Anthropic interference in mangrove areas of the Mundaú-Manguaba estuarine lagoon complex (CELMM), Alagoas (Brazil) as a case study

Abstract

The mangrove is a coastal ecosystem that is present in different parts of the world. It provides various ecosystem services from food supply to the influence of climate change. Due to the development of society, this ecosystem has been subjected to significant impacts from anthropogenic activities. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the environmental impacts caused in mangrove areas that have undergone modifications as a result of anthropic activities (agricultural cultivation, deforestation, civil construction) compared with those of conserved mangrove areas. This research took place through the analysis of the temporal sequence of aerial images (Google Earth) and soil quality analysis through field collections to evaluate the chemical and biological indicators in the different land use systems. As these are permanent changes that affect the type of soil and its coverage, significant differences were obtained between the chemical and biological characteristics of the four environments, with different usage systems. The mangrove has been negatively impacted by inadequate management and land occupation. Continuity of anthropic intervention in the mangrove will promote the disappearance of this ecosystem in the long term. Among the chemical and biological attributes used for the analyses that were performed, aluminum and edaphic organisms were the ones that allowed the greatest contribution of distinction from the degree of disturbance in areas of agricultural cultivation, deforestation and civil construction/mangrove transition.