified in the 1990s, when construction of the Pecém shipping complex started (Vasconcelos, 1997). This complex now includes a terminal for the storing and shipping of raw materials and foundry products, as well as petroleum and its derivatives, and bulk liquids. The installation of this complex had a number of negative impacts on the adjacent estuary, including the bulldozing of its margins for construction works, and the discharge of sewage and solid waste into the main channel and creeks. LOCATION OF THE STUDY AREA The Guaribas estuary (Figure 1) is located in the Pecém district of the municipality of São Gonçalo do Amarante. The locality was originally a fishing village, the population of which has increased Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 65, 2013 Application of the DPSIR model for the diagnosis of an estuary of the Brazilian Northeast: Figure 1. Location of the Guaribas Estuary in Ceará, Brazil. progressively since the installation of the shipping terminal. According to the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the district had a total of 9,156 residents in 2010. The Guaribas River is approximately 6.5 km long, from its origin in the Sítio Batateiras Lake in Pau Branco to its mouth on the Atlantic coast. The estuary is located within two conservation units – (1) the Pecém Environmental Protection Area, created by state decree no. 24,957, of June 5th, 1998, with an area of 122.7999 hectares, and (2) the Pecém Ecological Station, created by state decree no. 30,895, on April 20th, 2012, with an area of 973.0853 hectares. The Guaribas estuary is dominated by mangrove forest, which prevents erosion and stabilizes the coastline (Ohrel; Register, 2006). The forest is dominated by red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), black mangrove (Avicennia schaueriana and Avicennia germinans), white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa), and button mangrove (Conocarpus erectus). Given the constant supply of nutrients, the mangrove ecosystem supports a considerable diversity of animal species that use this environment to feed, reproduce, and seek refuge (Cardoso, 1997, Caspers, 1967, Fairbridge, 1980, Silva, 1987). This forest has relatively saline and acidic soil, due to the accumulation of large quantities of organic matter, and is not edaphically adequate for agriculture (Monteiro, 1992). METHODS The creation of new procedures for environmental studies will be essential for the development of a more adequate approach to the exploitation of natural resources, while validating the understanding of the interactions and inter-relationships that exist within an environmental system, reinforcing the integration of its different elements (Bertalanffy,1997; Bertrand, 1972; Christofoletti, 1979; Gerasimov, 1980; Grigoriev, 1968; Sotchava, 1974; Rodriguez et al.,2007; Souza et al., 2009; Tricart, 1979; Ross, 2006). In this context, the DPSIR (Driving Forces, Pressures, State, Impact, Responses) model provides an important approach to the quantification of anthropogenic impacts, while establishing diagnoses, prognoses, and mechanisms for effective environmental planning (EEA, 1999). In the early 1990s, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development introduced the PSR (Pressure–State–Response) model, which established the relationships between the pressures created by modern society on the environment, the resulting state or condition of the environment, and the response society should adopt in order to mitigate or prevent the negative impacts resulting from these processes (Casado, 2007). However, this model did not include sustainability as an objective, and does not provide information on ecological functions or ecosystem structure (Ribeiro, 2004). 987 Jiliberto (2011) thus recommended the substitution of the concept of pressure with that of driving force, given that the word pressure has negative connotations, whereas driving force is essentially neutral. It was also necessary to insert an index of impact between the state and response components, in order to assess modifications to the state, and foment the measures necessary for the management of the impacts. In this context, the European Environment Agency proposed a model of environmental analysis which aimed to describe environmental problems arising from the relationship between society and nature (Cabanillas, 2007). This model, denominated DPSIR, considers that human activities (D = “Driving forces”), in particular industries and transportation, produce pressures (P = “Pressures”) on the environment, such as pollution, which lead to its degradation (S = “State of the environment”) and leads to public health problems. The impact (I = “Impact”) arises between this state and the response of society (R = “Responses”), determined by the development of public policies, such as regulations, laws, and the production of information, which can be directed at any given component of the system (Kraemer, 2006). The methodological procedures were divided into two distinct phases. The first phase was a literature search, primary data processing, and analysis of QuickBird satellite imagery, 2006, with a spatial resolution of 50 cm. In the second phase, observations of the physical features of the estuary and adjacent habitats were conducted in order to identify the principal environmental units and the modifications to these units caused by different processes of occupation and use, based on a photographic record and geographic coordinates. The final stage was the production of the cartographic material in a Geographic Information System (GIS). RESULTS The DPSIR model provided an integrated approach to the analysis of the factors that cause environmental problems. In this context, it is important to note that the occupation and transformation of the geographic space of the coast of Pecém has been completely unregulated since it began. These problems have been exacerbated by property speculation, the construction of new access roads, the development of mass tourism, and more recently, the installation of the Pecém shipping terminal, which was inaugurated in 2002, and the subsequent development of the adjacent industrial complex. The concomitant growth in the district’s urban center has caused serious socio-environmental impacts, which have provoked the intense anthropization of the natural landscape of the study area. The official government position is that the installation of the industrial complex of the Pecém shipping terminal will provide the state of Ceará with industrial development, based on the more efficient shipping of raw materials and products, as well as supporting the economic development and industrial growth in the state. However, little attention has been paid to the improvement of the environment or the living conditions of the local communities. The occupation and exploitation of the Guaribas estuary is completely unplanned, and the growth of the local population has led to the colonization of a number of different sectors, such as the beach, dune fields, and estuarine plain. The unregulated occupation of the area has led to the intensification of pressures, such as the increase in the number of sources of pollution and property speculation, as well as a decline in traditional housing, due to the number of buildings constructed directly or indirectly in relation to the presence of the shipping terminal. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 65, 2013 Landim Neto, et al. 988 Apart from shipping, the principal local economic activities are related to agriculture, the extraction of plant resources, and fishing. Commercial establishments include groceries, small markets, bars, bakeries, wholesale drinks suppliers, and construction supply stores. There are also metalworking facilities and mechanics’ workshops. The principal crops grown in the plantations adjacent to the Guaribas estuary are beans, maize, and manioc. There are also orchards of coconut, papaya, mango, cashew, and banana, as well as market gardens. The extraction of plant resources involves primarily the harvesting of carnaúba (Copernicia prunifera) wax and the logging of local Caatinga forests for the production of firewood and charcoal. Local fisheries are still essentially artisanal, which use small boats, often in poor condition. The principal species fished are chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus), Serra Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus brasiliensis), Atlantic moonfish (Selene setapinnis), lane snapper (Lutjanus synagris), Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus), Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus), cobia (Rachycentron canadum), crevalle jack (Caranx hippos), mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis), and dorado (Salminus brasiliensis). The Guaribas estuary itself is used for a number of activities, such as artisanal fishing, extraction of plant and mineral resources, as well as for the dumping of solid waste and the discharge of domestic and industrial effluents. The intense and unregulated use of this environment and the adjacent areas, as well as the development of a range of economic activities, have provoked a series of impacts, included deforestation, the degradation of hydrological resources, waste disposal, squatting on public land and unprecedented levels of property speculation (Figure 2). Increasing erosion and ineffective coastal management has led to the progressive degradation of both physical and social environments. Mitigation of these problems is the responsibility of the public authorities, and can only be achieved through the implementation of effective social and environmental policies, including the relocation of squatters, construction of a public sanitation system, and the development of environment education. Given the problems observed in the present study, it is important to emphasize that current Brazilian environmental legislation, based on federal law number 4771 (the forest code) of September 15th, 1965, and provisional decree 2166-67 of August 24th, 2001, determines the establishment of areas of permanent preservation (APPs). This legislation provides legal support for the conservation and preservation of existing natural resources, with the objective of sustaining local biological and cultural diversity, upholding the equilibrium of the environment, and mitigating further degradation. However, the reality of the study area is quite distinct from this theoretical scenario. The unregulated occupation of environments, such as the dune fields adjacent to the Guaribas estuary, by hotels, vacation homes, and the shipping terminal itself, disrespect the legislation completely. In this specific case, the substrate is not only unstable, but it is also characterized by intense eolic processes, which render it totally unsuitable for urban development. The driving forces, pressures, state, impacts, and responses observed in the Guaribas estuary and adjacent areas are presented in Table 1. DISCUSSION The anthropogenic pressures affecting the Guaribas estuary indicate that the area is extremely vulnerable to social tensions, as demonstrated previously by Albuquerque (2005), Vasconcelos, Albuquerque, Pinheiro (1999), and Vasconcelos (1997). Some of Figure 2. Socio-environmental impacts observed in the Guaribas estuary, Ceará, Brazil. the observed impacts also have serious implications for local ecosystems, such as the discharge of different types of effluent and the inadequate disposal of solid waste, which not only alter the characteristics of the local landscape, but also provoke unpleasant odors, and may introduce toxic substances into the aquatic environment, directly endangering both the ecosystem and public health (Braga et al., 2000). These processes combine to reduce environmental quality, affecting marine and estuarine biodiversity and, ultimately, fishery stocks (Flindt et al., 1999, Valiela et al.,2002). This has profound economic and social consequences, in particular for the traditional local populations, as shown in estuarine environments in other regions of Brazil, and throughout the world (Guimarães et al., 2011; Gorayeb et al., 2011; Silva et al., 2011; Souza et al., 2009; Reis-Neto et al., 2011; Sodré, 2011; Marcelino, 2000). A number of studies of estuarine systems (Mastaller, 1987; Cabanillas, 2007; Caeiro et al.,2003; Painho et al.,1996) have shown that the DPSIR model provides an adequate methodological approach for the diagnosis and evaluation of environmental problems, in particular the role of society as a prime mover in all phases of the analytical process. It is important to note, however, that the processes at work in any socioenvironmental system do not interact in a linear fashion in time or species, and that reality is far more complex than the universe established in any theoretical model. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 65, 2013 Application of the DPSIR model for the diagnosis of an estuary of the Brazilian Northeast: 989 Table 1: Driving forces, pressures, state, impacts, and responses observed in the Guaribas estuary and adjacent areas. Driving Force (D) Elements PSIR Shipping terminal (P) Pressures: Port installations in dune fields; property speculation; unregulated occupation of areas of permanent protection. (S) State: Coastal plain completely impacted – beach occupied by shipping installations, buildings constructed in the dune fields, interdunal lake used as a public water supply, and estuary subjected to a range of impacts. (I) Impact: Removal of the original vegetation; alteration of the energetic dynamics of the coastal zone; modification of the lifestyle of the local community; increased cost of living; migration of local residents; urban expansion of low income groups into mangroves, the beach (adjacent to the mouth of the estuary), and dune fields. (R) Responses: Establishment of state conservation units – Pecém Environmental Protection Photo: Ceará, 2012 Area and Pecém Ecological Station. Socio-economic activities in the community (P) Pressures: Increase in the number of commercial establishments, use of pesticides in agriculture, the extraction of plant and mineral resources, and artisanal fishing. (S) State: Intensification of commercial activities and the provision of services; occupation of the coastal plain (behind the dune fields) for plantations; availability of facilities such as restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, and other establishments funded by foreign capital. (I) Impacts: Modification of the local culture; reduction of estuarine fisheries (artisanal fishing and clam digging); contamination of the soil and water sources. (R) Responses: No responses detected on the part of either the local community or public authorities. Local community (P) Pressures: Greatly increased population growth following the installation of the Pecém shipping terminal; increase in urban growth through the construction of holiday homes (foreign capital) and rudimentary buildings (by local residents). (S) State: Increase in social violence, alcoholism, prostitution, and the use of illicit drugs (cannabis, crack, and cocaine); ineffective public sanitation system in the community. (I) Impacts: Inadequate disposal of effluents and domestic sewage; bulldozing of the mangroves for the construction of housing and other buildings. (R) Responses: Establishment of the master plan for the municipality of São Gonçalo do Amarante, based on municipal Law number 708 of September 24th, 2001, which is designed to regulate the occupation of the soil, and the installation and functioning of industrial, commercial, residential, and service activities. CONCLUSIONS The natural environments of the Guaribas estuary are being progressively degraded in a totally unregulated manner, underpinned by the lack of adequate planning on the part of the Brazilian federal government or the effective supervision of land uses. This has led to the alteration of different components of the local landscape and the natural dynamics of the predominant natural processes, and ultimately, affects the availability of natural resources. The loss of environmental quality can be interpreted as the reduction in the resources and services offered by the ecosystem. The appropriation of space occurs primarily as a function of the installation of the shipping terminal and hotels financed by foreign capital, attracted by the economic development strategies implemented by the state and municipal authorities which, by confronting the values of the traditional communities, reinforce the unequal distribution of wealth and access to the coastal territory. The unregulated and unplanned occupation of this space results in extremely negative impacts resulting from the destruction of the dunes for building, installation of kiosks on the beachfront, the discharge of effluents into bodies of water, and the illegal occupation of the estuarine plain of the Guaribas River. Finally, it is possible to conclude that Brazilian environmental legislation is not being applied adequately, given that the degradation of natural resources continues unchecked. 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