Avaliação da pressão urbana sobre nascentes da bacia hidrográfica do ribeirão Lindóia (Londrina – PR): diagnóstico ambiental e análise espacial

Abstract

The disorderly urban expansion over headwater areas has impacted the availability and quality of water resources. The present work aimed to diagnose the environmental conservation status of the springs of the Ribeirão Lindóia Watershed (BHRL), located in the municipality of Londrina-PR, using an integrated methodological approach that combined geoprocessing techniques and field data collection. The methodology began with the delimitation and characterization of land use and land cover in the Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) of 30 springs, using high-resolution satellite imagery to quantify the classes of native vegetation, urbanized area, exposed soil, water bodies, and herbaceous and shrubby vegetation. Subsequently, in situ validation was carried out on a stratified sample of six springs, where the Macroscopic Environmental Impact Index (IIAM) was applied for the qualitative assessment of environmental parameters. Remote sensing results revealed a scenario of intense anthropic pressure, where urbanization consolidated itself as the main degradation vector, as the "urbanized area" class was present in 19 of the 30 springs studied, despite a general average of 53% of remnant vegetation cover in the basin. The integrated analysis demonstrated that, although satellite mapping is effective for indicating the physical integrity of forest cover, field validation was indispensable for detecting hidden degradation vectors, such as water resource channeling, identified in all visited springs, and the presence of diffuse pollution. It is concluded that the basin faces an advanced degradation process driven by the occupation of valley bottoms, evidencing that the maintenance of vegetation cover, although fundamental, does not strictly guarantee spring quality in isolation, requiring management actions that integrate enforcement, channel renaturalization, and control of polluting sources.