Estudo de Caso da Bacia Hidrografica do Rio Passauna - ppgerha ...

ABSTRACT
The Passauna Watershed, located in Parana, a state of Brazil, is one of the most important
watersheds that supply water to Curitiba, the capital of the state, and its metropolitan
region. However, despite its importance, lack of sanitation and urban expansion through
irregular land occupation have been causing environmental problems that affect both the
drainage area and the water quality, which contributes to lowering the environmental
quality of the watershed. Therefore, human actions are the main point of that issue, and
public perception with regard to the environment represents the subjective aspects of those
actions. The main goal of this research is to study the relation between the environmental
quality of the watershed and the environmental perception of its dwellers. This research is
divided into three stages: water quality, land use and occupation, and environmental
perception. The identification of water quality samples, with higher and lower degrees of
endangerment, made it possible to build a relation between the dwellers different
characteristics and their relation with the local where they live. Large differences could be
noted in the dwellers environmental perception about their own areas, especially in relation
with their economic condition, school level, and the characteristics of the areas where they
live. The resulting information on water quality, land use and occupation, and environmental
perception proved to be an important tool for urban management of the areas analyzed, as
well as for the development of environmental education actions, which are still carried out
in an incipient and isolated way in that watershed. The development of a new view about
urban management, involving the dwellers so as to provide more adequate solutions for the
problems of each area, is a central point to achieve a more efficient urban management.
Key words: environmental perception, water quality, land use and occupation.
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