Adverse environmental impacts caused by artificial ecosystems in the estuarine area of the Piranhas-Açu river (RN)

Abstract

The degradation of coastal ecosystems is increasingly intense due to changes related to land use and occupation provoked by advances in economic activities, generating harmful impacts that alter the
functionality and supply of direct or indirect benefits provided by the environment. In that regard, the objective of this research is to identify the main adverse environmental impacts caused by the insertion of artificial ecosystems in the estuarine system of the Piranhas-Açu River, located on the northern coast of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The methodology comprises a bibliographic and cartographic survey, on-site visits, vectorization of coastal ecosystems and an environmental diagnosis based on the application of indicators from the DPSIR model. As a result, six coastal ecosystems were identified, namely: estuary, coastal lagoons, mangroves, apicum, solar saltworks and shrimp ponds; in addition to the main environmental impacts caused by artificial ecosystems, known as loss and/or reduction of ecological and ecosystem functions and degradation of soil quality, with the mangrove and the apicum being the areas most subjected to these impacts. It was noted that the environmental and climatic factors favor the development of artificial ecosystems and, with that, propitiate the gradual increase of salt pans and shrimp ponds in the fluviomarine plain, where the DPSIR model proved to be satisfactory for analysis and evaluation of the causes and consequences of these activities.