Anthropogenic environmental pressures in urban conservation units: a case study in Belém, Brazilian eastern Amazon

Abstract

Over 70% of the Amazon inhabitants live in cities. Moreover, the contest between urban and green areas is historically known. In this scenario, the green areas in the Eastern Amazon cities are now beneath constant pressure and some of its ecosystem services can be reduced because of environmental stress. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate environmental stressors in two urban conservation units in the Brazilian Eastern Amazon. To understand how the urbanisation affected both the eutrophication process and forest resilience in the study area, we investigated the literature about the urban sprawl in Belém city and analysed, through remote sensing techniques, the responses for vegetation and built-up indices in the last 30 years. The results showed that the city expansion had not considered sustainable criteria, which ultimately intensified the anthropic eutrophication of the Bolonha Lake. Despite anthropogenic and climate pressures in the last decades over the green areas of Belém, the forest within the park showed no signal of reduced resilience. Lastly, joint efforts are necessary to improve wastewater treatment in the Metropolitan Region of Belém, so the water quality of the reservoirs improve, and its macrophytes blooming reduce gradually.

Hemeroby Mapping of the Belém Landscape in Eastern Amazon and Impact Study of Urbanization on the Local Climate

“…Particularly in the most preserved green area in southeast Belém, there were no major long-term transformations due to the Pará State government having created in 1993 the Utinga State Park Conservation Unit (USPCU) and the Environmental Protection Area of the Metropolitan Region of Belém (EPAMRB). These protected areas are essential for the public water supply to all municipalities in the metropolitan area [28]. Conversely, the expansion of the metahemerobic class over the central and northern sectors of the municipal seat is notable, indicating that the intense and disorderly process of urbanization (completely artificial landscape) now occupies the entire continental area of Belém and the adjacent island of Outeiro (Figure 3b).…”