Um enfoque psicológico da educação ambiental no contexto da gestão: uma experiência de Fernando de Noronha

Currently, many companies pay attention to the necessities of change of attitude in relation to the use of the natural resources and the environment quality of its products, mainly to keep a positive and competitive image in the market. This new concept of management associates the productive activities to the care with environment using the education of environment as a tool of programs of qualification directed toward the promotion of pro-environment behaviors. For effectiveness of this management it is essential the attachment of the employees and the major understanding of the importance of the preservation of the environment. This was the objective of the qualification process carried out in a lodge in Fernando de Noronha island. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to verify the power of this management system which fulfills the objectives of the environmental education. It was applied questionnaires to employees of three Inns and carried out a interview, in one Inn, with the participants of the program of qualification. The analysis of the data showed that the actions as care with the environment are strongly associates to the management system, which includes garbage control, as well water economy. It was observed that the environment accomplishment (EcoAntro) of the employees with environment decreases in proportion to their qualification. In the same way, as higher the instruction level, of the speaker and/or of the father, less is the apathy for environmental questions. It was also noticed that the knowledge about the development sustainability was very poorly used by the interviewed. The pro-environment behavior mentioned before, is not necessarily related to a local autonomy posture that could express a behavior related to job but not to environment it self. Therefore, a complete understanding about the reverberation of environment information an all the placed factors in a life stile facing a construction of sustainability remains as a question to be studied in future researches

A Água nossa de cada dia: percepção, uso e predisposições comportamentais de alunos do ensino médio de Natal, Rio Grande do Norte

Although water scarcity is recognized as one of the main world-wide problems to be faced by human kind, ecologically unsustainable patterns of behavior still persist. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze pro-environmental behavior related to water, as well as meanings associated to it by high school students of Federal Center of Technological Education of Rio Grande do Norte, in Natal. The convenience sample was composed by 315 students, 146 women and 169 men, who answered a questionnaire about use and perception of water, containing indicators of proenvironmentalism, environmental care, sustainable development, time perspective, externalities and collectivism, besides socio-demographic items. According to participants, water is synonymous of life, even though the relationship they present with it is ambiguous, much more functional than ecological; they consider it a finite resource, an indispensable life patrimony, however there was no coherence between such conceptions and the self-reported behaviors of water use. Results indicated three important predictors of pro-environmental behavior: sex of respondent, New Ecological Paradigm Scale and telephone/address left for eventual contact to participate in future environmental campaigns. They may be used in additional studies for theoretical development, or to assist in the planning of programs of environmental education, aimed at the inhibition of the effects of a culture of consumption and of an utilitarian perception of water, extending individual and collective efforts towards the preservation of common resources as water

Avaliação das propriedades físico-químicas de sistemas a base de carboximetilcelulose e poli (N-isopropilacrilamida) em soluções aquosas para aplicação na indústria do petróleo

Sustainable development is a major challenge in the oil industry and has aroused growing interest in research to obtain materials from renewable sources. Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is a polysaccharide derived from cellulose and becomes attractive because it is water-soluble, renewable, biodegradable and inexpensive, as well as may be chemically modified to gain new properties. Among the derivatives of carboxymethylcellulose, systems have been developed to induce stimuli-responsive properties and extend the applicability of multiple-responsive materials. Although these new materials have been the subject of study, understanding of their physicochemical properties, such as viscosity, solubility and particle size as a function of pH and temperature, is still very limited. This study describes systems of physical blends and copolymers based on carboxymethylcellulose and poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), with different feed percentage compositions of the reaction (25CMC, 50CMC e 75CMC), in aqueous solution. The chemical structure of the polymers was investigated by infrared and CHN elementary analysis. The physical blends were analyzed by rheology and the copolymers by UV-visible spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential. CMC and copolymer were assessed as scale inhibitors of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) using dynamic tube blocking tests and chemical compatibility tests, as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermothickening behavior was observed for the 50 % CMC_50 % PNIPAM and 25 % CMC_75 % PNIPAM physical blends in aqueous solution at concentrations of 6 and 2 g/L, respectively, depending on polymer concentration and composition. For the copolymers, the increase in temperature and amount of PNIPAM favored polymer-polymer interactions through hydrophobic groups, resulting in increased turbidity of polymer solutions. Particle size decreased with the rise in copolymer PNIPAM content as a function of pH (3-12), at 25 °C. Larger amounts of CMC result in a stronger effect of pH on particle size, indicating pH-responsive behavior. Thus, 25CMC was not affected by the change in pH, exhibiting similar behavior to PNIPAM. In addition, the presence of acidic or basic additives influenced particle size, which was smaller in the presence of the additives than in distilled water. The results of zeta potential also showed greater variation for polymers in distilled water than in the presence of acids and bases. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM determined by DLS corroborated the value obtained by UV-visible spectroscopy. SAXS data for PNIPAM and 50CMC indicated phase transition when the temperature increased from 32 to 34 °C. A reduction in or absence of electrostatic properties was observed as a function of increased PNIPAM in copolymer composition. Assessment of samples as scale inhibitors showed that CMC performed better than the copolymers. This was attributed to the higher charge density present in CMC. The SEM micrographs confirmed morphological changes in the CaCO3 crystals, demonstrating the scale inhibiting potential of these polymers

A ocupação urbana do entorno de zonasde proteção ambiental de natal, suas condições de sustentabilidade e a relação com a ocorrência de insetos vetores

This study started from the hypothesis of the existence of a relation between the type of the urban occupation concerning to the sustainability conditions at the proximity of Environment Protected Zones and the occurrence of vectors insects in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. This research, which used data available by the City Administration Health and Urbanization Secretaries (respectively SMS and SEMURB), in the time period of 2006 to 2008, aimed to characterize the study site in terms of urban occupation, relating it to social environmental aspects of land occupation and the occurrence of vectors insects. This study is presented in two papers, the first one linking the occurrence of vectors insects and sustainable development indicators and the second relating the incidence of reported cases of Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) and the occurrence of larvae infection indexes of Aedes aegypti, in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte State. In the first paper, was made a correlation between Dengue Fever vectors and Visceral and Tegumentar Leishmaniasis vectors and sustainable development indicators, selected from IDS Brasil- 2008. Through factorial analysis a Sustainability Index (SI) was acquired for each region, the northern region of the municipality obtained lower numbers than southern region, which, in its turn, presented better sustainability conditions. Linking this index to vector infestation parameters shows a high significant correlation between the SI and the Breteau Index of Aedes aegypti (p=0,028) as well as with SI and sand flies infestation index (p=0,01). Higher rates in vectors infestation in regions with a lower Sustainable Development Index demonstrates that this index can be used to determine the increasing of probability of Aedes and sand flies occurrence in urban environment. The second paper analyzed the occurrence of the main vector of Dengue and DHF, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, and the relation between larvae infection indexes of this insect and reported cases of the diseases. This study revealed unexpected relation where areas with higher Breteau s Indexes showed lower infection rates of Dengue Fever, although showing high incidence of DHF

Potencialidade à degradação na microbacia Riacho Passagem/RN

A degradação dos recursos naturais é talvez o principal problema da região do semiárido brasileiro, e essa degradação é principalmente resultante das perdas de solo, decorrente do processo erosivo. Na busca de melhor conhecer esta problemática vem sendo empregado o processo de modelagem ambiental, cujo objetivo é identificar e propor soluções para a degradação dos solos. Nesse sentido, o trabalho aplica o modelo da Equação Universal de Perda de Solos (EUPS), desenvolvido nos Estados Unidos ao longo da década de 1950, agregado as ferramentas de geoprocessamento, informações de sensoriamento remoto e Sistemas de Informações Geográficas (SIGs). A área de estudo é a Microbacia Riacho Passagem localizada na região oeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, a microbacia tem uma área de 221,7Km² e esta inserida no semiárido, região Nordeste do Brasil. A metodologia utilizada consiste: em agrupar as variáveis da EUPS no ambiente SIG utilizando imagens de satélite, levantamentos bibliográficos e trabalhos de campo. Para determinação das extensões das vertentes foi empregado o Modelo RAMPA, e para adequar a EUPS as condições da área de estudo, foram realizados ajuste através de modelos estatísticos, aperfeiçoando o trabalho e os resultados gerados pelo modelo. Ao fim do processo foi desenvolvida uma pseudo linguagem no aplicativo Linguagem Espacial para Geoprocessamento Algébrico (LEGAL) disponível no software SPRING versão 5.1.2 servindo de suporte para o processamento das informações contidas no banco de dados, base da EUPS. Os resultados demonstram que inicialmente é necessário delimitar com precisão o período seco e chuvoso, informação fundamental para a EUPS, uma vez que o trabalho busca identificar a perda de solo por erosão hídrica. O modelo RAMPA apresentou-se satisfatório e com elevado potencial de aplicação na determinação dos comprimentos de vertentes utilizando imagens de radar. Quanto ao comportamento das extensões de vertentes, na microbacia, o mesmo apresentou uma pequena variação na porção leste, maiores vertentes, área próxima a desembocadura. Após a aplicação do modelo o valor máximo de perda de solo foi 88 ton/ha.ano com núcleos localizados no NEOSSOLOS LITÓLICOS e o mínimo 0,01 ton/ha.ano localizado no domínio dos LATOSSOLOS e NEOSSOLOS FLÚVICOS. A erosão provoca diminuição do perfil de solo, principalmente nos NEOSSOLOS LITÓLICOS, resultando em alteração no balanço hídrico e conseqüentemente aumento da temperatura do solo, podendo desencadear a desertificação. Os resultados e a metodologia do presente trabalho poderão ser aplicados na busca pelo desenvolvimento sustentável, na região do semiárido brasileiro, auxiliando na compreensão do binômio uso do solo e capacidade de suporte do meio natural.

Influencia do turismo sobre a atividade pesqueira do município de Tibal do Sul-RN

A área da pesquisa localiza-se no município de Tibau do Sul, situado na costa leste do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, a 80 km ao Sul da capital Natal. O turismo, a pesca esportiva e instalação de empreendimentos vêm aumentando nessa área litorânea, disputando espaços com pescadores artesanais. A dissertação teve como objetivo identificar e analisar os conflitos socioeconômicos e ambientais entre a atividade pesqueira e a atividade turística no Município de Tibau do Sul, para subsidiar órgãos governamentais e entidades ligadas ao setor pesqueiro, com futuras políticas de incentivo e desenvolvimento sustentável local. O presente trabalho está dividido em introdução e dois capítulos. A introdução apresenta proposta e justificativa da pesquisa, com fundamentação teórica, em seguida são apresentados os procedimentos metodológicos. O primeiro capítulo apresenta a caracterização da pesca artesanal e o perfil socioeconômico dos pescadores de Tibau do Sul, identificando os conflitos entre a atividade pesqueira e o turismo. Para alcançar esse propósito, foram realizados levantamentos qualitativos e quantitativos, através da efetivação de 100 entrevistas com questionários semiestruturados, os quais foram aplicados a quatro comunidades pesqueiras. Os resultados constataram a real situação da pesca artesanal local e foram identificados vários conflitos, dentre eles: a falta de investimento no setor, baixo desenvolvimento tecnológico e de infraestrutura, além da ocupação desordenada em área de desembarque da produção. Todos esses fatores têm contribuído para o declínio da atividade pesqueira nesse município. O segundo capítulo apresenta uma análise territorial a partir da elaboração do mapa de ocupação do solo utilizando a metodologia de geoprocessamento. Constatou-se que a ocupação desordenada ocorreu principalmente depois da chegada dos turistas em Tibau do Sul e está concentrada principalmente na praia de Pipa, observou-se também que os empreendimentos construídos na área de estudo interferem no acesso público as praias e área de desembarque da produção dos pescadores. Espera-se que este estudo contribua para elaboração do plano de manejo nas comunidades pesqueiras e possa subsidiar os gestores na implementação de políticas públicas voltadas para o desenvolvimento sustentável local

A incorporação de preceitos ambientais no sistema de gestão de resíduos sólidos do município de João Câmara - RN Brasil

The reality points to the global environmental sustainability as the only viable option for addressing the crisis at hand. The move towards sustainability calls for the generation / evaluation systems in their direction, through the incorporation of environmental requirements and in line with the National Policy on Solid Waste. Therefore, the proposed research supports the importance of social and environmental vision, complementing the technical view, the system for management of solid waste from East London, which is a municipality that has a system whose inadequacies are configured in environmental risk and health. Therefore, by observing, applying the model of sustainability indicators and content analysis of interviews, this research proposes to investigate the principles of sustainability and social participation are presented and what is the perception of risk about the inadequacies in the system. The results confirmed the hypotheses of the study and draw a picture of worrying data, such as very unfavorable indicators of sustainability, lack of channels of participation, uncommitted investments with the management system, devaluation of the collector of waste and differing perceptions about the risk by making actors act in isolation. This worrying situation is eased by the appearance of a series of elements are configured as opportunities for the integration of environmental principles in the system. And despite the inability of managers to participate in the research system, yet it behaves as an opportunity to implement public policies in the area of solid waste such as: the preparation of the municipal waste, the institutionalization of selective collection and organization of cooperative with the support of companies present in the city and educational institutions as the Federal Institute. The research is an opportunity for the implementation of policies in the area of solid waste and will collaborate with the building instruments for the quality of life of residents, for the socioeconomic conditions of collectors and the move towards a sustainable society

Processos sócio-ambientais relacionados às situações de degradação na região do Rio Doce, Natal/RN

Natal is a medium-sized coastal city (800.000 inhabitants), capital of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, in the Northeast of Brazil. According to statistics published by the IBGE (2000), the area of Natal that stretches from Redinha to Lagoa Azul holds about 12% of the municipal population. Part of this area is bordered by a watercourse, the Rio Doce, which has been afflicted by a range of socio-environmental problems over the years. This study was carried out with the aims of 1) identifying the socio-environmental processes related to urban expansion, with an emphasis on those causing environmental degradation in this region; b) analysing the perception of the target population in relation to the environment it occupies; and c) determining the socioeconomic profile of the local residents and the sanitary facilities available to them. A survey was carried out by conducting interviews and completing questionnaires with the residents to assess the situation both qualitatively and quantitatively in the communities of Caiana, Pajussara Sítio, Gramoré Povoado and Gramoré Sítio, as well as by conducting bibliographical and documentary research. It was discovered that the sanitary conditions of the riverside dwellers are precarious and only 1% of the houses in the suburbs mentioned are connected to the public sewers. It was established that the Rio Doce is intensively exploited through the extraction of sand for the building trade, irrigation of riverside vegetable plots and use of the water for bathing, washing of clothes and leisure. It was also found that about 40% of the population resident in this area has migrated from the rural zone, which is one of the factors rendering it difficult for them to adapt to the urban setting. Such information can be of use to the authorities in the environmental planning of these districts and their sustainable development

Avaliação de impacto ambiental e gestão dos recursos natuarias no estuário Apodi Mossoró, nordeste do Brasil

The aim of this study is to investigate the eco-environmental vulnerability, its changes, and its causes to develop a management system for application of eco-environmental vulnerability and risk assessment in the Apodi-Mossory estuary, Northeast Brazil. This analysis is focused on the interference of the landscape conditions, and its changes, due to the following factors: the oil and natural gas industry, tropical fruits industry, shrimp farms, marine salt industry, occupation of the sensitive areas; demand for land, vegetation degradation, siltation in rivers, severe flooding, sea level rise (SLR), coastal dynamics, low and flat topography, high ecological value and tourism in the region and the rapid growth of urbanization. Conventional and remote sensing data were analyzed using modeling techniques based on ArcGIS, ER-Mapper, ERDAS Imagine and ENVI software. Digital images were initially processed by Principal Component Analysis and transformation of the maximum fraction of noise, and then all bands were normalized to reduce errors caused by bands of different sizes. They were integrated in a Geographic Information System analysis to detect changes, to generate digital elevation models, geomorphic indices and other variables of the study area. A three band color combination of multispectral bands was used to monitor changes of land and vegetation cover from 1986 to 2009. This task also included the analysis of various secondary data, such as field data, socioeconomic data, environmental data and prospects growth. The main objective of this study was to improve our understanding of eco-environmental vulnerability and risk assessment; it´s causes basically show the intensity, its distribution and human-environment effect on the ecosystem, and identify the high and low sensitive areas and area of inundation due to future SLR, and the loss of land due to coastal erosion in the Apodi-Mossoró estuary in order to establish a strategy for sustainable land use. The developed model includes some basic factors such as geology, geomorphology, soils, land use / land cover, vegetation cover, slope, topography and hydrology. The numerical results indicate that 9.86% of total study area was under very high vulnerability, 29.12% high vulnerability, 52.90% moderate vulnerability and 2.23% were in the category of very low vulnerability. The analysis indicates that 216.1 km² and 362.8 km² area flooded on 1m and 10m in sea levels respectively. The sectors most affected were residential, industrial and recreational areas, agricultural land, and ecosystems of high environmental sensitivity. The results showed that changes in eco-environmental vulnerability have a significant impact on the sustainable development of the RN state, since the indicator is a function of sensitivity, exposure and status in relation to a level of damage. The model were presented as a tool to assist in indexing vulnerability in order to optimize actions and assess the implications of decisions makers and policies regarding the management of coastal and estuarine areas. In this context aspects such as population growth, degradation of vegetation, land use / land cover, amount and type of industrialization, SLR and government policies for environmental protection were considered the main factors that affect the eco-environmental changes over the last three decades in the Apodi-Mossoró estuary.

Geologia e geomorfologia dos recifes de Maracajaú-RN e plataforma rasa adjacente

This work focuses the geological and geomorphological characterization of the inner shelf in the West Coast of the Rio Grande do Norte state, particularly the reef coral barrier offshore of Maracajaú (Maxaranguape district). If developed without the necessary concerns, tourism and entertainment activities that have been widely increased during the last five years can lead to irreversible environmental damages to the biotic and abiotic ecosystems of the region. Regarding these aspects, it is crucial the realization of a detailed study to envisage the achievement of a self-sustainable development, especially with respect to the possibilities of a rational usage of the region. This is the aim of this manuscript, which consisted of an initial stage of digital modeling of the terrain with basis on digitalization and vectorization of the Nautical map number 803 (Naval Service of Brazil, 1971). Information obtained in this phase was improved with the digital processing of small format aerial photos acquired from six flights, which were integrated to form a photomosaic of the area. The refined maps produced with the data from Nautical and aerial photo-interpretations aided to locate 9 bathymetric profiles, which provided information about the sea floor relief of the whole area. This later aided in the choosing of areas to bottom sampling that, in its turn, helped to characterize sediments present in floor of the inner shelf. Sixty-four samples collected during this work were studied by granulometrical and chemical analysis; with the later one developed in order to measure carbonate and organic matter contents. Forty-two of these samples showed carbonate content higher than 80% and organic matter in the range of 0.58% to 24.06%. With respect to grain size, these samples are in the interval between fine- to mid-grained sands. Sands with grain sizes higher than this one are also composed by carbonate carapaces such as pale yellow to red rhodolites with ellipsoidal and spheroidal shapes. During determination of the submerse features, the small format aerial photos demonstrated to be a useful methodology to aid the delineation of the sea floor topography through shallow deep waters. The bathymetry, for its turn, revealed several features at the bottom of the platform, in which the most conspicuous are undulations and morphological details of the São Roque Channel. Examination of bottom, aside from sand, yielded the identification of bivalves, ostracods, fragments of bryozoans, spikes of sponges, spines of echinoderms, operculum of gastropods and foraminifers. From the above it is concluded that the multi-methodological approach developed in this study worked efficiently, permitting the geomorphological and environmental characterization of the inner shelf of the North Maracajaú

Diagnóstico Ambiental do Processo de Desertificação no município de Lajes/RN.

Ocupando uma área de 665,7km2 (equivalente a 1,25% da superfície estadual), o Município de Lajes até o início do século XX era um pequeno distrito do Município de Jardim de Angicos, localizada na Região Central do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Quando decretado município, em 1914, Lajes tornou-se o principal entreposto comercial do estado, uma vez que sua posição geográfica a colocava como rota principal entre os municípios produtores de mercadorias e a capital do estado, Natal, situada a 125km a Leste do município. Esta confortável posição de entreposto comercial cristalizou-se com a construção da estrada de ferro Sampaio Correia, em 1919, que agilizou o escoamento das mercadorias advindas do interior com Natal, principalmente o algodão, que até a década de 1980 era a principal fonte econômica do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Com a crise do algodão e a construção de estradas ligando diretamente os mercados produtores com a capital, Lajes perde a condição de principal entreposto comercial do estado, e sua economia entra em decadência. Vastas áreas de caatinga onde outrora se plantava algodão foram abandonadas, deixando os solos destas terras livres para a ação erosiva dos ventos e das torrenciais chuvas de outono. Situada numa porção do estado que sofre direto sombreamento das escarpas da Serra do Feiticeiro, o município de Lajes tem se configurado como um importante laboratório para o estudo da desertificação no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. A partir de uma análise Geossistêmica, procurou-se diagnosticar o atual quadro da desertificação nesta porção semi-árida do estado. Para tanto, utilizou-se os métodos quantitativos de análise, dentre eles os métodos desenvolvidos durante a elaboração do Pan Brasil, com a construção dos Balanços Hídricos e Índices de Aridez do município. Os dados referentes aos índices de aridez de Lajes apontam para um profundo processo de ressecamento do ar na região, corroborando inclusive com os dados referentes ao aquecimento global divulgados pelo IPCC (Intergovernamental Panel on Climate Change) no mês de fevereiro de 2007

Geografia, turismo e meio ambiente: uma nova face do litoral dos municípios de Extremoz e Ceará-Mirim

La presente pesquisa contempla reflexiones referentes de la actividad turística en la organización socio-espacial en el litoral de las comarcas de Extremoz y Ceará-Mirim, región de la Grande Natal. Nuestro objetivo principal es el estudio de las transformaciones del espacio y de sus implicaciones socio-ambientales en curso en el proceso de producción del espacio turístico en el litoral de las referidas comarcas desde 1997 hasta 2007, momento de importancia publica-privada que, a partir del PRODETUR, tuvo la base para el incremento de las potencialidades turísticas. En este sentido, varias fueron las técnicas para una mejor compresión de las aspiraciones y de la percepción de los actores envueltos con la actividad turística (comerciantes, turistas, populación y poder publico local) para conocer cuales son sus consideraciones en cuanto a los cambios que proceden de la implantación de la actividad turística en el lugar, cuanto a la mejora de la calidad de vida, de la generación de empleo y de renta, comercialización, conservación, preservación del ambiente, cumplimiento de la legislación, afirmación cultural así como las acciones puestas en ejecución en las comarcas. Para tal necesidad, se buscó analizar los datos estadísticos a partir del uso de los cuestionarios con preguntas estructuradas y semi-abiertas como instrumento de colecta de información que les era correlacionada con la opinión de los actores locales de modo que podamos formar y entender los elementos básicos que son parte de los espacios turísticos en foco. Fueran utilizadas fotografías aéreas de las comarcas de Extremoz y Ceará-Mirim, provistas por el IDEMA, con la intención de percibir acerca de los cambios del espacio y las implicaciones socio-ambientales de la área en estudio. Concluimos en función de los resultados que el modelo de Turismo concebido por lo Brasil, estimulado y financiado por lo Gobierno Federal, está insertado en el contexto de la economía global y, por lo tanto, el Estado del Rio Grande del Norte, en específico los espacios litoraneos de las comarcas de Extremoz y Ceará-Mirim, que poseen características similares a este modelo, con sus particularidades, que si traduzca por la exclusión social, formas de apropiación privada de los espacios público y áreas de protección ambiental como las playas, las dunas y las lagunas, el desacato o no el cumplimiento de la legislación ambiental, aumento de las desigualdad de renta en una región que posee una problemática social grave y sin inversión, implantación de la infraestructura, ausencia de política pública local, donde los intereses económicos son prioridad delante de las aclamaciones populares. Se sugiere un repensar cuanto al modelo actual de desarrollo adoptado, que el planeamiento sea pautado en base a la participación integrada de los varios agentes implicados con la actividad turística, incluyendo en la medida del posible, las aspiraciones de la población local como precusoras de sus reales necesidades, donde esta acción interactiva contestará ciertamente en un esfuerzo significativo en la construcción de un nuevo paradigma, modelo del desarrollo sustentable, siendo posible superar gradualmente el incremento de la pobreza, de la exclusión y de los impactos ambientales, donde la calidad de vida sea factor fundamental

Praia de Ponta Negra: uma abordagem da paisagem costeira de 1970 a 2010, Natal/RN

With process urbanization process the Brazilian cities have been goin through, Natal/RN does not differ from the other ones, it has had a fast, inordinate and planned urbanization, but not applied, it has caused a high increase of social environmental problems. One of the worrying problems observed is the change in the coastal landscape, which has caused serious damage to the city‟s population, more specifically, of Ponta Negra beach neighborhood. For the geographical studies, the issue, concerning the occupation of the beaches that has been getting higher and higher in the last decades is extremely important because these, in addition to being used as homes in the new urban configuration, have incorporated new ways of environmental interference, without a simultaneous advance of knowledge which would be necessary for a more suitable and rational use of litoral spaces. Thus, the current assignment aimed to focus the coastal landscape of Ponta Negra Beach, in the city of Natal/RN, checking and analyzing the effects caused by anthropic and natural action, and the way it reflects in the quality of life of the resident, working population and of the frequenters as well as the landscape transformations in the area which is object of study, from 1970 through 2010. The methodology used followed to stages, the first concerned the theoretical work bibliographic surveying and composition; and second one the empirical work marking of the environmental characterization and application of the questionnaires. So, we can measure that Ponta Negra, is very susceptible to environmental changes, the ones caused by the natural dynamics of the beach, as well as the human actions (society) in this really fragile and mutable space, so it needs, a more profound systematic study about the coastal landscape. In order to reach a minimization of the change of the landscapes in the coastal zones there must be an integrated management of the environments, based on the planning of actions and territorial reordination of the occupations of these so important spaces, environmentally, as well as socioeconomically. Whereas, only this way, we will have a sustentable development and a suitable use of that space