Study of the riparian forest of the Piranhas River in the middle Piranhas sub-basin of Paraíba

Abstract

The riparian forests comprise native vegetation cover, that is, the forest system commonly situated along riverbanks or other bodies of water, around springs, lakes, artificial or natural dams. Thus, as a base in this context, the objective of this study was to analyze the environmental situation of the Piranhas river ciliary forest, through the use of Geographic Information System (GIS), as well as to indicate Environmental Education measures. The method used was the case study, with the use of exploratory research, and consisted in the delimitation of the Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) of the Piranhas River and maps of land use and occupation, in the survey of river depth data, searching to analyze the surface of the river bottom and thus identify possible silting of its bed, finally it was indicated measures of environmental education based on the diagnosis of the analysis of the ciliary forest. Based on this, it was verified that the PPAs are not being preserved, once that of the total area covered by them, only 35.9% is protected with native vegetation, 1.2% are exploited by agricultural activities and about 63.1% are with exposed soil. Thus, it is concluded that the suppression of vegetation in the Piranhas River PPAs is accelerating the process of sedimentation of the river and may cause other environmental impacts, such as the contamination of surface waters and, consequently, underground. Therefore, in order to change the diagnosed scenario in the PPAs of the Piranhas river, it is necessary to adopt measures of education and environmental awareness to the rural owners and riverine populations.