Dinâmica Costeira dos Campos petrolíferos Macau/Serra, litoral setentrional do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte

This thesis describes the general behavior of the northern shore of the State of Rio Grande do Norte relating beach profile morphology with hydrodynamic and sedimentological parameters. The Macau and Serra Oil Field are inserted on this area and are under accelerated coastal erosion. At these oil fields are installed oil wells from PETROBRAS, nowadays located directly in the shoreline, under constant attacks of coastal processes (e.g. waves, tides and currents), which promote an intense morphodynamic variability of this sandy coast. The area was monitored for 24 months in three different stations (P01, P02 and P03). The methodology applied involved current techniques of beach profiles, hydrodynamical processes, remote sensing and geophysics. A synthesis of results obtained through the use of different time scales (monthly, lunar cycle, seasonal, annual) from a coastal dynamics study is presented. The average wind direction corresponded to 77ºAz (NE). The steepness of the berm and of the shoreface, as well as coastal current direction, do not present major changes, with an average of 36º for the steepness of the berm, 15º for the shoreface and 15º for the coastal current direction. This data set allows us to infer that the months of larger coastal erosion were November/2000 and April/2001, because of the largest wave parameter during this time. The months of worse coastal erosion in this area are related with the increasing wavy energy. This in turn, seems to be related to seasonal climatic variations, with the wave energy and tide currents speed increasing during months of minor precipitations (June to January). The months of worse coastal erosion were September and November, when the largest wave parameters and speed currents are measured in the area. Since these months are included on the period of minor precipitations, we related the coastal erosion to seasonal climatic variations. The results obtained during these 24 months of monitoring confirms a situation of accentuated erosion, mainly in Profile 03 (Barra do Corta-Cachorro), where the wave height, period, and coastal current speed are always larger than the values found in Profile 02 (Macau5). Probably these values are more expressive in Profile 03, because it does not present any natural structure of protection against the wave impacts, as the barrier island located at Ponta do Tubarão, or the sand banks in front of Macau5. The transport of the sediments occurs from East to West, and the sand accumulation is more pronounced on Profile 03 intertidal zone, where there are embrionary dunes in dryer months. The tidal currents speed, on the other hand, is more accentuated in the Macau5 area (Profile 02). At Ponta do Tubarão, the tidal currents presented a preferential direction for NE, at times of flood, currents and for NW, at times of ebb current; at Barra do Corta-Cachorro the direction of the currents were predominantly for NW, independent of the tide phase, coinciding with the preferential direction of the longshore current. This currents inversion at Ponta do Tubarão is attributed to the presence of the Ponta do Tubarão island barrier and by the communication channel of the lagoon with the sea. The tide currents are better observed in protected areas, as in the Ponta do Tubarão, when they present inversion in their direction accordingly to the flood and ebb tide. In open areas, as in Barra do Corta-Cachorro, the tide currents are overprinted by the longshore currents. Sediment analysis does not show important modifications in grain size related to seasonality (dry- and rainy seasons). On the foreshore and backshore zones, the sediments vary from fine to medium sand, while in the shoreface they very from fine to very sands. The grains are mostly spheres, varying from sub rounded to sub angled. Quartz is the main component alongside Feldspat and heavy minerals as accessory components. Biogenic content is also present and mainly represented by mollusks fragments. The calculated sediment transport show values around 100 m3/day. The morphodynamic studies indicated that this is a reflexive area from October to April, and intermediate from May to September. The Relative Tide Range-RTR for this area is 4 < RTR < 15, and so classified in the mixed wave-tide group. Having this exposed we can affirm that the more active natural factors in this area are the currents, followed by the tides and the winds. The anthropic factors are exclusively local and punctual (Macau and Serra Oil Field). Taking in account the economic importance of the area, as well as the intensity of coastal processes acting on this shore, it is important a continuity of the monthly environmental monitoring looking for variations on longer-period cycles. These data have been stored on the geo-referenced database of the projects MARPETRO and PETRORISCO (REDE 05), aiming to model the coastal and sea environment, susceptible to oil spills and their derivatives

Inferência geográfica para delimitação de corredores ecológicos: um estudo de caso para a Mata Atlântica do município de Tibau do Sul/RN

The Atlantic Forest biome occupies much of the Atlantic coast of Brazil, in addition to portions of Paraguay and Argentina. Due mainly to its biodiversity which falls in the group of global hotspots, i.e., areas that have high priority for conservation. Although currently there are some available devices that assist in their protection in the course of the history of occupation and exploitation of the Brazilian territory, this biome has gone, and is still going through, an intense process of devastation, caused mainly by the pressure from economic activities, culminating in a significant reduction of its area and consequent fragmentation of the landscape, which brings with hosts a series of problems at various scales and aspects. As in most municipalities included in the reach area of the biome, the situation of forest fragmentation in Tibau do Sul / RN is quite critical, reflecting on a truly diverse landscape with broad typology of land uses. Among the alternatives aimed at the conservation of this biome include the creation of protected areas and the creation of ecological corridors, the latter being more efficient by connecting the remaining forests, increasing landscape connectivity, providing significant gains in relation to biodiversity. However, a major problem on implementation of Ecological Corridors projects is related to the selection of areas for this purpose, in this sense Geography can provide important contributions through the integrated study of landscape in the light of the geosystemic approach and the use of Geographical Information System (GIS) in order to permit assessment of reality having as a base the integration of ecological, biological and man-made aspects. Thus, this research aims to indicate potential areas and propose scenarios delimitation of Ecological Corridors in the municipality of Tibau do Sul / RN through Geographic Inference techniques in GIS platform. Therefore, the methodology adopted is based on the Geosystemic approach. From these elements were created 4 models to indicate potential areas for implementation of Ecological Corridors from the environmental perspective (potential erosion), socioeconomic (cover and land prices), legislative (areas protected by environmental legislation) and integrated (combination of environmental factors, socioeconomic and legislative), which in turn served as a basis for proposing scenarios aimed at this purpose. The results showed that all models can be quite useful in indicating potential areas for the establishment of ecological corridors, especially when based on an integrated approach between environmental and anthropogenic. The Corridors delimitation proposes shown may perform duties beyond the establishment of connectivity between fragments, since they also may have usefulness in controlling erosion and protecting fragile environments. Among the models developed, the integrated constituted itself as the best option because it enabled the interconnection of a larger number of fragments from a better use of the potentialities present in the landscape

Capparaceae: flora do Rio Grande do Norte e biogeografia no semiárido brasileiro

Capparaceae comprises 25 genera and 480 species, of which 110 are included in 18 genera in Neotropics. Its distribution is pantropical with high frequency in seasonally dry environments. Its representatives are woody, shrubs and rarely wines, with simple leave or compound 3-foliolate, shorts and deciduous floral bracts, tetramerous and nocturnal flowers with exserts and numerous stamens, ovary supero on a gynophore and fleshy fruits, dehiscents or indehiscentes. For Brazil, 12 genera and 28 species are recorded and 12 of that are endemic to the country, occurring preferentially in vegetation of savanna estépica s.str., seasonal semideciduos forest and restinga. This work shows two chapters. In the first chapter, the distributions patterns of the species occurring in the brazilian semi-arid region and their distribution intra Caatinga are discussed. The distribution patterns were determined from a review of the distribution of species in herbaria collections and supplemented with data obtained from specific bibliography about the family. A map containing 1 × 1 grid cells was used to evaluate the richness, collection efforts and floristic similarity of the species intra Caatinga. Six genera and eight species were registered in Caatinga. Four species are endemic to Brazil, with only one endemic to Caatinga, and the other four are widespread in Neotropics. Four distribution patterns were observed: restricted to the NE, broad and continuous in Brazil, disjunct and neotropical. All the species were recorded in Bahia, state with the highest species richness per grid cell and also remarkable sampling efforts species of the family. The state of Piauí presents priority areas for further collection of Capparaceae, due to low family representation in the state. The floristic similarity analysis intra Caatinga was low, 22 %, probably due to a few species of the family in the region and the wide distribution of the same. The second chapter presents the Capparaceae of flora to Rio Grande do Norte (RN), since the state has a little-known flora, with specific studies. Through collections in the state and herbaria review, five genera and six species of Capparaceae were recorded in RN: Capparidastrum (1 spp.); Crateva (1 spp.); Cynophalla (2 spp.); Mesocapparis (1 spp.) and Neocalyptrocalyx (1 spp.). Capparidastrum frondosum and Mesocapparis lineata are new records for the state. An identification key, descriptions and images, comments on the biology of the species and protected areas where they occur are showed.

Espaços especiais em Natal (moradia e meio ambiente): um necessário diálogo entre direitos e espaços na perspectiva de proteção aos direitos fundamentais na cidade contemporânea

Some protected special spaces on behalf of fundamental rights to the environment and the housing at the city of Natal are fragile by facing actions and attempts to suppress and changing (or omission in the implementation) of standards in furtherance of those rights at the local level, which seems to reflect a situation that goes beyond the context of the city. Based on integrated approach of the housing rights and the environment and its protection of special spaces on the field of fundamental rights, the thesis seeks to understand the weaknesses that affect the legal state duty under the realization/implementation of fundamental rights to the environment and housing in cities, focusing on the issues of flexibility of the founding legislation of special spaces to the detriment of the attributes they protected and the lack of implementation of the legal system that allows their effectiveness. So, it looks initially to understand the environment and housing rights and their special protected areas in the brazilian legal system, looking forward the evolution of its legal protection, as well as the weaknesses that emerge in the field of their effectiveness. Analyzing the trajectory of the environment and housing rights and their special protected areas in Natal, considering its standards, attributes, protection indicators, weaknesses and negative evidence within its legal protections and their enforcement by state entity, this thesis proposes to verify the existence of forms to confronting the weaknesses founded in the maintenance of legal protection and its implementation. At this point it discusses the legal basis and safeguard instruments of protection, especially within the juridical field, as part of a (re)discussion about issues of legislative and administrative discretion in the face of objective legal state duty to realization/implementation of fundamental rights in the urban space. With all these issues together the thesis does not ignore the scenario where the dividing line between public and private (economic) are becoming ever more tenuous in the field of state action and where the city stands as a special commodity to the reproduction of real estate, according to the interests of capitalist logic

Comunidades tradicionais em áreas protegidas: convergências e lacunas da Política Urbana e Ambiental na Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Estadual Ponta do Tubarão/RN

This work presents a reflection on possibilities and boundaries of consolidation and expansion of human settlements characterized as traditional communities that are located within protected areas, using as study reference the State Sustainable Development Reserve Ponta do Tubarão, at Rio Grande do Norte state. The main topics highlight the conflict between the right to housing and the prevalence of fundamental rights of traditional populations, opposed to the diffuse right to environment, according to the regulatory framework of the Brazilian Urban and Environmental Policies. At the same time that these settlements, historically built, are substantiated by the principles of recognition of rights to traditional populations, they are in a condition of complexity to the resolution of conflicts in its urban dimension and lead to an impairment of natural sites. This work questions how the instruments of land use and occupation are defined and relate to environmental planning, especially considering that the settlements are located in Permanent Preservation Areas (APP). It aims to further the discussion of the urban dimension in settlements, characterizing its formation and growth process, to identify the gaps and convergences between the Urban and Environmental Policy, under the foundations of a socio-environmental approach. The results spotlights the conflicts between occupation and natural areas, inferring that the definition of Urban Policies instruments and its integration with Environmental Policies instruments account for essential and priority actions to the achievement to the rights to a sustainable city, as determined in the Cities Statute and environmental protection goals, defined for the Conservation Units

Direito e etnoconservação: estudo da participação na gestão ambiental da RDS Estadual Ponta do Tubarão - RN

Given the prediction of the Federal Constitution of 1988 about the need to establish some areas to be especially protected, it was published the Law No. 9.985/00, which established the National System of Conservation Units. Several aspects make these units differ from one another, one of them being the possibility of presence of even traditional human populations inside the area to be protected. In case of allowing these people to continue in the area, it still must be provided their participation in the management of the new space. Management councils show up, then, as a specific way of social and political participation. This way, from an overview of legal norms and the doctrine that are relevant to the topic, It is aimed to make a legal and theoretical survey about the process of traditional populations permanence inside Conservation Units, with aspects linked to ethnoconservation and, therefore, to participation in environmental management of these specially protected spaces

Entendendo as interações entre povos pesqueiros, manguezal e área protegida: RDS estadual Ponta do Tubarão (RN, Brasil)

The mangrove ecosystem has a great importance to maintaining marine biodiversity, and to the livelihoods of communities living around it. Despite its importance, many mangrove areas have been extensively cleared and converted to other uses. There are few places where communities can retain their traditional uses of mangrove. A good example of conservation of traditional costumes are the fishing communities of the Sustainable Development Reserve (Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável RDS) Ponta do Tubarão. The creation of the reserve came from the own population, and the devastation of a mangrove area, which would be destined for activity shrimp, was one of the reasons that led the population to ask authorities the establishment of a legally protected area. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the environmental perception of the fishing communities of RDS Ponta do Tubarão with respect to the mangroves in a biological, ecological and social perspective as well as evaluate the influence of the reserve in the mangrove conservation and quality of life. To meet objectives of this study was required the appropriation of some method and approaches of ethnosciences and environmental perception. Data were collected through direct observation, and semi-structured interviews. Through content analysis found that the population has a strong dependence on the mangrove ecosystem, as well as provides a good ecological knowledge of ecosystem functions. It was also found that the reservation has a good performance in the conservation of the mangroves; however, need to outline strategies to conciliate both the biological and cultural conservation.

ENTENDENDO AS INTERAÇÕES ENTRE POVOS PESQUEIROS, MANGUEZAL E ÁREA PROTEGIDA: RDS ESTADUAL PONTA DO TUBARÃO (RN, BRASIL)

The mangrove ecosystem has a great importance to maintaining marine biodiversity, and to the livelihoods of communities living around it. Despite its importance, many mangrove areas have been extensively cleared and converted to other uses. There are few places where communities can retain their traditional uses of mangrove. A good example of conservation of traditional costumes are the fishing communities of the Sustainable Development Reserve (Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável RDS) Ponta do Tubarão. The creation of the reserve came from the own population, and the devastation of a mangrove area, which would be destined for activity shrimp, was one of the reasons that led the population to ask authorities the establishment of a legally protected area. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the environmental perception of the fishing communities of RDS Ponta do Tubarão with respect to the mangroves in a biological, ecological and social perspective as well as evaluate the influence of the reserve in the mangrove conservation and quality of life. To meet objectives of this study was required the appropriation of some method and approaches of ethnosciences and environmental perception. Data were collected through direct observation, and semi-structured interviews. Through content analysis found that the population has a strong dependence on the mangrove ecosystem, as well as provides a good ecological knowledge of ecosystem functions. It was also found that the reservation has a good performance in the conservation of the mangroves; however, need to outline strategies to conciliate both the biological and cultural conservation.