Diagnóstico ambiental no alto rio Jaracatiá-PR por meio de um protocolo de avaliação rápida da diversidade de habitats

Abstract

Worldwide, there is a growing concern about water scarcity and quality, and this is aggravated by environmental degradation and pollution, especially in the headwater areas of rivers. Thus, this study aims to carry out an environmental diagnosis in the area of the Upper Jaracatiá-PR River (headwaters) through the application of a protocol for rapid assessment of the diversity of habitats, which will allow analyzing the environmental quality in the points selected for the study. Four sampling points will be established in the Upper Jaracatiá River: 1-reference point: with a lower level of impact and within a forested area; 2- agricultural point: located in an area of intense use for agricultural activities; 3- urban point: located in an urbanized area of the municipality of Enéas Marques-PR; 4- downstream point: stretch of the river after the aforementioned municipality. At each site, a stretch of 300 m in length will be analyzed, subdivided into three sections of 100 m. The protocol will be applied only once at each sampling point (3 subsections/point), preferably in the summer season, on days without rain and with the last rainy event recorded for more than two days. The Rapid Assessment Protocol (PAR) of Habitat Diversity will comprise the analysis of 22 environmental quality parameters, 10 of which will be aimed at environmental characterization and assessment of environmental impacts in the study area, and the others to identify the inference on the level of conservation of habitats. Each parameter will receive a score from the same observer (0 to 4 or 0 to 5 points/parameter) and the sum of this score will form a final quality score. Based on the final score, the assessed stretch will be framed: impacted (0-40), altered (41-60) and natural greater than 61. With the application of the protocol, it was observed that the stretches with the influence of livestock and agriculture obtained lower scores and the preserved area higher. The sections with the lowest scores were moderate to good for each parameter. The final score showed a natural condition in most cases, with the exception of the pasture section 1. Differences between the points can be seen, even with a short distance from each point, so the PAR, can help in the characterization of places and assist in the studies, it was very useful for carrying out this work, providing an easy-touse tool.