The concept of socio-ecological resilience in water resources (SERWR) addresses the ability of ecosystems and nearby populations to adapt and recover in the face of environmental pressures and changes. In the context of the Piancó - Piranhas - Açu River Basin (BHPPA), Seridó Hydrological Planning Unit (UPH), in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), in the semi-arid Northeast, the practical application of SERWR as an integrated approach aims for more efficient and sustainable management of water resources, justified by the need to understand how local socio-ecological systems respond to disturbances, ensuring the sustainability of these resources. The main goal of this research is to evaluate the SERWR capacity of municipalities within the BHPPA, UPH Seridó RN, based on a set of indicators, which can assist in the formulation of more effective policies and management strategies that ensure SERWR in the face of adversities, such as extreme droughts and conflicts over water use. Based on these indicators, the research assumes that a better socio-ecological resilience capacity of water resources contributes to the management of water resources in municipalities within river basins, given the challenges and conflicts arising from the forms of access and use of water resources. Through a systematic literature review, 23 SERWR indicators were identified, divided into two categories (social and ecological), focusing on integrated and participatory management of water resources. To obtain these indicators, a systematized literature review was conducted with articles published in the last 12 years. This study represents a set of easily understandable information about the municipalities that make up the BHPPA, UPH Seridó, capable of providing society with adequate data for decision-making and supporting public interests related to the socio-ecological management of water resources. Thus, it was possible to apply and validate the identified indicators, analyzing them qualitatively through the perception of members of the BHPPA committee. The validity of the indicators was confirmed, reinforcing their suitability to the territorial scope's particularities. The Iramuteq® software was used to support the analysis, enabling the systematization of discourses in an objective and structured manner. The results indicate that the socio-ecological resilience in water resources is deficient, although it has experienced growth over the last few decades. However, access to these resources continues to be a significant challenge, especially due to the recurrence of drought periods, which exacerbate the conditions of water availability and management.

Environmental health is a field of public health that focuses on the interconnections between the spheres of human health and the environmental panorama that surrounds us. Because it presents an eminently ecological relationship with the health-disease process, the need to address the issue at various levels of knowledge has been highlighted, ranging from basic education to higher education. In this context, the city of Lajes Pintadas, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, is an example that deserves to be highlighted when it comes to environmental health. Since 2009, the city has been the subject of interdisciplinary scientific research due to a unique characteristic in the environmental, educational and public health dimensions. This particularity refers to exposure to radon gas, naturally emitted by rocks that contain uranium (U) in their composition, a phenomenon known as natural radioactivity. In order to broaden the understanding of the socio-environmental factors linked to the presence of radioactivity, scholars emphasize the need to collect additional information, covering both the environmental impacts and possible related diseases. Furthermore, they highlight the relevance of exploring the educational potential of the topic in the field of environmental health. In light of these considerations, this thesis aimed to evaluate the socio-environmental conditions related to the emission of natural radioactivity in the municipality of Lajes Pintadas/RN, including the potential risks to human health, and the challenges and educational potential of the topic of environmental health in the context of basic education. To achieve this objective, the following methodologies were adopted, organized in the four chapters of this thesis: conducting new analyses on the perception of risk by the exposed population, through the application of questionnaires and the evaluation of the effects at the genetic level, using genotoxicity tests with a chronic approach and comparing the results with previous studies carried out in Lajes Pintadas/RN between 2014 and 2016; content analysis on the approach to health and environmental topics, in addition to their interconnection described as environmental health in the main guiding documents of basic education; development, application and validation of socio-educational and formative actions in environmental health, with an emphasis on local topics. The results of the first chapter indicate that factors such as occupation, lifestyle, and exposure to chemical agents may be associated with the observed cellular changes, highlighting the relevance of integrated approaches for the analysis of these correlations. Additionally, a statistically significant association was identified between exposure to radon gas and the increase in the frequency of micronuclei, a key biomarker of DNA damage. These findings suggest that prolonged exposure to natural radiation may contribute to cytogenetic changes, reinforcing the need for monitoring and mitigation measures. Regarding the educational panorama explored, the results related to the second chapter indicate difficulties in the search for and clarity in the articulation of health and environment themes in the main guiding document for basic education, the BNCC, as well as in their integration, characterized as environmental health. Guided by these weaknesses, the third chapter showed that the implementation of socio-educational and training initiatives in the area of environmental health, using an approach based on local reality, presents educational potential. These results represent an unprecedented record of collaborative integration between the fields of teaching, research, and extension, aiming at the promotion and didactic exploration of topics related to environmental health in situ. However, despite the benefits emphasized, it was observed in the literature that the didactic-pedagogical exploration and the availability of educational resources for the thematic scope are limited. This research gap supported the fourth chapter, culminating in the proposal of strategies for the construction and validation of a didactic sequence for teaching environmental health topics. In summary, the consolidation of the four chapters of this thesis presented innovative contributions to the understanding of the impacts of natural radioactivity on human health and to the formulation of materials, reflections, and positions on the relevance of the theme of environmental health in the context of basic education.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (ODS) OF THE THESIS:

• 03 (Health and Well-being);

• 04 (Quality Education);

• 14 (Life in Water);

• 15 (Life on Land).

Accelerated urbanization and the reduction of urban green spaces have led to significant impacts on environmental quality and population well-being, making the analysis of sustainable strategies for urban planning essential. Public squares, as fundamental components of green infrastructure, play a crucial role in microclimatic regulation, access to natural spaces, and the mitigation of urban heat island effects. The central question of this thesis is: How does the environmental quality of public squares and their green areas influence public health, the urban microclimate, and socio-environmental sustainability in the city of Natal? Public squares, as key elements of green infrastructure, are vital for microclimatic regulation, urban thermal comfort, and the promotion of social well-being. However, the unequal distribution of these areas and the varying environmental conditions they present exacerbate urban challenges such as heat islands and unequal access to green spaces. These socio-spatial disparities, particularly in densely populated areas, undermine quality of life and reduce the city's resilience to climate change. In light of this context, the objective of this thesis is to assess and highlight the relevance of urban green areas to environmental quality in urban settings. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach (quantitative and qualitative), employing techniques such as geoprocessing, remote sensing, descriptive and inferential statistics, and socio-environmental analysis. The analysis includes satellite data extraction, such as Land Surface Temperature (LST) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), to evaluate the relationship between vegetation cover and thermal regulation in public squares. Moreover, the spatial distribution of these areas is analyzed based on urban variables such as population density, land use, and proximity to Environmental Protection Zones (ZPAs). Qualitative analyses were also conducted, including on-site observations and a review of public policies related to urban planning and green space management. The results indicate that public squares with greater vegetation cover exhibit lower temperatures compared to surrounding areas, confirming their importance in mitigating heat islands and improving urban thermal comfort. However, spatial analysis reveals an unequal distribution of squares across the city, with the most densely populated regions displaying lower vegetation cover, thereby heightening the population’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change. This research also proposes an innovative criterion for evaluating urban environmental quality, integrating physical, climatic, and social indicators, with potential applicability in territorial planning and the development of public policies aimed at urban sustainability. The study aligns with three of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 13 (Climate Action) – and offers valuable insights for the formulation of public policies that foster a more inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient city. The expansion, conservation, and appropriate management of public squares should be incorporated into sustainable urban planning, ensuring equitable access to these spaces and promoting an overall improvement in the quality of life for the population of Natal.

SDGs addressed in the thesis

· SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being

· SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities

· SDG 13 – Climate Action

The seaweed beds represent areas of high biodiversity and primary production. These tridimensional environments, including both natural beds and aquaculture systems, support complex communities of ecological and economic relevance. As such, the cultivation of Gracilaria birdiae along the RN coast serves as a significant source of income for local coastal communities. However, knowledge regarding the associated fauna remains largely unknown to the local population. This study aimed to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of macroinvertebrates associated with G. birdiae in the natural bed at Mae Luiza beach (ML) and a cultivation site in Rio do Fogo (RF). Additionally, it evaluated the environmental awareness of public school students regarding marine biodiversity in a local Protection Area (PA). The research was conducted from March 2022 to November 2023, employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Algal biomass and ecological indices of the assemblages were analyzed using multivariate statistical methods to account for spatiotemporal variations. Qualitative data were collected through structured questionnaires and environmental education (EE) workshops and analyzed using methodological triangulation. A total of 94 macroinvertebrate species were identified, distributed across five phyla: Platyhelminthes, Mollusca, Annelida, Arthropoda, and Echinodermata. Algal biomass was significantly higher at RF (7.78 kg). Abundance (CPUE) was also higher during the dry season and at RF (27,535.75 ± 14,504.21 ind/kg). Alpha diversity indices (H’ = 2.30 ± 0.61; D = 0.79 ± 0.15; J’ = 0.70 ± 0.15) and beta diversity were greater during the rainy season and at RF. Assemblage composition exhibited spatiotemporal variation, driven by ecological succession, with Amphipoda being the dominant group. Furthermore, the cultivation site provided habitats for ecologically and economically important species, including the lobsters Panulirus laevicauda and P. meripurpuratus, the non-indigenous bivalve Electroma vexillum, and reef-associated fish species. Qualitative results revealed
that most students lacked awareness of local marine biodiversity and the PA. However, EE workshops effectively enhanced their environmental awareness. In conclusion, scientific knowledge of assemblages associated with G. birdiae cultivation underscores its role in supporting local biodiversity, presenting it as a sustainable economic alternative for coastal communities. Integrating interdisciplinary EE initiatives is essential for fostering broader understanding and promoting harmonious interactions between society and the environment.

SOCIAL IMPACT OF THE THESIS: This study encompasses an interdisciplinary approach that links environmental sustainability, education, and local economy. The sustainable exploitation of natural resources and environmental education play crucial roles in addressing global conservation challenges. Therefore, the seaweed cultivation of Gracilaria birdiae emerges as a viable alternative that harmonizes environmental preservation with sustainable economic development. Our research demonstrated that this cultivation not only replicates the ecological functions of natural algal beds but also enhances biodiversity and supports commercially valuable species, including mollusks, crustaceans, and forage fish, which can be sustainably utilized.
Moreover, this study highlights the pivotal role of environmental education in raising awareness within local communities. Thus, by implementing pedagogical workshops and interpretative trails in a public school, we successfully enhanced the environmental perception of students residing near a significant Protected Area in Rio Grande do Norte state. In this way, these results underscore the effectiveness of educational initiatives in fostering environmentally conscious citizens capable of adopting sustainable practices.
However, the risks associated with the introduction of exotic species emphasize the urgent need for integrated public policies that align conservation efforts with education and sustainable resource management. This study offers a practical and interdisciplinary approach to restoring degraded habitats, boosting local economies -particularly mariculture and fisheries - and promoting sustainability. It thus provides a valuable foundation for initiatives that integrate economic production with environmental preservation in tropical coastal regions and other globally threatened ecosystems.

THESIS ODS s: ODS 4: Quality education; ODS 2: Zero hunger and sustainable agriculture; ODS 8: Decent work and economic growth; ODS 11: Sustainable cities and communities; ODS 12: Responsible consumption and production; ODS 13: Climate action; ODS 14: Life below water.

The conventional model of urban mobility, based on prioritizing individual motorized transport, reinforces spatial, environmental, and social inequalities, especially in sprawling cities, where access to essential services and natural spaces is hindered. This results in significant impacts on mobility and its connections with the processes of relocating the human being in nature, environmentalizing, and humanizing urban space. In light of this scenario, urban mobility, traditionally approached through technical and infrastructural lenses, proves insufficient to address the challenges of sustainability and socio-environmental and socio-spatial inclusion. Within this context, the concept of relational ecomobility emerges, proposing an articulation between sustainable mobility and territorial and human relationships in urban daily life. This perspective goes beyond the efficiency of transport systems, placing mobility within the scope of socio-spatial relations and environmental justice. The objective of this thesis was to analyze the connections and impacts of relational ecomobility in the relocation of the human being in nature, the environmentalization, and humanization of urban space from spatial, environmental, and social dimensions. The research focused spatially on the urban area of the city of Nossa Senhora do Socorro, in the state of Sergipe, Brazil, specifically in three neighborhoods shaped by the urbanization/metropolization process of the Aracaju Metropolitan Region. Data collection procedures included: Technical reading, involving the selection of landscape elements characterizing the spatial, environmental, and social dimensions, delimited in neighborhood maps using 400-meter buffers (neighborhood scale). Connections were analyzed based on measurable indicators and variables proportionate to neighborhood scales (400–800m) and city scale (over 1,200m), with data collection points identified via Google Maps and validated in the field. Results represented the magnitude attribute of each analyzed action; Participatory reading, through questionnaires to capture the perceptions of urban space-shaping agents using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from extremely negative to highly positive, with a central neutral class. This allowed the conversion of qualitative responses into measurable quantitative data through the calculation of the Mean Ranking (MR), equivalent to the importance attribute. Cross-analysis of the indicators' quantitative data was conducted using a Relational Ecomobility Impact Matrix (adapted from the Leopold Matrix, 1971), generating magnitude, connection, and importance indices. These indices defined the impact levels of relational ecomobility on the relocation of the human being in nature, the environmentalization, and the humanization of urban space. The impact index analysis per relational ecomobility dimension in the studied neighborhoods revealed significant disparities among urban territories regarding the human-nature connection, the environmentalization and humanization of spaces, and the promotion of a more just and accessible city. These three dimensions—spatial, environmental, and social—are closely linked to the notion of socio-environmental and socio-spatial justice, which presupposes equitable access to urban infrastructure, sustainable mobility, and quality of life for all social groups. Therefore, relational ecomobility proves to be a critical key to overcoming the dichotomies imposed by urban modernity—nature/city, subject/territory, mobility/fixity—and stands as an emancipatory proposal capable of promoting transformations in the ways of inhabiting, moving through, and coexisting in cities. By recentering the human being in nature and nature in urban daily life, this model offers a possible and necessary horizon for building more just, ecological, and humane cities, serving as a theoretical and technical foundation for formulating more integrated public policies attuned to territorial and spatial specificities of urban areas.

SDGs TARGETED BY THIS THESIS:
This thesis aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, which aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. One of its targets (11.3) is, by 2030, to enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated, and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries.

SOCIAL IMPACT OF THE THESIS:
Its relevance lies in providing scientific support for planning and managing relational urban ecomobility from a perspective of relocating the human being in nature, environmentalization, and humanization of urban space, making the city more plural, more humane, equitable, and conducive to well-being for its inhabitants.

Environmental Health covers all aspects of human health that are determined by environmental factors. Unbalanced, degraded or polluted environments exert their impacts in different ways, including depending on geographic regions and are related, for example, to numerous socioeconomic variables that describe human development itself. In this sense, the complexity of the environment and its relationships with anthropogenic factors pose a challenge in the analysis of environmental quality, recognizing the diversity of approaches and the lack of a universal methodological standard. Therefore, it is important to select methods that suit the particularities of the object of study which, in this case, was the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), whose majority of the population faces challenges arising from living with droughts in the semiarid northeastern region. and that, with socioeconomic development, emerges the need to deal with dynamics linked to growth, especially those with the potential to generate health and environmental impacts. Thus, environmental health emerges as a crucial factor for development from a macro view of natural characteristics and anthropogenic impacts on different environmental matrices. The research was based on the premise that environmental deterioration affects the health profile of the population, proposing to characterize environmental quality and its relationship with health. The objectives covered the analysis of water quality, human exposure to natural radiation and integration of environmental, social and economic data with the health profile. The thesis sought to contribute to the discussion about the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to health and sanitation. In the first chapter, the analysis of water quality in municipalities in RN revealed a relationship between pollution and waterborne diseases, highlighting priority areas for interventions. In the second chapter, the association between the occurrence of cancer and exposure to natural radioactivity was examined, highlighting the need for additional studies to understand and mitigate the impacts. The third chapter adopted a multidisciplinary approach, using the FPSEEA Model to build the theoretical framework underlying the concept of environmental health. Based on this model, environmental quality was analyzed at municipal and micro-regional levels and its relationship with outcomes of regional interest. The study highlighted the association of environmental degradation with the prevalence of different health problems at a regional level, such as snakebites, arboviruses, and the occurrence of respiratory diseases and cancer. This research also highlighted the relevance of monitoring water quality and understanding the impacts of natural radioactivity on public health, regarding the occurrence of diseases linked to the loss of environmental quality, linking socioeconomic data with the mitigation of potential environmental impacts, promoting health and sustainability in RN. It is expected that the results presented here will contribute to the formulation of effective environmental and health policies, in addition to providing support for the planning of sanitation and health surveillance actions.

Over the last few years, anthropogenic activities have led to an increase in environmental pollution, this problem affects aquatic ecosystems around the world and knowledge of the role/impact of synthetic chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals, is still limited.

Environmental monitoring of water quality seeks to evaluate the efficiency of treatments, through knowledge and measurement of existing compounds in this matrix, known to be dangerous in order to protect public health.

Due to recent concerns about the efficiency of removing pharmaceuticals from the environment, and the need to assess the safety of wastewater, recovered, discarded, and/or reused in aquatic ecosystems, the objective of this work is to evaluate the ecotoxicological potential of compounds emerging in the water of the Potengi river estuary, in relation to physical-chemical parameters: Electrical Conductivity; pH; Salinity, Ammoniacal, Organic, and Total Ammoniacal Nitrogen; Nitrate; Nitrite; Total Phosphorus, Total Potassium, Color, Turbidity, Suspension Solids, Sedimentables and Totals, Oil and Grease Content (TOG), BOD5 and DO, microbiological: Total Coliforms and Thermotolerant Coliforms, of metals: Aluminum; Lead; Copper; Chrome; Iron; Nickel; Zinc; Manganese; Mercury; Cadmium and 14 drugs (presence and concentration) (Invermectin, Chloroquine phosphate, Hydroxychloroquine sulfate, Azithromycin, Caffeine, Diclofenac sodium, Naproxen, Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen (paracetamol), Aspirin, Estrone, Estriol, Crystalline amoxicillin and Erythromycin), in the period one year, with 12 collections, in three different sampling points.

In addition, ecotoxicity tests were also carried out with Dendrocephalus brasiliensis, considering that it is an autochthonous species, adapted to tropical regions and to the specificities of the local ecosystem, providing realistic results.

Associated with this characterization, a risk analysis was carried out using the RISK 21, which evaluates the quantitative risk linked to hazard estimates (severity of health problems and effects related to a level of exposure) with exposure estimates (contact between a substance and a target over a period of time) to predict real-world health outcomes.

The general objective of the thesis is to analyze the risk of pharmacocontamination in bodies of surface water receiving treated and untreated sewage in the context of the estuarine area of the Potengi River - Natal/RN. Having as specific objectives to analyze the state of the art in Brazilian water bodies, to verify the occurrence of drugs used in the pandemic and the potential ecological risks through the RISK 21 matrix, to characterize through physical-chemical, microbiological analyses, of metals and drugs used in the treatment of COVID-19 the quality of the treated effluent and water in the perimeter areas to the points of emission of treated effluents in the area under study, to validate the usefulness of the species Dendrocephalus brasiliensis, as an organism for ecotoxicological testing of drugs used massively in the pandemic context.

Chapter 1 is entitled literature review: occurrence of drugs in surface water and risk assessment using the RISK21 approach, and seeks to carry out a literature survey to assess the presence of drugs in surface water matrices, for subsequent risk assessment through from the RISK 21 tool.

Based on the response obtained in the bibliography, it was possible to verify that 65 drugs were described, among which 19 pharmacological families were represented. The class of anti-inflammatories showed a higher occurrence in aquatic matrices, followed by antibiotics, antihypertensives, analgesics, lipid regulators, antiepileptics and antidepressants.

It was also found that the therapeutic class of anti-inflammatory drugs was represented in the analyzed publications by the following active principles: diclofenac, naproxen, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, betamethasone, phenylbutasone, prednisone, nimesulide and piroxicam. Diclofenac and ibuprofen are the drugs most found in water matrices in Brazil, since diclofenac was reported in 17 of the 49 studies evaluated and ibuprofen was quantified in 10 articles.

Chapter 2, entitled evaluation of the quality of estuarine water receiving treated and untreated sanitary effluent, allows the evaluation of water quality in the Potengi River estuary through the evaluation of physical-chemical, microbiological, metals, cyanobacteria and pharmaceutical parameters selected in the covid context, presenting characteristics of the region and the applied effluent treatment system.

Chapter 3, entitled: Validation of the species dendrocephalus brasiliensis as a freshwater test organism in ecotoxiological studies for the evaluation of drugs used in the treatment of covid-19, points out that due to recent concerns about the presence of pharmaceutical products in the environment in particular resulting from the consumption and massive use of drugs used in the treatment of COVID 19, aimed to validate the D. brasiliensis organism as a test organism for ecotoxicity studies and compare the results with the D. magna species as a reference test organism against exposure to compounds Hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin, Paracetamol and Ibuprofen. This article was published in the journal Acta Toxicológica Argentina.

Chapter 4 includes a Cultivation and Production Manual - Dendrocephalus brasiliensis, also known as shrimp, brancneque or freshwater artemia, the branchoneta (read "branconeta"), is a freshwater micro crustacean. This manual presents the entire cultivation process, cyst hatching, feeding, water quality parameters, sexing, ecotoxicological characteristics, etc.

This thesis is directly related to SDG 6 – Drinking water and sanitation: ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, and SDG 14 – Life in water: conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources for the sustainable development.

Intense unplanned urbanization in coastal zones brings risks and environmental disasters through the interaction of meteorological and oceanographic factors, in addition to human activities, which impacts vulnerable populations and ecosystems. The coast of Rio Grande do Norte State (RN), Northeast Brazil, has experienced successive flood and erosion events that cause damage to infrastructure, traditional populations and sensible ecosystems such as estuaries, mangroves and sandbanks. The study area is the Eastern Coast of RN, mainly the urban beaches Ponta Negra-Via Costeira, city of Natal, and Barra de Maxaranguape, city of Maxaranguape. This study aims assess environmental drivers related to extreme events, disasters and public calamities in urban beaches of the area. It were obtained both observed and hindcasted wind, precipitation tide and wave time series, from meteorological gauges of the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology, Agricultural Research Company of Rio Grande do Norte, AVISO satellite altimetry and global hindcasts (ERA5 and Wavewatch III), from 1979 to 2021. Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD) fittings of wave significant high (Hs) and precipitation were performed. Registers of disasters along the coast of study area were collected from online local media. Offshore waves were propagated shoreward on Barra de Maxaranguape through SMC-Brasil model. Wave average energy flux (EF) was estimated at closure depth along Ponta Negra and Via Costeira beaches (PN-VC) with SMC-Brasil. On the Eastern RN continental shelf, waves have reached Hs maximum of 3.30 m, average of 0.76 m, coming from east-southeast and southeast. Winter and spring seasons have presented higher waves, related to action of trade winds. GPD estimated Hs increasing till 2.7 times over its average each 10 years. Increasing of wind speed is more important than its scalar value, to form an extreme wave. Hs at the virtual station had its upper peak either at the same day or one-two days before of coastal damage, which indicates that offshore ocean storms can quickly propagate coastward. On Barra de Maxaranguape, each 10 years, it is likely to happen a precipitation event of 138,71 mm at least once. Talus deposits laid on the beach face reduce incident wave energy. The Ponta Gorda headland receives the highest waves, thus, these are the most energetic sea states. In the urbanized stretch of Barra de Maxaranguape beach, average wave energy flux reaches 2.08 x 104 J/ms with an increasing trend since the 70’s. PPN-VC incident EF are between 8.55*10³ and 20.54*10³ J/ms, decreasing in Morro do Careca’s bay and stronger in Via Costeira, coming from east and east-southeast, causing damages to waterfront urban facilities. Variations of EF in the 70’s and 2000’ decades are associated to erosional tipping points in PN. The several disasters that had happened on PN-VC are likely to repeat on Barra de Maxaranguape, serving as a decision-making reference for the entire Eastern Coast of Rio Grande do Norte.

Environmental pollution from the use of chemical substances is considered a direct threat to biodiversity. The release of different types of organic and inorganic pollutants through wastewater, including pharmaceutical products, is resulting in several environmental impacts and some drugs are already considered toxic to aquatic animals. Therefore, this work had the following objectives: (i) to verify the literature in search of information about the impacts of pharmaceutical compounds on the development and survival of amphibians, through the analysis of articles that evaluated the lethal and sublethal effects caused by these xenobiotics; (ii) investigate and evaluate the effects of the drug carbamazepine (CBZ) using frog tadpoles of the species Physalaemus cuvieri (Leptodactylidae), as a source of biomarkers enabling advances in the knowledge of the actions of pharmaceutical products on non-target organisms and their negative impacts on the ecosystem ; (iii) Collect and evaluate information about the perceptions of risk by undergraduate students of the Biological Sciences course at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). For the objectives, the methodologies were adopted: (i) a bibliographic review was carried out through consultations to databases; (ii) P. cuvieri tadpoles were exposed to CBZ via water for four and ten days. After the exposure period, parameters were observed to evaluate biomarkers, such as mortality, morphology, genotoxicity, feeding and behavior in these tadpoles; and (iii) an online questionnaire was sent through the UFRN computer system to the e-mails of students of the Biological Sciences course, Natal/RN campus. The results showed that (i) different species of amphibians were used and exposed to some categories of pharmaceutical products, in which these substances induced pathological changes at the cellular level, in physiology, morphology and in different types of behavior, such as: feeding and reproductive , in these animals. Some substances have been shown to be lethal and others have resulted in negative but limited biological changes. In (ii), P. cuvieri tadpoles represent a sensitive tool for ecotoxicological studies. Wherein, CBZ was able to promote developmental and behavioral toxic effects in tadpoles at environmentally relevant concentrations. As for the UFRN Biological Sciences students (iii), the interviewees have a high level of knowledge about issues related to the problems faced by the environment in relation to the incorrect disposal of medicines and its consequences for nature. In general, drugs pose an environmental risk to aquatic animals, especially amphibians. Tests with CBZ showed that at environmentally relevant concentrations, the drug caused mortality, decreased feeding activity and behavioral alteration in P. cuvieri. And the biological sciences students at UFRN had a good perception of the impacts caused by drugs and environmental risks. Finally, the environmental problems caused by medicines result from inadequate urban planning, poor sanitation, degraded infrastructure and pollution, posing significant challenges to unique health.

The collection of bivalve molluscs is considered one of the main activities in several fishing communities that live in coastal areas, since the human occupation of these areas, it is a practice transmitted from generation to generation that serves as a source or alternative of income and food. The objective of this work is to analyze social, economic and environmental aspects related to the exploitation of the bivalve mollusk Anomalocardia flexuosa in the environmental protection area, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The focus of the research was qualitative-quantitative, exploratory and descriptive, combining different methodological perspectives based on bibliography and field research. The study sought the primary recognition, survey and organization of data for interpretation, analysis, understanding of the activity and related environmental, economic and social aspects. Among the 43 participating shellfish gatherers, 67.4% are men and 33.6% women. 41.8% have been practicing the activity for over 20 years. None of the participants completed higher education. The collection of A. flexuosa takes place inside the Guaraíras lagoon, 79.1% try to alternate the extraction sites, 16.3% have an engine to move the canoe. 83.7% of participants changed the way they collect and process A. flexuosa to obtain meat. Three extraction techniques are used: 11.7% manually, 20.9% using dragging and 67.4% using nets with scythes. 86% of the interlocutors process A. flexuosa to obtain the meat in the ranches that are on the edge of the lagoon and from these all discard the skins in the same place. 86% sell meat to intermediaries and 44.2% claimed to collect more than R$ 1,000.00 per month with the activity, the mean and standard deviation (SD) of daily landings per shellfish gatherer is 100 ± (40.55). The research also evaluated the microbiological pattern of A. flexuosa meat in the Bonfim Guaraíras Environmental Protection Area, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The count of mesophiles, psychotrophs and Escherichia coli was within the limits used as a parameter, the biochemical coagulase test was negative, the presence of coliforms was detected at 45°C, the absence of salmonella sp and the presence of twelve species of Gram negative bacteria with the use of matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization source mass spectrometry – MALDI and the mass analyzer of the type time-of-flight - TOF. Essential and non-essential metals to were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry - ICP-OES in samples of A. flexuosa meat and sediment collected at the studied site. The presence of the metals Cadmium, Lead, Chromium and Zinc was verified in the sediment within the limits established by current legislation. The elements Iron, Copper, Manganese and Zinc were found in the mollusc meat within the limits established by legislation and it was observed that the concentration measured indicates that the meat of A. flexuosa can contribute to an adequate and healthy diet. The seafood activity in the researched location is representative, but it is permeated by challenges such as the lack of information for regulation, regulation, decent conditions to practice the activity, social organization, structure for processing with guaranteed quality and customer service. legislation, flow logistics, marketing at fair prices through different channels that meet legal requirements, in addition to the coexistence of fishing with other economic activities and anthropogenic actions that can generate social and environmental implications related to this production system. It is essential to mention that there are multiple interrelationships in the shellfishing activity, with a plurality of situations involving elements of a political, social, economic and environmental nature. This context indicates the need for research that seeks to understand the various aspects that involve the activity in order to improve the conditions related to it. The expectation is that the new data collected during the research will help to raise awareness about the need to develop instruments for regulating and supervising local activity. Studies on shellfishing activities on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte are commonly derived from specific and/or short-term projects. The reality observed during the work indicates the need to monitor shellfishing activity in a planned, coordinated and continuous manner.

The high annual stranding rates of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) recorded in recent years in Brazil, and more specifically in the Potiguar Basin region, bring to light the need to understand the presence of the species in the region, as well as its main threats. In this sense, this study aimed to analyse the pattern of occurrence of the green turtle in the Potiguar Basin, a region between the northern coast of Rio Grande do Norte (RN) and east of Ceará (CE), characterizing the population species stocks, as well as assess the impact of solid waste and the bioaccumulation of chemical elements in the tissues of specimens found stranded in the region. The evaluation of contamination by chemical elements (THg, Cu, Cd, Ag and Se) in tissues (liver, muscle and kidneys) of green turtles revealed levels of contamination, still unknown for these animals in the Potiguar Basin, reinforcing the role of sea turtles as sentinels of the quality of the marine ecosystem. Through the adaptation of a tool used for diet analysis, the Food Index (IAi), it was possible to assess the impact of anthropogenic debris, especially transparent flexible plastic on juvenile turtles (JUV-I), which is associated with coastal eating habits and on the surface of the species, where the highest concentrations of plastic fragments occur, associated with floating algae. The analysis of the genetic composition showed a variety of haplotypes, with a predominance of the two most registered on the western South Atlantic coast (CM-A8 and CM-A5). Our findings increase the understanding of the composition of C.mydas population stocks on the Brazilian coast, which, together with the diagnosis of impacts caused by anthropogenic contaminants and debris, especially in less studied areas, such as green turtle feeding sites, contribute to a greater organization of nesting areas recomposition strategies, with consequent improvement in the species' threat status in Brazil and in the world.

The drought that permeates the northeastern semi-arid region, although it has a natural character, triggers several social, economic and political problems expressed mainly by hunger, migrations, spread of diseases and even deaths. For decades, the discourse on combating drought has been the basis for the design of public policies; however, their results were not enough to solve the problem. At the end of the 1990s, with the strengthening discourse on coexistence with the semi-arid region, the problem of water began to be seen under a new bias, as it was observed that the main cause was not the scarcity, but the forms of distribution, storage and governance of that resource. Within this context, the Articulation of the Semi-Arid (ASA) developed the Formation and Social Mobilization Program for interaction with the Semi-Arid Region: One Million Rural Cisterns, instigating the adoption of the culture of water storage, initially for human consumption, through the One Million Rural Cisterns Program (P1MC) and, later, for food production, through the One Land and Two Waters (P1+2). Thus, the question that guided the study in question was structured as follows: How the politics of cisterns has been able to democratize access to water, guarantee food security and to be a pedagogical instrument for expanding the autonomy of beneficiaries? Therefore, the analysis was centered on the P1MC Program and P1+2. The main objective was to analyze how the technologies coming from these programs have favored access to water and food and, consequently, reflected in the food security of the beneficiary families. The thesis is organized into four main parts: the first deals with the theoretical and methodological aspects of the research (Introduction, theoretical foundation and methodological aspects). The other parts consist on elaboration of three paper whose purpose was to reflect the specific objectives of the research. The first paper, entitled “What are you thirsty of? The Cistern Programs in the Brazilian Potiguar Semiarid as Development Devices" aimed to analyze the evolution of the implementation process on Cistern Programs in the Rio Grande do Norte state, pointing out the possible implications of dismantling this politics for rural families in the Potiguar semiarid region. From a documental and bibliographic review, the trajectory of execution of these Programs was reconstituted, the state of the art was also developed, presenting the possible scenarios and consequences of their emptying. The paper evidenced that Cistern Programs have important contributions to family farming, which are expressed in different dimensions: political, social, economic. The inclusive character of the action was highlighted, as well as its mobilizing capacity, built through the valorization of knowledge and local reality. It is prominent in the studies to refer to the improvement the life quality of  population that started with the access to water for consumption and, later, enabled agroecological production, expanding the possibilities of food security. However, the discontinuity of this politics means depriving thousands of poor peasants from expanding their capacities. The second, “P1+2 and food (in) security in the Northeastern semi-arid region”, sought to understand how P1+2 expanded access to water and food, and how this is reflected in food security and in the different forms of freedoms of the beneficiary families. Through literature and documental Reading review, the development politics for the Northeast were contextualized, as well as the Program's trajectory and its contributions for the beneficiary families. The analysis was made from the perspective of development as freedom, by Sen. It was evidenced that the Program has important contributions, mainly, to food security of the beneficiary families. However, its discontinuity represents a scenario of deprivations of protective security, social opportunities and their individual freedoms. Finally, the paper “Beyond food security: the cistern politics from the perspective of coloniality/ancoloniality” aimed to reflect on how P1+2 promotes ancolonialitys processes based on access to water and food. As a methodological resource, the literature and documental review was done, as well as interviews with representatives of two executing units of the Program and with 42 beneficiary families. The field research was done in the “Sertão do Apodi” Territory, at the State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN). The analysis was made from the understanding of coloniality/ancoloniality as noted by Maldonado-Torres (2007) and Castro-Gómes (2012) among others. It can be observed that the P1+2 presents itself as an instrument of ancoloniality since it represents the conquest of a whole struggle that was (and is) in agreement of access, control and management of water, food and, mainly, for the food sovereignty. It is based on other epistemological logics that are built based on the ecology of knowledge, as discussed by Santos (2007), allowing families to break the hierarchies that were built, for decades, in the field of knowledge, power and being through the implemented politics from the perspective of combating drought and agricultural modernization. Despite the importance of the program as an instrument of ancoloniality being expressed, it was possible to observe some limiting elements such as, for example, financial difficulty of families to assume the counterpart required by the Program; the dependence of families on the municipal government to pay for the energy of the pumps that supply the cisterns and also for their refueling in periods of drought; and the need to buy water at a certain time of the year. The study presents an interdisciplinary approach as it mobilizes readings and reflections from different areas of knowledge. In general, it was evidenced that the P1MC and the P1+2 allow access to water and food, contributing to the food security of the beneficiary families, constituting themselves as important instruments of ancoloniality and freedom.

Emerging micropollutants are contaminants, of natural or anthropogenic origin, not monitored or environmentally legislated, which may affect the quality of aquatic ecosystems and public health. Such microcontaminates include a variety of substances, including drugs, which draw attention, both for their occurrence in the environment and for their potential to cause adverse effects. The increasing use of medicines and their inappropriate disposal, which in turn persist in the effluents even after the treatments received, in the most diverse technologies, and return to the aquatic matrices is what contributes to environmental contamination. Studies coupling the occurrence of drugs in treated domestic effluents and the ecotoxicological representation of the consequences arising from environmental exposure are essential to understand the potential threats to public health, as there are still few studies on the relationship of damage to the genetic material of organisms exposed to these drugs -contaminants and their metabolites that may have biological action even at low concentrations. In this work, we observed the presence of a psychoactive drug, Carbamazepine-CBZ, which is widely used in the five continents of the world. Despite the extensive use of this compound, there is a lack of information about genetic toxicity, which makes the indirect consumption of this substance, through the aquatic matrix, a risk for populations. Given this context, the present work aimed to investigate the toxic potential of CBZ at the cellular level. In vitro assays in HepG2 cells for the evaluation of cytotoxicity and mutagenicity were performed, using the cell viability assay through the [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium] bromide reduction test – MTT and the Micronucleus Assay with Cytokinesis Blockade – CBMN, respectively, in addition to discussing the advances and challenges for the implementation of regulations to establish limits for the release of drugs into the environment through the action of this compound, mainly involving the disposal of these compounds through domestic effluents and the contribution to surface water bodies. The results show that, even understanding the environmental and health consequences of drug contamination, there was insufficient practical implementation of knowledge through pro-environmental attitudes. The results also show that psychotropic compounds present in different environmental compartments, mainly aquatic matrices, have the potential to cause alterations in the genetic material of human liver cells. Therefore, this study as a whole leads to the conclusion that all these factors associated with the problem of the social and environmental policy presented - increasing use, inappropriate disposal and lack of regulation - may be contributing to contamination and, consequently, to the probable deregulation of proper functioning. genetics of the exposed organisms.

The difficulties found in the territory of Mato Grande Potiguar for the development of daily activities in rural areas, promote poverty and unemployment, of the small producer, leading to the rural exodus to the capital, Natal, and other regions of Brazil. Seeking to change this reality, the wind companies operating in this territory started a project in 2017 stimulating territorial development and boosting economic growth, through training to foster innovation through the dissemination of social technologies as an alternative for solving various economic problems , social and environmental. In this context, this Thesis collaborates and guides the understanding of new forms of social relations, land use and occupation, coexistence with the territory and the creation of businesses with social impact, answering a central question: To what extent do social technologies contribute for the sustainable development of rural communities in the Mato Grande Potiguar territory? The field research will be supported by a methodological basis that incorporates the quantitative reality of the profile of small rural producers and description of the territory, use of social technologies and mapping of businesses with social and qualitative impact, analyzing people's behavior, territorial transformation, its surroundings and the development of the territory. And yet, to analyze the perception of residents regarding the contribution of wind farms to the promotion of sustainable development in the Mato Grande Potiguar territory, which according to them is more disaggregating than aggregating, because it promotes economic growth, accelerating market efficiency, generating jobs and promoting new businesses, but social and environmental aspects are negative variables that deserve attention. The organization of the design of the impact value chain of the Theory of Change applied to rural communities in the Mato Grande Potiguar territory allows us to identify and analyze the relationship between what was planned and the results obtained in the measurements, thus considering that the constructed social technologies generate positive impact on rural communities and promote social, economic and environmental improvement. The technologies implemented on rural properties promote environmental awareness, capacity building - “I can do it”. The actions developed in rural communities served to reinforce the understanding that the adversities in the territory of Mato Grande are not limiting factors. And, social impact businesses are presented as a key instrument with a high potential for improving the living conditions of small rural producers. However, factors such as management knowledge, entrepreneurial vocation, lack of infrastructure to transport production, absence of credit policies for production and investments, making the consolidation of entrepreneurial activity fragile.

Mosquitoes are insects present all over the planet. Currently, about 3,578 species are known. In Brazil, about 530 mosquito species are reported, and among these, some are considered vectors of disease-causing pathogens. It is estimated that about 80 species occur in Caatinga, an exclusively Brazilian biome. In the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte, 76 species have already been recorded. Mosquitoes are holometabolic insects, i.e., they have complete metamorphosis, passing through the stages of egg, larva, pupa and adult. The immatures inhabit the aquatic environment, and their breeding sites are diverse, and can be natural or artificial, temporary or permanent. Adults live freely outside the water and are responsible for reproduction; they feed on carbohydrates of plant origin, however, only the females are adapted to also feed on blood. They feed on carbohydrates of vegetable origin; however, only the females are adapted to also feed on blood. This blood feeding ends up favoring the infection and transmission of pathogens. Rio Grande do Norte has been suffering over the years with epidemics of Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya, diseases whose main vector is the Aedes aegypti. Studies on the mosquito fauna in the state are still scarce, thus requiring further research for a better understanding of the relationships of these insects in the transmission of pathogens and with the environment. In this sense, the present work sought to analyze the fauna of Culicidae in the municipality of Currais Novos in urban and preserved natural areas. In the urban area, the monthly monitoring of the Aedes aegypti population was performed with the use of ovitraps. The traps were installed weekly in the household, equidistant about 300m, and replaced every seven days. We calculated the indexes Ovitrap Positivity Index (OVI), Egg Density Index (EDI), and Mean Egg Index (MSI) for each period studied, which are important for understanding the population dynamics and reproductive period of mosquitoes. A total of 92,340 eggs were collected during the study, between May/2018 March/2020. The ovitrap positivity index showed a positive correlation with rainfall. Viral research in adult insects from eggs revealed evidence of a possible new insect-specific virus by phylogenetic inference methods: Maximum Likelihood, Maximum Parsimony, and Neighbor-Joining. In the natural area, collections were made monthly using ovitraps, active search for immatures in natural breeding sites, and Shannon traps for adult insects in the Apertados Canyon. A total of 15 taxa were found, 14 immature and 13 adult mosquitoes. The correlation of the insects with local climatic variables was observed. For immature mosquitoes, 14 breeding sites were recorded. A total of 2,342 adult mosquitoes were collected between 5pm-8pm. Haemagogus spegazzinii was the only wild species found naturally infected with arbovirus, dengue virus type 2. It was also observed that the species' cycle lasts about 14 days from hatching to adulthood. Eggs of this species can resist desiccation for 380 days, and the adults of the species can have 4 morphotypes. Thus, the present work contributes to the understanding of the human implications facing the epidemiology of arboviroses in urban and natural environments. In this aspect, the monitoring of mosquito populations helps in policies for the control and combat of these insects and with the knowledge of the relationships between mosquitoes in the semiarid region of Brazil, about the niches, bioecology, frequency, abundance, and seasonality of mosquitoes.

The mangabeira (Hancornia speciosa Gomes) is a native fruit species from Brazil wich has a broad geographic distribution that goes from the Cerrado to the coastal plains of the Northeast, being well known for socio-economic, environmental and cultural importance. In the last decade the intensification of human actions has contributed to the significant reduction in their native fields, thus, to their genetic diversity. This justifies the imminent need for alternatives that enable its recovery in natural environment and the conservation of their genotypes. In this context, the general objective of the thesis was to propose the development of strategies that support the ex situ and in situ conservation of mangabeira using as tools plant biotechnology and ethnobotanical studies. Thus, this study includes approaches that involve aspects of plant biotechnology in the ex situ conservation of mango trees; morphological characterization of the species H. speciosa in different landscape units, as well as an ethnobotanical approach which sought to characterize the knowledge, use and main local management practices involving the species. Therefore, one of the stages of this research generated chapter 1, entitled: “Slow growth in vitro culture for the conservation of Hancornia speciosa Gomes”. In it, mangrove nodal explants were inoculated in MS culture media containing varying concentrations of sorbitol and sucrose osmotic agents, in order to observe which treatment would induce slow growth of the culture without affecting plant viability. After 120 days, it was verified from the statistical analysis with 5% of significance that the addition of osmotic agents in the concentration of 5 g L-1 sorbitol + 15 g L-1 sucrose reduces the growth rate in vitro maintaining the viability of the plant. Increasing sorbitol concentrations in combination with sucrose reduces in vitro growth; however, they were not viable for the maintaining of plants during 120 days of cultivation.

In the Doce River watershed (RDW), Brazilian Northeast, there is an unplanned occupation, pollution and high water deficit. These factors were aggravated by the drought that started in 2012, and lasted for 5 years. Studies already carried out on this watershed showed high levels of anthropization on their shells near the coast (Extremoz Lake and Doce river). However there are few information pertaining to their spring areas, in the Mudo and Guajiru rivers. This research sought to describe the chemical and ecotoxicological characteristics of the water and sediment, of eight reservoirs of water, located in the sub basins of the Mute and Guajiru Rivers, in 2016. In addition, this work proposes the use of Cladocera, that occurring naturally in the watershed, in ecotoxicological studies. This information is divided into three chapters.The first titled " Using Indigenous Cladocera from Doce River Watershed, Northeast of Brazil, as alternatives to exotic organisms in Ecotoxicological Studies.", deployed the culture and described the life story of two native species (Moina micrura and Ceriodaphnia cornuta), compared to a species already standardized and widely used in ecotoxicological studies (Ceriodaphnia dubia). As expected, the species Ceriodaphnia spp. exhibit similar life history variables. In intraspecific comparison, records indicate better results for the cultivation methodology used in this study compared to data available in the literature. It was noticed that M. micrura is more tolerant to the reference substance (NaCl), followed by C. cornuta and C. dubia. The increased tolerance to salinity of native species is a positive factor, with possibility of indication for their use in semi-arid climates, environments in which events of toxicity could be assigned with greater safety to other parameters not to salinity natural, common in reservoirs affected by prolonged droughts. The second chapter "Surface water quality of temporary reservoirs located between the semi-arid region and the Brazilian northeast coast", the aim of this work was to analyze physical, chemical and ecotoxicological characteristics in relation to rainfall, soil occupancy and water quality criteria. It was found that electrical conductivity (EC), hardness, Cd, Ni and chloride were significantly different between the sub basins, this is probably due, different lithologies. The Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn content, present disconformity to quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life, for human consumption and animal breeding. The Pb and EC also showed values higher than those indicated for irrigation. Toxic effects were also observed for the reproduction of M. micrura and Ceriodaphnia silvestrii, which suggests the bioavailability of Pb, Cu and Zn. The third chapter, " Shallow surface water reservoir in the Brazilian semiarid: ecotoxicological and geochemical analysis of sediment.", this study aimed to describe the behavior of metals (Fe, Cd, Ni, Cu, Mn Pb, Zn and Cr), organic matter (O.M.), carbonate and particle size, in relation to climate and lithology. Took into consideration possible toxic effects to the Hyalella azteca e H. meinerti, pollution indicative. It was observed that the behavior of metals over most sampling stations was not significantly affected by anthropogenic activities. However, in the sampling stations with the highest population densification, toxic effects were verified, with mortality higher than the 20%.

In front to the population growth and the degradation of water quality from public supply sources, it is becoming challenging supply to populations of safe water with ideal quality and quantity through the most commonly used treatment technologies. Water treatment plants (WTP) are constituted by different treatment technologies worldwide used. The processes of filtration and disinfection are required in the water treatment for human supply. However, in these processes there may be the generation of residues or by-products that could cause health risks to the population. A systematic review about toxicologic aspect of trihalomethanes (THM) generated in the disinfection process by chlorination of water from supply distribution system, in which the cytotoxic, genotoxic and mutagenic of THM was shown along with the demonstration of the need for studies aimed assess in a more realistic way the exposure condition of the population to this family of toxic substances.  Moreover this study propose to assess the efficiency of the water potability treatment from a water net supply and the related health risks linked to the THMs exposure through the public water distribution system. Physico-chemical, microbiological and hydrobiological analyses were performed. The results showed that the THM´s formation is related to chlorination conditions, such as contact time and concentration of it, as well as the raw water characteristics, such as the concentration and properties of organic matter. However, the filter washing water (FWW) treated in a sedimentation pond and recirculated in the system contributed to the cyanobacterial bloom, which are potentially producing cyanotoxins. Public supply water treated in a source with high organic matter, direct filtration, FWW recirculation and chlorine disinfection has sanitary risks due to the high THMs formation. In this way, it is evident that the WTP operationalization concept for treating raw water with high organic matter loading poses risks to the population supplied, since they contribute to the formation of high concentrations of THM and the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of exposure the amount of these compounds to consumers of treated water from a tropical lagoon.

The definition of socio-environmental vulnerability involves a more integrated perception of the living conditions of a given population. It should be noted that the impacts of natural disasters reconfigure urban scenarios and impact the form and condition of people's lives, but also, that context of society construction and the process of urban expansion in Brazilian cities, makes a part of the population does not know their rights and intensely undergo an overlapping of social inequalities: poverty, spatial segregation, lack of urban comfort and, above all, the rights to citizenship. In this context, this thesis aims to propose a model for the analysis of socio-environmental vulnerability of Brazilian cities, based on the proposal of a set of social and environmental indicators that consider social and urban issues. For this, it is characterized concerning the method as deductive, being classified as qualitative and quantitative research. Regarding the objectives, it is characterized as an exploratory and descriptive research, because it is a current and recent theme that opens up several possibilities for investigation, offering subsidies to broaden the debate and providing significant scientific and practical contributions. The results present a set of eight themes and 134 indicators that make possible a new perspective for the socio-environmental vulnerability analysis, which were applied in the city of Natal (RN) and indicated that the level of socio-environmental vulnerability was 0.4709, classified as 'High'. This result is considered unsatisfactory and worrying, because it places the city in front of many problems that demand urgency in its resolution, as a way of guaranteeing minimal quality of life conditions for its citizens. However, it is important to stress the importance of analyzing the city with a more targeted look at each theme and each indicator analyzed and identifying which ones need more attention to address the issues that surround them. In addition, it was possible to identify that the North region was the one that presented the level of vulnerability classified as 'High'. This is also the poorest region of Natal and, therefore, the one that presents the most latent problems in the issues related to the topics analyzed, especially Health, Work and Income, Urban Infrastructure, Education and Culture. This fact places it in a level of weak linear correlation and disparity against the richest regions of the city: East region and South region. Thus, the presented study represents a set of information of the city of Natal (RN) of easy understanding and capable of generating communication in society and providing adequate information for decision making. Therefore, it can support the interests of public power, since it can evaluate and monitor the indicators in a given time space, guaranteeing efficiency of the adopted policies and, consequently, improving the city for the citizens.

The uranium presents in the geological formation of cities in the inner of Rio Grande do Norte state, promotes environmental contamination by radionuclides, including radon gas, coming from the spontaneous decay process of this metal. This natural radioactivity is able to generate several negative effects on human health. Therefore this, study aims to assess the health damage of the child population of the municipality of Lajes Pintadas / RN, due to the environmental contaminants present in the region (uranium and its by-products). For this purpose it is being doing: the quantification of by-products of natural radiation in the homes and in the biological samples (Radon and Lead), evaluation of effects at genetic levels by micronucleus test and evaluation of the perception of risk by the population. With the results obtained will be performed a mapping of the risk due to natural exposure to radioactivity contributing with the adoption of mitigation actions for improving the quality of life of the population.

The Rio Doce – BHRD basin is located in the eastern portion of the State of Rio Grande do Norte. Is a geographical unit that comes over time, showing a disorderly occupation process, in its most varied forms. The diversity of existing environmental systems make it an area potentially vulnerable to negative environmental impacts. In this context, this thesis aimed to identify and map the spatial and geo-environmental characteristics and natural and environmental vulnerabilities of the Rio Doce-RN basin, with operational and methodological support the Geotechnology of free software. As a result, proposed a new delimitation of the BHRD, in which there was an increase of 2.29% of the total area, your official passing of 387.8 km ² to 396.7 km ². Geoenvironmental characterization showed that the basin has suffered human actions which are changing the local landscape, turning areas, previously considered "preserved" in impacted areas, especially close to large urban centres and in the sources of the Mudo and Guajirú rivers. One of the most impressive activities include: seasonal farming, responsible for removal of natural vegetation, including riparian forests, to the cultivation of monocultures and vegetables in major and minor Guajirú and Mudo riverbeds; the production in areas of rural settlements, the Guajirú riverhead; the perennial cultivation of coconut, banana and cashew in riverbeds with perennial characteristics near the Extremoz Lagoon; urban sprawl toward the Mudo River, near the urban area of Ceará-Mirim, on the shores of the Extremoz Lagoon and Guajirú River, in addition to the towns and districts of Serrinha and Massaranduba and urban areas of Extremoz and Natal, and finally, the mining activity, in areas where touches on the Intrusive Suite Dona Inês geological formation. The result of these activities in the basin was reflected in natural and environmental vulnerabilities mappings. In natural vulnerability, the basin was classified as Medium stable/Vulnerable, equivalent to 2.1, level 4, with strong tendencies to become Moderately Vulnerable. This is the pressure in the urban areas located further east of the basin, sedimentary rocks of the Quaternary sediments and Formation, with a geomorphology, soils and vegetation changed by human action, but minimized the more regular rainfall distribution. To environmental vulnerability, the results showed that the basin ranks with a degree of vulnerability Moderately Vulnerable, with 2.4, 2 level value. In this case, the influence of human actions in the environment made these values reach 2.7 in urban areas, decreasing towards the West portion of the basin. It is concluded that the current stage of use and occupation of the basin is nearing the limit of sustainability. The results obtained in this thesis has shown a need for elaboration of proposals that aim to minimize the negative impacts generated by the exploitation of natural resources existing there, allowing achieving social and environmental sustainability of the basin by keeping the balance morphogenesis/pedogenesis, as demonstrated in the analysis of natural and environmental vulnerabilities.

The Brazilian coastal zone corresponds to the geographical interaction space of air, sea and land, including its renewable and non-renewable resources, covering a sea band and a terrestrial band, being considered national patrimony according to the Federal Constitution of 1988. The importance of the coastal region of Brazil is remarkable, considering its territorial extension, in addition to its high population density. However, there are numerous socioeconomic pressures in the coastal zone, highlighting the accelerated and disordered urbanization process leading to the intense degradation of natural resources, putting at risk the socioeconomic sustainability and the environmental quality of the populations. As an attempt to address such problems in coastal zones, some public policies aimed at the management of these regions needed to be developed. In 1988 Coastal Management was instituted through Law No. 7,661, which introduced the National Coastal Management Plan (PNGC) to guide the rational use of coastal resources, protecting natural, historical, ethnic and cultural heritage. In this sense, the objective of this study was evaluate the Brazilian evolution coastal management, as well as to make a diagnosis of the coastal management of Potiguar, especially in the Areia Branca city -RN, identifying the main environmental problems related to coastal use in the municipality. In addition, the objective was to understand the relationship between the population and the local environment and their perceptions about the environmental quality and the management of the coastal environment the Areia Branca city. For this purpose, were applied the following methodological procedures: content analysis of the National Coastal Management Plan (PNGC) and its respective report "25 years of Coastal Management in Brazil"; implementation of the Coastal Management Decalogue; use of geoprocessing techniques related to the classification of use and land occupation, as well as to the advancement of dunes; analysis of environmental perception through the application of questionnaires, statistical analysis and qualitative data analysis. It was verified that the Brazilian coastal area presents conflicts of interests, since the activities in these areas bring with them numerous impacts in the social, economic, cultural and environmental scope, in spite of their economic importance for the country. Due to this, coastal management instituted legal instruments, plans, programs and projects that have brought positive results towards the management uses of the coastal zones. However, there still needs to be resolved for the promotion of spatial use of natural resources and occupation of coastal areas. It was also verified that coastal management in the state of Rio Grande do Norte is at an early stage of development, implementation and structuring, necessitating urgent actions aimed at strengthening coastal management at the state level. In the municipal domain, Areia Branca is under discussion for the development of its coastal management, presenting, therefore, insufficiencies in relation to public policies and normative instruments related to the theme. It has also been identified changes in the landscape of the Areia Branca city over the last 20 years due to the intensification of urbanization, sea salt production, oil activity and, lately, due to the installation of wind farms in the municipality. These activities also contributed to the vegetation cover decrease and reduction of the dune fields in the municipality. The analysis of the dune field movement in the municipality led to the conclusion that the dunes of the region under study presented advance and retraction movements during the period in question, being the main factors influencing this process the dynamics of the winds, the low precipitation in the as well as anthropogenic interference. Regarding environmental perception, the Areia Branca population was aware of the problems that affect the coastal environment of the municipality and of its contribution to the generation of such problems, as well as the importance of its involvement and participation in the construction of an environment more healthy and balanced. The environmental perception the social groups involved in the research proved to be variable and the interviewees showed both satisfactions and discontent related to the use and management of the municipal coastal environment. Scenic beauty and tranquility were aspects well evaluated as the quality of the municipality coastal zone, however, aspects related to the local infrastructure were not so well evaluated. In addition, the interviewed groups do not perceive the degrading potential of the economic activities carried out in the municipality. Thus, this research showed the urgent need for strategies and continuous public policies, especially in the area of environmental and coastal management, urban planning and regional planning for the state of Rio Grande do Norte, and especially for the Areia Branca municipality in accordance with the rules and instruments envisaged at the federal level.

Leishmaniasis is a serious public health problem in Brazil, caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania transmitted by sand flies, small insects of the order Diptera whose females are hematophagous. The main vector of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), or kala-azar, in the Americas is Lutzomyia longipalpis while Leishmania infantum is the etiological agent. In Brazil, the Northeastern Region stands out with the highest incidence of VL cases, especially among the most disadvantaged groups of society. Tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) has different vectors and etiological agents throughout the country, a wide distribution, and despite its lower severity, it causes serious disfiguring and disabling lesions all over the country, especially in the North Region. It is relevant to introduce prevention strategies, through information and consciousness of the problem, in order to modify deleterious anthropic actions. Cordel folk literature has proved to be an educational instrument with potential use to address this issue, since it attracts by its playful and informal connotations and awakens the attention of people of different age groups. This study aimed, therefore, to know the sand flies fauna at an Atlantic Forest Conservation Unit and its surroundings, as well as some factors related to their occurrence, in addition to testing the use of cordel literature as an informative tool on the subject. The study took place over three years in the internal and external area of the Nísia Floresta National Forest (Flona) located in the city of Nísia Floresta, metropolitan region of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, using Shannon and CDC traps. A cordel pamphlet in its classic format was produced, entitled "A blood drinker in the land of mandacaru - fight against kala-azar," for health educational activities among the population living in the vicinity of the Flona and students. The use of the cordel was validated through questionnaires applied to students of the Education of Young and Adults Program. The pamphlet approaches the transmission, symptoms, treatment and prophylaxis of the disease. There were collected and identified 82,638 sand flies of the species Evandromyia evandroi, Evandromyia lenti, Evandromyia walkeri, Evandromyia sallesi, Lutzomyia longipalpis, Micropygomyia schreiberi, Nyssomyia intermedia, Nyssomyia whitmani, Psathyromyia abonnenci, Psathyromyia brasiliensis, Psathyromyia shannoni, Psychodopygus wellcomei and Sciopemyia sordellii. Phlebotomines were more abundant near the soil of the wild environment, although they were also abundant near the canopy and in the rural peridomicille. L. walkeri was the most abundant species, representing 76% of all sandflies collected, and other investigations about this species are important. L. longipalpis, E. evandroi and E. lenti showed preference for anthropized environments. This study confirms the high anthropophilic behavior of P. wellcomei, which is active throughout the day in the wild, as well as its relationship with the rainy months. The cordel literature was widely accepted by students and the experience has shown that this may be an important way for dissemination of information about visceral leishmaniasis. Based on the knowledge of the bioecology of sand flies vectors of leishmaniasis in the study area, as well as the factors involved in its occurrence, it is expected that this work may contribute to strategies for the prevention and control of leishmaniasis in Northeastern Brazil. It is also desired that the regionalization of educational strategies through cordel literature can contribute to the dissemination of knowledge, sensitizing the community and disseminating such an important subject in public health.

Seaweeds and seagrasses associated with coral reefs comprise one of the most productive environments on the planet. Seaweeds have several roles in ecosystem services, including primary production, reef construction, facilitation of coral establishment and habitat formation for numerous other species. On the other hand, they are potentially sensitive to environmental changes, especially the impacts caused by climate change and the pressure of human activities. Because of these environmental changes, studies that can explain the impacts that these changes cause in these organisms and, thus, establish strategies for the conservation and restoration of these environments are needed. Remote sensing techniques combined with in situ observations have been widely used to map algal beds around the world. The Coral Reef Environmental Preservation Area / RN - APARC shelters a large diversity of algal species; however, although it is a conservation unit, its resources are likely to be depleted due to anthropic activities, such as tourism and fishing, and changes in global climate, such as changes in ocean temperature and acidity. In this sense, this study applied Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) satellite data, an Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer (AVNIR-2) instrument to verify the distribution of seaweeds and seagrasses in APARC, more precisely in the Maracajaú and Rio do Fogo reefs. For this, unsupervised classifications and a series of soft and hard supervised classifications were performed. Moreover, cluster analyzes were performed to verify the similarity of the benthic compositions among the studied stations in each of the reefs. Finally, the Digital Bathymetric Model (MDB) and the Digital Terrain Model (MDT) were also generated in order to understand the relationship between seaweed and seagrass establishment and development with the water depth and the slope of the reef body.The supervised classification Maxlike generated the thematic maps of both reefs. In the Maracajaú reef, the Maxlike identified seven classes: (1) Dense seaweed; (2) Sand; (3) Sparse seagrass; (4) Dense seagrass; (5) Calcareous seaweed; (6) Sparse seaweed; and (7) Fine sand. The Kappa coefficient (0.84) was considered excellent. Concerning Rio do Fogo reef, the Maxlike identified six classes: (1) Seaweed; (2) Calcareous seaweed concretions; (3) Sand; (4) Sand with limestone; (5) Seagrass; and (6) Coral Reefs. The Kappa coefficient (0.75) was considered substantial. In both reefs, seaweeds are predominantly in the central area, mainly between isobaths -1 and -3 m. This region is a relatively flat area, with a 2% slope in Maracajaú and a 3% slope in Rio do Fogo. Calcareous seaweed, forming or not concretions, are located mainly in the reef extremities, especially in the reef front, in depths of up to -5 m. Seagrasses occur mainly in the back reef, between isobaths -2 and -6 m. The edges of the reefs are the regions with the highest slopes, up to 5% in Maracajaú reef and up to 7% in Rio do Fogo reef. In both reefs, the following morphofunctional groups were recorded: foliose, leathery, corticated, articulated calcareous and crustose seaweed. This work may provide support for the planning and management of APARC, leading to the increasingly sustainable use of this conservation unit.

The loss of human connection with nature is observed in fishing with the reversal of ethical values of food security, driven by the development of the economic market, which has resulted in unsustainability of fish stocks worldwide. The fisheries science in recent decades has highlighted the effectiveness of the ecosystem approach, which integrates the fishers' local ecological knowledge (LEK) and scientific knowledge (SK), the construction of adequate and additional information to reduce time, social costs and conflicts. This study investigated the spatial and seasonal distribution of fishing resources through two distinct approaches to knowledge of fishing in an interdisciplinary way. In the first, SK was used in direct observations on board the bottom gillnet fishing fleet, for records of species composition and environmental variables. In the second approach, the application of interviews with fishing masters sought to understand in LEK the dynamics of fishing with this type of gillnet and the common patterns of fishers' perception of fishing resources distribution. Chapter 1 provides a general understanding of the catches observed by the SK approach, with attention to spatial distribution of biomass and species diversity in both shallow and deep areas. In Chapter 2, the influence of environmental factors on the occurrence and spatial distribution of the adult blue runner in the reproductive life stage was analyzed, being this species the most observed in the captures with the bottom-set gillnet in the SK approach. Chapter 3, the fishers' LEK was analyzed the different dynamics of use boats, net and fishing areas, throughout the year, in order to understand what most influences the choices of fishing areas and the impacts of these options. In Chapter 4, the integrated approach of SK and LEK with information common to the dynamics of fishing and distribution of the three main species caught with this fishing gear, showed similar and complementary patterns in the distribution of these species. The two approaches (SK and LEK) showed that gillnet launches are concentrated in shallow areas up to 20m deep, with low species diversity and biomass, mainly near the metropolitan region of the State, where the fishing effort was higher. The deepest and most distant areas of the coast were the most productive and diverse. However, access to these areas is limited by environmental factors for most of the year, with effects in the greatest impact on discards and accidents with sea turtles. Ecosystem management of bottom-set gillnet fisheries should take into account both the distribution of fish resources as a function of fishing effort and the influence of fishers' choices on fishing areas that are admittedly less productive.

The present work deals with a study on the faveleira and the use of the vegetable in the rehabilitation of degraded areas. The objective was to understand the process of rehabilitation of areas of desertification occurrence, through the planting of this plant. The work consists of four manuscripts. The first, classified the faveleira, as a key cultural species (CKS) of the Caatinga biome carried out through the use of a methodology proposed by Cristancho and Vining (2004), with the collaboration of literature review on the vegetation, information collected in interviews and observations in loco in areas with the presence of the vegetable. The relation of the faveleira with five among the seven indicators of CKS proposed, classifies it as being a CKS of the caatinga biome. In the second, we analyzed the perception of residents of the rural area of Seridó about the uses of the faveleira. The study was carried out in rural communities of Caicó and São José do Seridó / RN, where the taxon presents itself in the middle of Caatinga. In addition to previous visits, 57 semi-structured interviews were conducted. To all parts of the vegetable has been given relevance. The use of seeds in the feeding of domestic, wild and human animals and leaves in the feeding of domestic animals was pointed out by 100% of the interlocutors. The third and fourth manuscripts were evaluated the capacity of fixation of the faveleira, in area in process of desertification (APD) and desertified area (AD). In the rainy season of 2009, the study area was defined, through in situ observations, with the collaboration of local farmers. Both are located in the rural area of São José do Seridó / RN. ODP planting took place in March 2009. The seedlings were provided by the municipality. In April 2014, of the 82 seedlings introduced, 65 were alive. AD planting took place in March 2015. The seedlings were produced by local farmers using plastic packaging and by sowing. One year later, among the 60 seedlings planted with each technique, 46 and 56 survived, respectively. The APD and AD of the research survived through grazing. After planting, a layer of stones was deposited around the pits to facilitate the storage of water and other particles. In the microsite of 100% of the pits, it was observed the recruitment of common species in the rainy season and the presence of plants of the surrounding permanent vegetation. The faveleira is a Caatinga CKS, suitable for use in the rehabilitation of degred areas, since with the planting of seedlings with more than four months of birth. It is well suited to semiaridity and has close links with the peasant population.

A resistência aos antimicrobianos se transformou num sério problema de saúde pública mundial e vários ambientes aquáticos se apresentam contaminados por esses microrganismos. Entretanto, não há dados sobre esse fenômeno para o semiárido brasileiro. Sendo assim, este estudo teve como objetivo o isolamento e a identificação das bactérias de importância médica contaminantes de ambientes  quáticos no semiárido potiguar, a caracterização da resistência antimicrobiana, e a formulação de propostas para educação em saúde e ações para vigilância ambiental em saúde. Com este propósito foram coletadas amostras de água de quatro reservatórios do semiárido potiguar durante os períodos seco e chuvoso. As amostras foram processadas e os microrganismos foram isolados e identificados seguindo orientações de bibliografias especializadas. Em seguida foram realizados os testes de sensibilidade antimicrobiana em disco difusão, calculado o índice de múltipla resistência antibiótica (MAR) e classificados os organismos com multipla resistência às drogas (MDR). Também foram propostas ações para prevenção e educação em saúde, bem como para vigilância ambiental em saúde. Adicionalmente, foi avaliada, na Universidade de Minnesota, nos Estados Unidos, a influência da concentração do fósforo em meio líquido (caldo nutriente, C:P 100:1, 1000:1 e 100.000:1) sobre a expresão fenotípica da resistência à tetraciclina, ao cloranfenicol e a eritromicina, de 41 cepas bacterianas dos Estados Unidos utilizando a técnica da Concentração Inibitória Mínima (CIM) e da Concentração Bactericida Mínima (CBM). Ao todo foram isoladas 168 bactérias, 56% no período chuvoso, com 97,6% pertecentes ao grupo das Gram-negativas, com a Família Enterobacteriaceae apresentando a maior prevalência entre esse grupo (73,2%). 95,3% das bactérias resistentes aos antimicrobianos foram isoladas durante o período seco e o índice MAR foi maior no reservatório Passagem das Traíras, com 56% de chance para que as bactérias encontradas na água desse reservatório procedam de uma fonte de contaminação com maior risco para a saúde humana. Não houve diferença estatística da ocorrência de gêneros e espécies bacterianos entre os períodos seco e chuvoso e nem entre os reservatórios, com p=0,255. Também não houve diferença estatística do índice MAR entre os períodos e os reservatórios, com p=0,224. Quando avaliada a CIM, o meio com C:P de 100.000:1, considerado com a menor concentração de fósforo, parece aumentar a sensibilidade das bactérias ao cloranfenicol e a eritromicina quando comparado aos resultados do caldo nutriente para os mesmos antimicrobianos, com um p=0,023. Nas escolas que atendem as comunidades ribeirinhas usuárias da água dos reservatórios, são propostas ações de educação em saúde que visem o levantamento de concepções sobre o conhecimento do uso dos antimicrobianos e do surgimento da resistência bacteriana a essas drogas, bem como o desenvolvimento de material para educação em saúde. E no núcleo de Vigilância Ambiental em Saúde da SESAP, são propostas a inclusão das bactérias resistentes aos antimicrobianos isoladas de ambientes aquáticos como indicadores de risco para a saúde pública, a formulação de políticas públicas visando o controle das atividades que contaminam esses recursos com esses organismos e também o monitoramento periódico da água dos diversos ambientes aquáticos.

The tessitura of the contemporary discussion about the sustainability of the oil industry becomes increasingly evident while at environmental aspects of this activity presents, mainly in oil fields situated on land, a potential significant for the generation of environmental impacts. Therefore is questioned how to perform methodologically the selection, adaptation, validation and prioritization of sustainability indicators for the systematization of Sustainability Index in oil field on land (ISPETRO). The first hypothesis is that, the selection of indicators of mark authorizing of research based exclusively on environmental characterization and the perception of the communities of the oil fields would be enough for the proposal of sustainability indicators for the composition of the sustainability index of oil fields on land. The second hypothesis is that the selection of indicators of mark originator of research based exclusively based on technical and scientific positioning of a set of specialists in oil activity would be enough for the proposal of sustainability indicators for the composition of the sustainability index of oil fields on land. However, was found to the necessity of a third hypothesis, which was confirmed, that is, as more participative, community and specialists, is the selection of sustainability indicators that composes the mark originator of research, better will be the adaptation, prioritization and validation of the index to be proposed. For this purpose, the general objective of the thesis was to propose a selection methodology, adaptation, validation, prioritization and systematization of sustainability indicators in oil fields on land (ISPETRO). Thus, the following specific objectives were defined, analyze the perception of social actors directly affected by oil activity as a tool for participative selection of sustainability indicators; analyze the scientific positioning of a network of specialists, through the adoption the Delphi method as a tool for selecting sustainability indicators; propose a participatory methodology of selection of sustainability indicators guided in the relation of perception of integrated social actors at scientific opinion from a network of specialists; propose the validation, prioritization and systematization of a set of indicators to evaluate the sustainability of oil fields on land. The methodology it was structured into four parts, for the first hypothesis we used the methodology applied to the communities where it was considered the exploratory and descriptive category as the types of most suitable research. Were conducted standardized or structured interviews in order to aggregate the perception of residents of different oil fields. Initially, it was used for environmental perception survey the interview structured by the fact contribute to the collection of detailed data, which could allow a better adaptation of indicators to be proposed. For data analysis, was performed the correspondence analysis that consists of a multivariate statistical technique which provides tools to analyze the association between rows and columns of a contingency table. The quantitative data analysis proceeded with multivariate statistical technique of correspondence (AC) through the construction of contingency tables with determined variables described, as well as was used the multinomial proportions test for the categorization of the influence of the groups analyzed over each indicator. In this test, are evaluated proportions pairwise in the two levels of data contingency table between the multinomial. To evaluate the qualitative data was performed with the aid of Content Analysis, using the "analytical description which operates according to systematic and objective procedures of message content". For the analysis of the second hypothesis, sought to selection of the most appropriate indicators for evaluating the sustainability of oil fields according the analysis of the scientific positioning of a network of specialists who were consulted, via e-mail, allowing the selection of some indicators by adopting the Delphi method and made it possible to surveying the characteristics that were considered relevant by the community but neglected by specialists. Thus, it was necessary the proposal of a consistent methodology scientifically and to allow the crossing of the perception of the communities with scientific positioning of specialists, were thus established and systematized the criteria for inclusion and exclusion of indicators. After the adaptation of the indicators based on the participation of specialists and population, proceeded to the principal component analysis (PCA) which is one of the most used statistical analyzes to describe patterns of variation of the data in a multivariate set. Were performed two distinct stages for the selection of relevant variables for the construction of sustainability indexes of the oil fields and Gas of Rio Grande do Norte: (1) an initial PCA was performed for inspection of data weighting of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and to indicate qualitative and quantitatively which sustainability indicators suitable for their respective dimensions and, (2) a posteriori, PCAs for each dimension, separately, to select the most relevant indicators. Were selected 23 indicators that were analyzed according to the discrepancy informed by specialists about the dimensions of sustainability and were reordered at indicators of economic dimension E1, E2, E12, E13, E17 and S15; indicators of social dimension S4, S5, S14, S17 and S19; indicators of environmental dimension E3, A1, A7, A8, A10, A19 and A28; indicators of institutional dimension E19, E20, S20 and A29. It was concluded that sustainability can be measured by a set of indicators defined as priorities able to indicate the status of sustainability of oil fields on land, can be implemented the complementary indicators to the purpose of refinement of evaluation. Are pointed out as the state of sustainability most favorable the oil fields with smaller interface with communities and who did not have a Permanent Protection Areas near their installations. 

The interrelation society/nature causes changes to the environment. These changes occur through the work of man, which uses natural resources, to support his development. For that reason, the society has the ability to build and rebuild the places where lives, leaving registered on the landscape the changes occurred. The landscape is modified over the years, and the man is critical to this process because, in addition to being the author of the alterations, can describe them through the perception from a same place, either from the past or from the present. The general objective of this research was to understand the perception of the residents of the city of Parelhas/RN in relation to desertification and to the change in the landscape. The research comprised the city of Parelhas/RN, located in the South-central portion of the State, in the micro region of Oriental Seridó, located 240 km from Natal city. Parelhas has a population of 20.354 inhabitants, with 17.084 in the urban area and 3270 in the countryside. The survey was conducted in the urban area and in three rural communities – Juazeiro, Cachoeira and Cobra. The first step of the methodological procedures of research was a literature review on the subject of desertification, which corresponds to the first chapter of the thesis (article 1). In the second stage (field research), 202 forms were applied with the population in the urban and rural areas, and with the red pottery industries of the municipality. Thus, 26 forms were applied with the entrepreneurs, managers and/or responsible for ceramics and 176 with part of the urban population (102) and in rural communities, Juazeiro, Cachoeira and Cobra (74). These data lead to chapters 2, 3 and 4 of the thesis, each chapter corresponding to a scientific article. The results showed that there was, in 2014, 28 red pottery industries in activity in the city of Parelhas. From the 28 companies, 2 did not accept to answer to the form, having been conducted 26 interviews. This data gave rise to the second chapter (article 2). The red pottery industry exists in the municipality since the middle eighties; eight per cent of companies have been developing the activity from 21 to 30 years, 27% from 11 to 20 years and 65% from 01 to 10 years. The products manufactured by the industries are roofing tiles, bricks, tiles, bushings, blocks and shackles, being tiles the more produced artifact. Fifty per cent of companies manufacture only tiles. The main energy source used for ceramics is the firewood, and 73% still make use exclusively of wood. The withdrawal of the vegetation without technique leaves bare areas and soils exposed to erosion, contributing to an increase the susceptibility to the phenomenon of desertification in the municipality. Regarding the perception of desertification and modification in the landscape, the data were subjected to statistical tests. We used the Person Chi-square test (χ ²), the Fisher test and correlation analysis. Contingency tables and boards were prepared to describe the social data of the participants. These data ensued the third and fourth chapters (articles 3 and 4). The comparative analysis of the residents perception of the rural and urban area on desertification (article 3), showed that most respondents have heard on the subject; however, the people who reside in the city heard more than those who live in the countryside. The majority of respondents believes that the municipality is in process of desertification; the correspondence analysis showed that city dwellers are associated with the reply "Yes", and residents in the rural area associated with the answers "Not" and "Don't know". Among the alternatives on the causes of desertification in the municipality, the red pottery activity was the most pointed out. It is believed that this choice is related to the high consumption of the local natural resources (wood, clay and water) that the activity demands in manufacturing its products. The results of the perception of the rural communities Juazeiro, Cachoeira and Cobra inhabitants, on change in the landscape (article 4), showed that most of them realize modification of local landscape. These changes involved the environment in which they are inserted, the atmospheric phenomena, as well as structural and social alterations that have occurred over the years. Likewise, changes in vegetation, soil and grassland have been reported. Those aged 25 to 59 years were the ones who most noticed changes in the landscape. Those who studied until middle school did not notice or did not to know answer about the change in the landscape. The ones with complete/incomplete secondary education and complete/incomplete higher education realized changes in the landscape. The study provided important data of the perception of rural and urban residents of Parelhas/RN, on alteration in the landscape and desertification. Still, it has provided information about the red pottery industry and the consumption of firewood by the activity. These data can serve to subsidize to the definition of public policies to be implemented in semi-arid potiguar, from the perspective of conservation of natural resources in an area susceptible to the phenomenon of desertification.

The theme of sustainable development requires an appropriate approach in teacher training methods for teaching science and biology. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) offering this training need to be aware and sensitized about the importance of curricular integration of theories and practices related to sustainable development. This study aims to contribute to the characterization of the sustainability issue as formative need for teaching practice of biology teachers in initial training in undergraduate courses face life sciences and distance in UFRN, based on the perceptions of students who are in phase completion of the course. The research developed in a qualitative and quantitative approach. Were adopted as methodological procedures, the use of a questionnaire with open and closed questions and a structured questionnaire in VOSTS model (Views on Science-Technology-Society to investigate the opinions of licentiate in Biological Sciences distance and face University Federal Rio Grande do Norte on education for sustainable development. the open questions were analyzed through the technique of Preparation and analysis of Meaning Units, which is based on content analysis. the results showed that most participants do not feel safe in approaching the subject but also can not develop the content taught in science or specifically in biology in association with issues that relate to sustainability principles. the profile of students has shown that they have different characteristics, since most are the higher age and low income, having completed the elementary and secondary education in public schools and being in the exercise of professional activity. Also allowed to establish, in relation to the global attitudinal index, the issue of education for sustainable development, although it is present in the training of these teachers also need more incentive and an effective curriculum integration, during initial training, rated course . This data can provide support for the prospect of adequacy of teaching strategies in the distance with regard to greater integration of the theme of to sustainable development education, contributing in the future with relevant data that can support Agenda 30 in the regions of offer the courses.

Os reservatórios são mananciais construídos ao longo de canais fluviais, com a interceptação por barramentos feitos por concreto ou terra. No Brasil eles são construídos para diversas finalidades, destacando-se para a geração de energias (hidrelétricas), regularização de vazão e criação de reservas hídricas, e contenção de enchentes, por isso desempenharam e ainda desempenham papel importante na sociedade moderna. No semiárido da região Nordeste, normalmente são utilizados para o abastecimento de cidades e como fonte de alimentação. No Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, os grandes reservatórios são destinados com esta mesma finalidade. Cidades que se formaram às margens de rios, ou que tenham canais fluviais cruzando seu espaço, lidam com problemas relacionados e inundação. Na cidade de Macaíba-RN, esse processo ocorria sistematicamente durante o período chuvoso, causando grandes transtornos à população local. Fruto de reivindicação coletiva foi construído o Reservatório de Tabatinga no rio Jundiaí, a montante da cidade. Diante deste cenário, esta tese visou analisar a qualidade socioambiental desse manancial. Para atingir esse objetivo, foram empregadas metodologias centradas na averiguação da qualidade de água, além da aplicação de questionário para conhecer a percepção dos moradores da área rural, onde o reservatório foi construído e dos moradores da área urbana da cidade. Os resultados mostraram a existência de conflitos entre o reservatório e os moradores das comunidades rurais, enquanto que para a população da cidade, o reservatório é considerado a solução correta para o término das enchentes na zona urbana, mas entendem que também servem como fonte econômica para a população rural. Considerando a avaliação da fonte de água, este estudo concluiu que o Reservatório Tabatinga está impróprio para uso, em função da presença de metais de significância toxicológica com potencial de causar danos ao material genético dos indivíduos que utilizam esse açude para diversos fins, podendo levar sérios riscos à saúde da população.

Historicamente, o homem reuniu de forma empírica conhecimentos acerca das aplicações terapêuticas de elementos extraídos dos ecossistemas nos quais se inseria. Tais conhecimentos ao longo do tempo culminaram na formação dos sistemas de medicina tradicional. Dentre os seus recursos, o uso de espécies vegetais bioativas – as plantas medicinais - destaca-se pela sua eficácia e alta aceitação popular. Apesar de sua importância para a saúde coletiva, a população ainda tem nas feiras livres a principal fonte para a aquisição das espécies que utiliza. Nestes espaços, a comercialização de modo geral ocorre na informalidade e em condições desfavoráveis à qualidade dos produtos e à sustentabilidade financeira do negócio. O estudo objetivou caracterizar os aspectos socioeconômicos, culturais e sanitários referentes à comercialização de plantas medicinais em municípios de uma região semiárida do Rio Grande do Norte. Os dados socioeconômicos foram coletados por meio de entrevistas in loco guiadas por formulário estruturado. As observações acerca da adequação higiênica e sanitária das instalações físicas e práticas empregadas nos pontos de comercialização/entorno foram conduzidas e registradas com uso de instrumento avaliativo  desenvolvido para a aplicação em feiras livres. A adequação ao consumo das plantas medicinais foi determinada através de análises microbiológicas. A atividade era exercida predominantemente por homens de meia idade, de baixo nível de escolaridade e baixa renda. Os dados apontaram uma tendência à extinção da atividade  em todos os municípios estudados. A inadequação higiênica e sanitária observada in loco afetava negativamente a qualidade dos produtos. Consideraram-se todas as amostras de plantas medicinais analisadas como insalubres ao consumo humano, representando risco à saúde dos consumidores. Visando contribuir com a correção das inadequações higiênicas e sanitárias observadas nas feiras estudadas, foram realizadas ações educativas voltadas à capacitação dos comerciantes em Boas Práticas. De forma complementar, foi elaborada proposta de legislação específica para a comercialização de produtos da medicina tradicional em feiras livres.

As transformações ambientais e suas consequências em nível global têm desafiado os diferentes campos de estudo a se integrarem em prol de soluções efetivas para minimizar e/ou equacionar os impactos negativos causados por essas transformações nos diversos tipos de ambientes. Nesse contexto, a Percepção Ambiental tem sido um instrumento bastante utilizado e relevante em estudos que contemplam as relações entre meio ambiente e ações humanas, por possibilitar análises das percepções, atitudes e valores, principais formadores da topofilia, que repercute em ações de conservação. Aliada à Percepção Ambiental, a Análise Integrada da Paisagem é relevante por possibilitar analisar de forma sistêmica o espaço geográfico, onde todos os seus elementos estão interrelacionados de forma que dão suporte necessário para compreensão da complexidade do meio físico e antrópico de um determinado ambiente. Nessa perspectiva, foi estudado o Complexo Serrano João do Vale, situado no Semiárido do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, que apresenta um conjunto de paisagens com diferentes fisionomias, as quais vêm sendo substituídas por diversas atividades econômicas e crescimento populacional desordenados, com consequente exploração das potencialidades dos recursos naturais. Esta tese teve como objetivo geral aliar a Percepção Ambiental de comunidades rurais à Análise da Paisagem do Complexo Serrano como critérios adicionais para definição de Áreas Prioritárias para Conservação. Os dados de percepção foram obtidos por meio de observação direta, questionamentos, entrevistas e aplicação de formulários a 240 pessoas (100% dos domicílios ocupados na comunidade serrana), durante os meses de fevereiro a agosto de 2011, com base teórico-metodológica da Percepção Ambiental. A Análise Integrada da Paisagem foi efetuada através do método GTP (Geossistema- Território-Paisagem), por meio do Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG), utilizando a técnica de geoprocessamento para o mapeamento da paisagem. Os resultados obtidos evidenciaram que os entrevistados apresentam um sentimento de topofilia pelo local onde vivem, detêm um vasto conhecimento sobre os recursos naturais existentes nesse Complexo Serrano, e responderam positivamente quanto à escolha de uma área exclusiva para conservação. A Análise Integrada da Paisagem possibilitou identificar as diversas formas de usos e ocupações existentes no Complexo Serrano, que têm causado mudanças significativas no espaço, principalmente no platô onde a vegetação foi praticamente substituída pelas habitações humanas e plantações de cajueiros. Através dos mapas de declividade e vulnerabilidade ambiental foi possível identificar que as áreas com elevadas declividades (grotas) constituem fator limitante para a ocupação pelas comunidades e, portanto, relevantes e passíveis de conservação, inclusive por serem Áreas de Preservação Permanente. Esses resultados, em conjunto, possibilitaram definir um mapa de Áreas Prioritárias para Conservação nesse Complexo Serrano, com três categorias de prioridade: baixa, média e alta. Portanto, o uso desses critérios adicionais são relevantes para definição/designação de Áreas Prioritárias para Conservação.

Analisou-se a socioeconomia dos municípios costeiros do Semiárido Potiguar, perpassando pelos atores, implicações antrópicas, ambiente de pesca e composição de sua ictiofauna, bem como a tendência da produção desembarcada pela frota artesanal com o objetivo de identificar a sustentabilidade e a gestão. Utilizou-se de metodologias participativas, dados mensais de pluviometria entre setembro de 2001 e dezembro de 2010; de desembarques da frota artesanal durante janeiro de 2001 a dezembro de 2010; e socioeconômicos (IBGE, 2002/2010), (IDEMA, 2011/2012), (MPA, 2010;2012), PNUD e MS (2013). A partir destes dados, realizou-se análise de variância e utilizou-se do Método de Processo Analítico Hierárquico (PAH) e modelos estatísticos de regressão múltipla e de séries temporais. Identificou-se que a ocupação da zona costeira e marinha pela indústria salineira, do turismo, da carcinicultura, do petróleo e gás e da energia eólica reconfigurou o ambiente e atraiu novos atores. A pluviometria influenciou nas capturas, das quais 35% ocorrem no período chuvoso, 40% na estação seca e 25% independem. A produção cresceu 55%, desembarcadas em 31 portos distribuídos por 11 municípios, capturadas nos ambientes manguezal/estuarino (23%), costeiro (46%) e oceânico (31%). Apesar de comercializar-se 41 espécies, a produção concentrou-se em oito, desembarcadas principalmente em Macau e Caiçara do Norte, por embarcações de pequeno e médio porte (motorizadas e veleiras). Destacaram-se 3 espécies (Hirundichthys affins, Opisthonema oglinum e Coryphaena hippurus), que juntas representaram 63,3% de todo volume. Verificou-se que as embarcações motorizadas triplicaram em número enquanto as veleiras reduziram à metade. Os desembarques pelos diversos tipos de embarcações tendem a aumentar ao longo do tempo, enquanto, pelas pequenas embarcações veleiras, decrescem. A entrada a mais de novas embarcações motorizadas e veleiras, também tendem a aumentar a produção. O estudo concluiu que o PIB e o IDH dos municípios costeiros aumentaram, porém a desigualdade persistiu. A potencialidade da pesca artesanal encontra-se no estágio de desenvolvimento pouco favorável e a tendência da produção pesqueira é a de crescer ao longo do tempo e com a entrada a mais de embarcações. Entretanto, urge que o Estado aprimore ações de fomento e ordenamento para reestabelecer os recursos pesqueiros em padrões sustentáveis e pescarias rentáveis. Portanto, recomenda-se o uso estratégico dos recursos naturais na perspectiva do desenvolvimento sustentável.

A degradação ambiental é um problema global que afeta particularmente regiões submetidas a variações climáticas sazonais, como é o caso do semiárido brasileiro, mais precisamente o Domínio das Caatingas.  Aliada a outros fatores negativos, como o uso e ocupação desordenados, as consequências têm desafiado a ciência na busca pelo equacionamento dos problemas socioambientais gerados. Nesse sentido, a Percepção Ambiental tem sido um instrumento bastante relevante em estudos que tratam das relações entre meio ambiente e ações humanas, por possibilitar análises das concepções, atitudes e valores, principalmente aqueles relacionados à conservação ambiental. Aliada à Percepção Ambiental, os Indicadores de Sustentabilidade constituem ferramentas relevantes por possibilitarem mensurar as possíveis causas e consequências de problemas ambientais. Dentre os diversos Indicadores de Sustentabilidade, destaca-se o método pressão-estado-impacto-resposta (PEIR), que é um instrumento analítico que permite organizar e agrupar de maneira lógica os fatores que afetam, o impacto que geram na natureza e na saúde humana, assim como de que forma a sociedade e o poder público podem intervir para reverter a situação causada. Nessa perspectiva, foram estudadas três áreas de Caatinga no seridó do Rio Grande do Norte: Estação Ecológica do Seridó, Município de Serra Negra do Norte; Reserva Particular do Patrimonio Natural Stoessel de Brito, Município de Jucurutu; e parte da Serra de Santana, Município de Tenente Laurentino Cruz. Estas constituem áreas naturais protegidas e não protegidas e por isso, estão submetidas a diferentes formas de gestão, embora compartilhem semelhanças socioambientais; ou seja, as comunidades residentes nessas áreas, estão submetidas a vulnerabilidades e usam de forma desordenada as potencialidades dos recursos naturais. Nesse Cenário, esta tese teve como objetivo geral inserir as comunidades rurais no processo de conservação, utilizando a Percepção Ambiental dessas comunidades, aliada à análise da sustentabilidade dos municípios por meio do PEIR. As informações sobre percepção foram obtidas de dados primários e secundários de estudos anteriormente realizados em comunidades habitantes do entorno da ESEC Seridó, município de Serra Negra do Norte e da RPPN Stoessel de Brito, município de Jucurutu. E, por meio de observação direta e entrevistas no formato de formulários, aplicados a comunidades rurais do entorno da Caatinga do Município de Tenente Laurentino Cruz, foram obtidas suas percepções. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que os entrevistados apresentam um conhecimento amplo sobre a degradação ambiental, suas causas e consequências, atende um vasto conhecimento sobre os recursos naturais existentes nessas áreas de Caatinga. A Análise do Sistema PEIR possibilitou identificar nas áreas estudadas que, nos municípios que abrigam Unidades de Conservação, a degradação ambiental está em menores proporções que naqueles que não possuem áreas protegidas, além de demonstrar que o conhecimento das comunidades e a aceitação destas em relação às Unidades de Conservação, potencializam as ações que podem ser utilizadas para a redução da degradação ambiental na Caatinga.

A água por ser bem vital e fator de desenvolvimento econômico e social carece de proteção pelo Estado e de uma gestão efetiva. Em razão disso, esta Tese analisa o panorama da Política Nacional de Recursos Hídricos e a efetivação de uma gestão integrada, compartilhada e participativa, contextualizando os princípios previstos na Política.

O trabalho está focado na discussão de políticas públicas de acesso à água, analisando o Programa Água Doce em região do semiárido como estratégia de convivência e permanência de uma politica pública que garante o uso prioritário qual seja para o consumo humano. O marco conceitual deste estudo apoia-se, principalmente, nas contribuições de autores situados no campo reconhecido como governança, gestão das águas e conflitos pelo uso da água. Promoveu-se um estudo sobre o processo de implantação das diferentes “instituições e políticas” relacionadas à gestão das águas, contextualizando assim a mudança de paradigma na transição entre o modelo centralizador e aquele que leva em consideração a participação social, abrindo-se dessa maneira perspectivas mais amplas para a análise dos conteúdos e dos impactos decorrentes dessas políticas. Para o desenvolvimento deste estudo, foi realizado o acompanhamento – tanto documental, quanto presencial - das atividades de campo realizadas enquanto consultora do Programa Água Doce. O relato do histórico da gestão de águas na região semiárida foi estudado, retratando movimentos de conflito e cooperação entre os atores. Apesar de grandes entraves para firmar a gestão compartilhada e descentralizada, o estudo desta tese aponta para um gradual avanço na formulação de políticas públicas que prezem a governança, a gestão participativa dos recursos hídricos, com perspectivas positivas rumo à implantação de ações coordenadas e cooperativas na região que sofre com a escassez de chuvas, consequentemente de água para irrigação e o consumo humano, principalmente.