expansão urbana e qualidade ambiental no litoral de joão pessoa-pb.

ABSTRACT
The present study attempted to capture part of the evolutive history of the city
of João Pessoa in terms of its expansion to the waterfront and to evaluate the role of
the state in determining the spatial configuration of the city, the consequences of
urban growth on the regional natural resources, and the quality of life of its citizens.
This work was carried out along the coast of the municipality and sought to examine
the dynamics of this shorefront occupation and to characterize and classify the
resulting types of human interventions as well as to relate those changes to
alterations in environmental quality. The study involved the elaboration of maps of
the use and occupation of the soil for the years 1969, 1985 and 2005 using field data
gathered from observations, records of the physiographic and biological aspects of
the area, as well as surveys of human alterations using matrizes ponderadas.
Human activities in the area were inventoried and the conflicts generated by their
environmental impacts were analyzed using a use-compatibility matrix. An
environmental quality index was calculated. It was determined that urban expansion
in the area occurred very rapidly, resulting in serious consequences for the natural
environment, including the degradation of the local landscape, the retraction of
important habitats and the incorrect occupation of many conservation areas such as
the Jacarapé and Aratú State Parks. A total of 38 types of human interventions were
noted, with most of them placing intense pressure on remnant natural areas that still
exist on the northern and southern coasts of the municipality through pollution of
rivers and water sources (by garbage and sewage), damage to mangrove areas,
removal of gallery forests, degradation of hillside forests, and the retraction of
habitats. This work indicated that the process of conversion of the natural heritage
into human-modified environments has contributed to a reduction in environmental
quality in the area that threatens the survival of innumerous representatives of the
local flora and fauna and has significantly altered the quality of human life - in
complete contradiction to the principals of sustainable development.
Key-words: urban expansion, environmental quality, environmental degradation,
environmental impacts, coastal zone.