Banca de DEFESA: EMMANUELLE SEFORA CABRAL SILVA

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : EMMANUELLE SEFORA CABRAL SILVA
DATE: 17/07/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Video conferência
TITLE:

URBAN GREEN ARCHIPELAGOS: Structure of the natural landscape from the perspective of vegetation cover in protected open spaces of the coastal zone, Natal/RN

KEY WORDS:

Coastal open spaces; Vegetable cover; Landscape structure; Native vegetation; Environmental Protection Zone in Natal - Brazil.

PAGES: 200
BIG AREA: Ciências Sociais Aplicadas
AREA: Arquitetura e Urbanismo
SUBÁREA: Projeto de Arquitetura e Urbanismo
SPECIALTY: Planejamento e Projeto do Espaço Urbano
SUMMARY:

The expansion of cities and the demands of urban life have resulted in changes and imbalances in natural spaces. These areas, initially covered by vegetation, have been gradually transformed by deforestation, land grading, land occupation, and increasing impermeabilization. Such actions alter the landscapes and dynamics of natural environments in open, undeveloped spaces, making them increasingly restricted and fragmented into patches of varying scales, distributions, and uses. The transformed landscape structure and resulting vegetation cover influence not only landscape compositions and environmental comfort conditions, but also the ecological functions of the area, affecting the lives of countless other organisms. In coastal zones, the growing occupation of land raises concerns regarding the outlook of these changes and their impact on landscapes of significant historical, cultural, environmental, and scenic value. As a reflection of this process, a series of regulatory instruments has been established to promote environmental protection, aiming to maintain ecological balance and ensure conditions for the recovery of local ecosystems. In the city of Natal, the Master Plan (Natal, 2022a), as well as the specific legislation concerning the Environmental Protection Zone - ZPA, fails to establish clear parameters for the protection of these natural spaces. Given this gap, the present research investigates how the vegetation cover of coastal open spaces can serve as a parameter for defining and delimiting areas designated for preservation and conservation. As a hypothesis, the study assumes that the landscape structure of the native vegetation cover within the spatial scope, revealed by its strata, form, and distribution, is not fully considered in the delimitation of the preservation and conservation subzones, where land use and occupation potential should be more restrictive. For this study, the spatial scope comprises four environmental units, defined by the municipality's urban regulations as fractions of the ZPA: the Forte dos Reis Magos and its surroundings; the Farol de Mãe Luiza and its surroundings; the Dunas State Park and its adjacent area; and the Morro do Careca and contiguous fixed dunes. The investigation aims to understand the distribution and structure of the landscape based on native vegetation cover, with the goal of identifying its biophysical contributions, defining landscape units, analyzing their constituent elements, and highlighting analytical attributes to be considered in environmental protection strategies. Among the methodological procedures, the extent and distribution of vegetation cover were mapped using satellite imagery, which served as the basis for data interpretation and were superimposed on the specific regulations applicable to the respective studied fractions. The research identified an anthropized and fragmented landscape structure, with matrix elements present in only two of the studied fractions. These areas experience less direct human interference and the predominance of native vegetation characterizes them as primary landscapes, although fragmented vegetation patches are still observed in their composition. In the other two units, several inconsistencies were identified between the sanctioned regulations and the objectives of environmental protection, including land use designations in areas where ecosystem preservation should be a priority, thereby confirming the hypothesis. It is understood that a setback has occurred regarding the protection of the natural landscape, as consolidated in the regulations sanctioned in 2022, even after multiple rounds of discussion with the city administration and with further proposals still under review, many of which aim to further loosen restrictions on land occupation and construction parameters in the coastal open spaces of the municipality of Natal.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 350489 - RUTH MARIA DA COSTA ATAIDE
Interna - 350504 - MARIA DULCE PICANÇO BENTES SOBRINHA
Externa ao Programa - 2567112 - ANNA RACHEL BARACHO EDUARDO JULIANELLI - UFRNExterna à Instituição - ADRIANA CARLA DE AZEVEDO BORBA - UFPE
Externa à Instituição - VERÔNICA GARCIA DONOSO - UFSM