Land Use and Occupation in the Pitimbu River Basin-RN: Subsidies for the Implementation of Payments for Environmental Services
Water management; Land use; Water rights; PES; Sustainability
The main objective of this research was to identify spatial occupation patterns and their relationship with the demand and legal granting of water use. To this end, geospatial data on land use and cover were used, along with official information on water grants provided by the state management agency. The results indicated that most water use grants are concentrated in areas with consolidated urban and agricultural use, highlighting anthropogenic pressure on the watershed’s water resources. The spatial analysis also revealed an overlap between water abstraction areas and environmentally sensitive zones, raising concerns about the sustainability of water use. It is concluded that the integration between land use planning and water resource management is essential to mitigate conflicts and ensure the conservation of aquatic ecosystems.