Emerson Machado de Carvalho

O aquecimento global, como parte das mudanças climáticas, tem entrado na agenda de várias corporações em função da elevada influência na mudança do clima e sua interdependência com os mais diversos setores. Tais mudanças provocam significativas perdas econômicas para o agronegócio, turismo, saúde pública, biodiversidade e demais setores. A mudança climática, induzida pelo homem, está associada aos riscos emergentes e aos desastres socio-hidrológicos cada vez mais frequentes, em especial para as comunidades em vulnerabilidade social, onde as pressões da pobreza forçam as pessoas a se instalarem em áreas de perigo. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a percepção de risco de inundação, o apego ao local e o comportamento preventivo de munícipes de Ilhéus, Itabuna, Itamaraju, Teixeira de Freitas e Ubaitaba, Bahia, atingidos pelas enchentes de 2021-2022. Foram entrevistados 250 indivíduos porta a porta através de questionário pré-estruturado utilizando escala Likert. A análise de variância não paramétrica adotada para confirmar diferenças entre os grupos focais (Percepção de risco; Apego ao local; e Comportamento preventivo) e cada questão dentro deles, foi significativa para ambos. Tais resultados reforçam a descrença da população com o poder público e a fala de campanhas e informações para mitigar os impactos dos desastres socio-hidrológicos. Portanto, conclui-se que os entrevistados percebem e respondem de formas diferentes ao risco. Considerar as tendências de comportamento das populações afetadas é sumariamente necessário ao enfrentamento dos desastres socio-hidrológicos.

The Brazilian Cerrado, renowned as the most biodiverse savanna, is characterized by its pronounced climatic seasonality, diverse vegetation mosaic, and distinct topographic variations. Natural protected areas (NPA) within this biome play a pivotal role in safeguarding both biodiversity and natural resources. The objective of this study is to analyze the dynamic shifts in land use and land cover across seven NPA and their corresponding buffer zones (BZs) within a Cerrado region situated in Central‐West Brazil. This research encompasses a comprehensive multitemporal analysis of satellite imagery spanning the period from 1985 to 2018 utilizing a geographic information system (GIS). The variability in land use and land cover classes is considerably more constrained within the NPA than BZs. The Templo dos Pilares Municipal Natural Park exhibits substantial expanses of preserved vegetation, while the Nascentes do Rio Taquari State Park demonstrates an extensive prevalence of pasturelands. The NPA exhibit coherent patterns of land cover transformation within their respective BZs. However, alterations in the landscape within the BZs offer insights into potential forthcoming challenges to the NPA. Escalated land use within the surrounding matrix of protected areas presents a formidable obstacle to biodiversity conservation, owing to extraneous pressures. A comprehensive understanding of the spatiotemporal distribution of land use and land cover within safeguarded Cerrado regions contributes substantively to the augmentation of management, preservation, and conservation endeavors over time.

The daily pressures exerted by urban centers, added to the absence of green areas, end up promoting great damage to the quality of life of the resident population. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of a green park in the central area in Dourados, MS, Brazil, on thermal and sound comfort through environmental indicators. The following measurements were taken: air temperature, relative air humidity, light incidence, and noise variation at sampling points in the Arnulpho Fioravante green park and adjacent areas. The thermal discomfort index (TDI), which considers the variables air temperature and relative air humidity, was also adopted. TDI and noise results indicated that the park has little influence on adjacent areas. On the other hand, the park area with the highest plant density showed significant TDI values, classifying it between “feeling comfortable” and “feeling partially uncomfortable.” Areas of the city and the park without vegetation had many “feeling uncomfortable” ratings. Moreover, the vegetation may have acted as a filter to minimize urban noise. Our results indicate that urban green areas are important components in maintaining the population’s quality of life, provided they have good planning and management of available forest resources.

This research analyzed the perception of 42 higher education students about Environmental Education (EE) activities in environmental management and explored spontaneous conceptions about an urban green park. Data were obtained in 2016 through a questionnaire based on the Free Word-Association Test methodology and analyzed by the Collective Subject Discourse. In the students conception, the importance of EE as a process of environmental management is imperative, being seen as an instrument or tool for raising awareness among the population. As a management instrument, EE seems to assume a technical and disciplining character, and as a tool to raise awareness among the population, it reflects the utilitarian model of society, favorable to the principles of a conservative EE. The association test showed that the studied urban green park was represented mainly by the words “degradation” and “natural,” showing dichotomous and biologizing trends. The results indicate the need to adopt activities that allow transposing the experiences presented by the students. It will contribute to the construction of a more critical, emancipatory EE that is really focused on the complex environmental agenda.

Green areas in urban spaces are highly relevant environments in promoting the population’s quality of life, as they provide leisure, recreation, thermal comfort, and contact with nature. This study aimed to evaluate the degree of human alterations in streams in three urban green parks in the city of Dourados, MS, Brazil, through the survey of visual, physical, and chemical parameters. The results presented after applying the Rapid Assessment Protocol for Habitat Diversity (RAP) and measuring water physical and chemical parameters characterized the streams of the three parks as 'altered'. The minimum and maximum values of dissolved oxygen in the water were below the acceptable standards for the aquatic biota, with means of 3.2 to 5.4 mg L−1. The means of light incidence ranged from 51 to 64%, indicating the absence or reduction of riparian vegetation. The pH, temperature, total dissolved solids, and electrical conductivity values did not indicate environmental degradation. These results allowed evaluating the integrity of streams in the parks, which showed alterations due to human actions. Thus, the function of conservation and preservation of biodiversity is not being fully achieved and may negatively interfere with the generation and use of ecosystem services.

The high consumption rate of vegetables stimulates the cultivation and increases the demand regarding the adequacy of the production processes. The attack of the pest Plutella xylostella causes high losses by reducing product quality, typifying a phytosanitary problem. This study aimed to verify the bioactivity of aqueous extracts of leaves of Jacaranda decurrens and Jacaranda mimosifolia at concentrations of 5, 10, and 15% on the insect. The choice test was carried out at the laboratory to determine the food effect of plant extracts and evaluate changes in the life cycle of insects exposed to active compounds through the analysis of biological parameters. Plant extracts of J. decurrens and J. mimosifolia presented with phagodeterrent classification in the choice experiments. The three J. decurrens extract concentrations promoted a prolongation of larval and pupal duration, while the duration of individuals treated with J. mimosifolia at 10% was significantly reduced. Occurred reduction in larval survival of individuals treated with aqueous extracts of J. decurrens and J. mimosifolia. Eggs from treatments with aqueous extract of J. decurrens and J. mimosifolia had reduced survival. Pupal survival of individuals treated with extract at 15% showed a significant reduction compared to the treatments at 5% and 10%. Pupae from the treatment with aqueous extract of Jacaranda mimosifolia showed a reduction in biomass in the treatment at 15% differing from the control e 5%. Thus, the aqueous extracts of the species J. decurrens and J. mimosifolia show insecticidal potential in the tests performed on P. xylostella.

With the disorderly increase in global environmental problems, the cultivation of aquatic organisms is a promising path for sustainable food production. The quality of water, both at the entrance and exit of the production of aquatic animals, needs to be maintained following the parameters specified by local legislation. This study aimed to investigate the removal of contaminants from fish farming wastewater associated with the production of freshwater microalgae biomass. Six completely randomized treatments were used in triplicate: with the addition of microalgae C. sorokiniana in fish farm wastewater (W+Cs), the addition of C. sorokiniana in wastewater enriched with NPK fertilizing (W+F+Cs) or sugarcane vinasse (W+V+Cs), only wastewater (W), wastewater supplemented with fertilizer (W+F) or vinasse (W+V). The wastewater was used in natura to allow the development of autochthonous microalgae. The microalgae C. sorokiniana grew rapidly in effluents enriched with NPK and vinasse. After 28 days of bioassay, the concentrations of several contaminants in the water were reduced: zinc (20 to 88%), lead (5 to 83%), aluminum (56 to 75%), manganese (56 to 72%), cadmium (9 to 52%), calcium (16 to 24%) and magnesium (12 to 33%). Our results indicated that the production of microalgae biomass can be integrated with the treatment of fish farming effluents to reduce the environmental burden and increase the economic bonus for adopting a sustainable production method. However, our results also indicated the importance of introducing a microalgae strain with high productive performance and supplementing the wastewater to obtain rapid biomass.

Diamondback moth represents one of the major Brassicaceae plagues and the main current control method relies on the agrotoxins use. The search for alternative phytosanitary control methods demonstrates that the vegetal extracts have broadly studied and now represent a relevant option to control insects-plagues in small cultivation areas. Was evaluated the effect of the aqueous extract Tradescantia pallida 10% in oviposition and the feeding preference of Plutella xylostella, in laboratory conditions. That plant does not present herbivory reports, which raises the hypothesis of representing an efficient control alternative. P. xylostella couples introduced in experimentation cages for 10 days, to assess the activity of oviposition, being exposed to the botanic extract in the feeding and the oviposition substrate, with the eggs average number per day and fertility being assessed. To assess feeding, two tests developed: free choice and no choice of food source during 48 hours of evaluation. The results indicate that the aqueous T. pallida extract changes the oviposition activity of P. xylostella, reducing the average number of eggs per day and the fertility. It was also possible to observe the non-preference, regarding feeding, for substrates that were treated with the extract. The results observed in the study can contribute to amplify the small producers decision-making processes and the involved sectors regarding the choice of supplies that respect environmental and human health.

Microalgae are unicellular organisms, photosynthesizers that present cell duplication exponentially and biosorption capacity of nutrients dissolved in water. The objective of this work was to evaluate the capacityof the microalga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata for bioremediation of metals and salts. In this aspect, the reduction of the metals and salts in the synthetic effluents by the microalga P. subcapitata was evaluated: (T1) culture medium (control); (T2) culture medium contaminated with aluminum chloride; (T3) culture medium contaminated with ferrous sulfate; (T4) culture medium contaminated with zinc sulfate; (T5) culture medium contaminated with the combination of aluminum chloride, ferrous sulfate and zinc sulfate. The bioremediation process was evaluated by comparing culture media with suspended microalgae to a filtrate version of the same medium. Iron and zinc metals, as well as nitrogen and phosphorus salts, showed depleted values in the filtered medium, indicating efficiency in the treatment of water by microalgae. Aluminum content was below the limit of detection in all treatments. The cumulative values in the microalgae biomass were, in descending order: nitrogen, zinc, iron and phosphorus, thus indicating the assimilation of the contaminants in the algal biomass. In addition, high biomass production of the microalgae was observed. The highest production rate was verified in the synthetic effluent with the association of metals, indicating a synergy between contaminants, which was probably responsible for reducing the toxic effect on the microalgae. These results indicated high potential for bioremediation by microalga P. subcapitata, besides the possibility of using algal biomass for biotechnological applications.