Degree of socioeconomic and environmental deterioration as a tool for territorial management in a watershed

Abstract

Under Brazilian law, the watershed is the territorial unit for implementation of the National Water Resources Policy. In this sense, the management of water resources, priceless to society, must be done using practices that maintain environmental balance and proper management of land use in watersheds, being essential for the maintenance of natural resources and society in general. This study aimed to determine deteriorating units in the watershed of the Rio da Cruz, a semi-arid mesoregion of the Paraíba State, Brazil. In the methodology used, the watershed was delimited using geotechnologies and subsequent visit to the rural properties of the municipalities where the watershed is circumscribed, as well as on-site observations and application of socioeconomic and environmental diagnostic questionnaires. The results show the degrees of deterioration of the respective diagnoses, which were 53.46% and 23.8%. The degree of socioeconomic deterioration is of concern, given the region's susceptibility to climate variables and regional edaphic conditions, which directly implies the social condition and quality of life of local populations. On the other hand, environmental deterioration has been moderately low, and the future challenge will be the implementation of agricultural, livestock and/or forestry practices that may contribute to the improvement of socioeconomic conditions, without increasing the indicator of environmental deterioration.