Banca de DEFESA: SIANNY ANDRADE SILVA

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : SIANNY ANDRADE SILVA
DATE: 27/03/2026
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Google meet
TITLE:

Land Use and Occupation in the Pitimbu River Basin (RN, Brazil): Limits and Potential for the Implementation of Water Ecosystem Services Payments

KEY WORDS:

Water PES; land use and land cover; Pitimbu River Basin.

PAGES: 96
BIG AREA: Ciências Agrárias
AREA: Agronomia
SUMMARY:

Accelerated urbanization and disordered land occupation intensify pressures on water resources, requiring effective management instruments such as water use permits established under Brazil’s National Water Resources Policy. In this context, the first chapter of this research aimed to integrate spatial land use and land cover data, obtained through GIS-based geoprocessing, with information on water use rights permits issued within the Pitimbu River Basin (Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil), in order to analyze socio-environmental dynamics and their influence on water management. The classes that exhibited the most significant changes were agriculture and livestock, urbanized area, forest, and water bodies. The agricultural class showed the largest absolute reduction, with a loss of 1.667 km² (-2.52%), while forest areas increased by 0.540 km² and water bodies by 0.0543 km², a variation possibly associated with seasonal fluctuations in the hydrological regime. Urbanized areas recorded the most substantial growth, expanding by 1.387 km² (+3.89%). Herbaceous and shrub vegetation remained stable (0.004 km²), whereas other non-vegetated areas increased by 0.0516 km², a significant percentage variation due to the initially small baseline. During the analyzed period, 163 water use permits were identified, predominantly for public supply (53.4%), followed by industrial uses (16.6%) and irrigation (14.1%), largely concentrated in urbanized areas. The scenario revealed a correlation between urban expansion, increased water demand, and environmental pressures, reinforcing the need for integrated management strategies, such as strengthened enforcement in Permanent Preservation Areas, incentives for sustainable practices, and the development of environmental education initiatives and Payment for Environmental Services (PES) programs. The second chapter addresses conflicts related to water access, use, and conservation, which have intensified in Brazil, highlighting structural inequalities and weaknesses in environmental governance. In peri-urban basins, where public supply, family farming, and urban expansion coexist, pressure on water resources exacerbates environmental injustice. In this setting, Water Payment for Environmental Services (WPES) emerges as an alternative to integrate conservation and territorial management. The Pitimbu River Basin, responsible for approximately 30% of the water supply of the city of Natal, exemplifies this complexity, characterized by environmental degradation, land use conflicts, and limited institutional coordination. This study analyzes the socio-environmental, normative, and institutional conditions necessary to support the implementation of a WPES scheme in the upper course of the Pitimbu River. The research was based on semi-structured questionnaires administered to institutional stakeholders, followed by interview transcription and content analysis using Atlas.ti software. The findings indicate institutional, financial, social, and political constraints, while also identifying strategic enabling factors, such as the presence of settlements in headwater areas, prior agroecological experiences, and the potential use of water use charges as a funding mechanism. It is concluded that WPES can contribute to environmental justice, water sustainability, and strengthened territorial governance, provided it is properly designed and institutionally structured.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1074041 - ANDREA LEME DA SILVA
Externa à Instituição - KARINNE REIS DEUSDARA LEAL - UNIFEI
Interno - 1249023 - SEBASTIAO MILTON PINHEIRO DA SILVA