Antônio Jeovah de Andrade Meireles

Wind-energy Development Causes Social Impacts in Coastal Ceará state, Brazil: The Case of the Xavier Community

ABSTRACT Gorayeb, A.; Mendes, J.S.; Meireles, A.J.A.; Silva, E.V.; Brannstrom, C., and Freitas, A.L.R. 2016. Wind-energy development causes social impacts in coastal Ceará state, Brazil: The case of the Xavier community. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 383–387. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. A significant increase in wind-power generation has occurred since 2008 in coastal regions of northeastern Brazil. Many wind farms have been erected on territories claimed by traditional communities, which have suffered changes in how they obtain resources as a consequence. Here we study the Xavier community, a settlement of 20 families and 66 people, located in the Camocim municipality of Ceará state. Xavier residents subsist on extractive activities such artisanal (non-mechanized) fishing, shellfish collection, and crop cultivation. But in 2009 one of Cearás largest wind farms was established approximately 200 meters from the settlement. Although some may see these projects as low impact, wind farms in Ceará are being implemented in areas that are environmentally unstable, located within territories claimed by traditional communities, negatively affecting their livelihoods. This paper analyzes the social impacts caused by the establishment of the wind farm through participant observation, group workshops, and analysis of textual materials. Several problems are described, including the absence of basic infrastructure and employment; road blockages; privatization of common resources; noise from turbines; constant fear of accidents involving turbines; internal conflicts among Xavier residents caused after the implementation of the wind farm; and burial of lakes. Wind-farm construction negatively influenced this traditional community by threatening territory, cultural traditions, and food security.

Mangrove Response to Land Use Change in Estuaries along the Semiarid Coast of Ceará, Brazil

ABSTRACT Godoy, M.D.P.; Meireles, A.J.A., and Lacerda, L.D., 2018. Mangrove response to land use change in estuaries along the semiarid coast of Ceará, Brazil. Mangroves cover an estimated area of approximately 12 to 20 million ha worldwide and serve as protection for the coastline from erosion and flooding. Nearly 70 mangrove species are considered endangered and could disappear in the next decade, which would have devastating economic and environmental consequences for coastal communities because of their ecological and economic importance. The annual rate of disappearance of coastal ecosystems is four times greater than the rate of the disappearance of rain forests. Mangroves suffer great pressure from the rapid conversion of forests into agricultural and urban areas, and, in these scenarios, climate change promotes specific pressures on mangroves and may increase the effects of anthropogenic activities. The focus of this study was to map the changes in mangrove areas in six river estuaries in Ceará, northeastern Brazil, between the years 1992 and 2011 and identify the main drivers of these changes. The results showed an increase in mangrove areas of five estuaries, while one estuary showed a decrease in mangrove area. Changes in river output capacity and sediment accumulation in the estuaries were associated with dam construction in the watersheds and can be responsible for new upstream mangrove areas in newly formed islands and along river banks. Abandoned saltpans also contributed to expansion of the mangrove areas. Deforestation for the construction of shrimp farms was the main cause of decreases in mangrove area, especially in the Pirangi estuary.

Dune fields in Jericoacoara: human intervention as a possible indicator of changes in the morphological dynamics

Coastal dunes play an important role in the sediment transport of the coastal zone. The morphology of the Jericoacoara National Park in the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceara consists of a headland covered by a mobile dune field consisting of large mobile barchans dune fields that migrate from east to west. These dunes are responsible for the bypass and transportation of essential sediments for the maintenance of the coastline without cumulative erosive effects. The present study focused on the morphodynamic evolution of these isolated mobile dunes through the recovery of multitemporal Landsat and QuickBird satellite images of the years between 1975 and 2010. The spatiotemporal analysis of the distribution and morphology of these dunes over this 35-year period revealed significant shifts in their area, perimeter, and movement patterns. It was possible to confirm that the flow of material and energy was linked to a process of continuous migration in the direction of the beach. The dynamics of the dune migration in the years following 2000 was established, indicates possible impacts on the morphology of the dunes resulting from the increase in tourism within the area. These changes were most significant between 2001 and 2005, possibly reflecting a anthropogenic impacts.

Campos de dunas em Jericoacoara: intervenções humanas como possível indicador de mudança na dinâmica morfológica

Coastal dunes play an important role in the sediment transport of the coastal zone. The morphology of the Jericoacoara National Park in the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceara consists of a headland covered by a mobile dune field consisting of large mobile barchans dune fields that migrate from east to west. These dunes are responsible for the bypass and transportation of essential sediments for the maintenance of the coastline without cumulative erosive effects. The present study focused on the morphodynamic evolution of these isolated mobile dunes through the recovery of multitemporal Landsat and QuickBird satellite images of the years between 1975 and 2010. The spatiotemporal analysis of the distribution and morphology of these dunes over this 35-year period revealed significant shifts in their area, perimeter, and movement patterns. It was possible to confirm that the flow of material and energy was linked to a process of continuous migration in the direction of the beach. The dynamics of the dune migration in the years following 2000 was established, indicates possible impacts on the morphology of the dunes resulting from the increase in tourism within the area. These changes were most significant between 2001 and 2005, possibly reflecting a anthropogenic impacts.

Videography for participatory cartography in a site of wind-power conflict in coastal Ceará state, Brazil

Installed wind power capacity in Brazil expanded rapidly from 28.6 megawatts (MW) in 2005 to 10.6 gigawatts (GW) installed electrical capacity in 2016—roughly a 37,000 percent increase in just over a decade. Highly favorable wind climatology (Silva et al. 2016), emergency electricity rationing, and state incentives motivated wind farm construction in coastal areas of Ceará (1.6 GW) and Rio Grande do Norte (3.2 GW). Reports describe Brazilian wind power as a win-win situation (Juárez et al. 2014: 833). However, recent work describes social conflict and environmental impacts from wind farms located in coastal environments. Impacts include leveling dunes, burying interdune lakes, impeded access through the wind farm, heavy truck traffic, and unfulfilled promises of employment generation (Brown 2011; Meireles et al. 2013; Gorayeb et al. 2016; Brannstrom et al. 2017).

Application of Geo-ecological and Thematic Mapping to the Analysis of Estuarine Environments in Northeastern Brazil

Over the past few decades, the occupation and exploitation of the natural resources found in Brazilian estuaries have increasingly impacted the ecological integrity of these systems, altering their internal dynamics and the daily life of local communities. In this context, this chapter focuses on a conservation unit located on the western coast of the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceara, centered on the estuary of the Mundau River. The research included the diagnosis of the water quality of the study area, based on the analysis of pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and transparency, and the identification and mapping of the geo-ecological units of the study area. Data were collected in the field using digital multianalyzers every 3 months between April 2011 and December 2011, during the spring tide (low and high tide), and the maps were produced in ArcGIS 9.3. The results indicate that the water quality of the study area complied with Brazilian sanitary norms with only localized abnormalities, which do not appear to reflect any major disequilibrium of the estuarine system at the present time.

BASES METODOLÓGICAS E CRITÉRIOS PARA LICENCIAMENTO AMBIENTAL NA UNIDADE DE CONSERVAÇÃO SABIAGUABA, FORTALEZA, BRASIL

Los estudios se realizaron con el objetivo de elaboracion de procedimientos metodologicos basicos para fundamentar enfoque sistemico aplicado al licenciamiento ambiental. Para desarrollar a la aplicacion empirica el enfoque integrado se ha aplicado en las unidades de conservacion (UCs) de Sabiaguaba, costa sureste de la ciudad de Fortaleza, Ceara, Brasil. Por hacer parte de unidades de los tipos de uso sostenible y proteccion integral y ubicadas en territorios con fuerte proceso de ocupacion urbana, el enfoque propuesto muestra los procedimientos administrativos para la concesion de licencias en sistemas ecologicos especiales. Debido a las complejas relaciones de las demandas institucionales y de las del control social para la gestion de las UCs, fue posible introducir criterios para ampliar y consolidar las funciones sociales y ambientales de los componentes del paisaje. Como resultado, una contribucion especifica para las practicas de planificacion y gestion colectivas a traves de la aplicacion de la propuesta metodologica asignada de Metodo de Factor Verde (MfV).

MEIO AMBIENTE E CONDIÇÕES DE SUSTENTABILIDADE DA PLANÍCIE FLÚVIO MARINHA DO RIO PACOTI – CEARÁ – BRASIL

POLLINATOR FORAGING STRATEGY IN Galactia peduncularis (BENTH.) TAUB. (LEGUMINOSAE: PAPILIONOIDEA) IN THE PARQUE ESTADUAL DA SERRA DE CALDAS NOVAS BRAZIL The way the animals look for food is an important characteristic of their behavior. The optimal foraging theory is based on the existence of a balance between costs and benefits of these behavioral decisions. The present study aimed to evaluate the behavior of the pollinator in response to increased availability of floral resources. The experiment was conducted in a recently burned Cerrado area (Campo rupestre) in the State Park of Serra de Caldas Novas , located in the municipalities of Caldas Novas and Rio Quente Brazil. The species chosen to test our hypothesis was Galactia peduncularis (Benth.) Taub. (Leguminosae: Papilionoidea). 17 pairs of specimens were selected with a number of flowers, and the individuals of each pair were spaced by about 2m. In these pairs, one of them was considered the focal, and the other, the isolated. To test possible differences in pollination between isolated plants and focus, we performed two randomization tests: a test binary (TB), where all pairs were analyzed and verified the number of times where the focus on the individual floral visits were higher than the number of visits in isolated. According to the data analyzed, floral visitors preferred to use plants that could provide a greater amount of floral resources so that the number of visitors varied positively with the increment of flowers. Plants with many flowers can provide a greater amount of food in one location so that visitors do not need to flower around for long distances in search of meeting their energy needs.

SERVIÇOS ECOSSISTÊMICOS COSTEIROSE COMUNIDADES TRADICIONAIS

Nas ultimas decadas, a despeito de sua importância socioambiental, cultural e economica, muitos ecossistemas costeiros tem alcancado altos niveis de deterioro. Uma degradacao causada principalmente pelo desenvolvimento de atividades industriais, a exemplo do cultivo de camarao em cativeiro (principal ameaca aos manguezais) e da producao de energia eolica (ameaca aos sistemas dunares), que reduzem o fluxo de servicos ecossistemicos (SE) prestados pela natureza a sociedade. Isto se deve ao fato de que durante a definicao das politicas de gestao costeira, desde um ponto de vista de sistema complexo, multidimensional e vinculados ao modo de vida das comunidades tradicionais, sao desconsiderados frente as potenciais vantagens economicas das atividades industriais. Este artigo lanca luz sobre a vinculacao entre os servicos ecossistemicos e o bem-estar das comunidades tradicionais e faz uma reflexao sobre os criterios indispensaveis que devem ser considerados para o avanco da gestao dos ecossistemas. Palavras-chave: Servicos ecossistemicos, Manguezais, Aquicultura, Energia eolica, Percepcao ambiental. Abstract In the last decades, many coastal ecosystems have achieved high levels of deterioration despite their ecological, cultural and economic importance. The degradation is caused mainly by the development of industrial activities like shrimp farming (the main threat to mangroves) and wind energy (a threat to dune systems), reducing the flow of ecosystem services (ES) provided by nature. This is due to the fact that to make a proper definition of coastal management policies, the ES, from the point of view of the complex and multidimensional system connected to the livelihoods of traditional and ethnic communities are undervalued compared to possible advantages of industrial activities. Such activities are considered more profitable in a short time economical approach. This article focus on the links between ecosystem services (mangroves and dunes) and the wellbeing of traditional communities. Key words: Ecosystem services of mangroves, Aquaculture, Wind energy, Environmental perception. Resumen En las ultimas decadas, a pesar de su importancia ecologica, cultural y economica, muchos ecosistemas costeros han alcanzado altos niveles de deterioro. La degradacion esta causada principalmente por el desarrollo de monocultivos industriales, como el cultivo de camarones (principal amenaza a los manglares) y la produccion de energia eolica (amenaza para los sistemas de dunares) que reducen el flujo de servicios ecosistemicos (SE) proporcionados por la naturaleza. Esto se debe al hecho de que durante la definicion de las politicas de gestion costera, los SE, desde el punto de vista del sistema, complejo, multidimensional y vinculado a los medios de vida de las comunidades tradicionales, no son considerados ni debidamente evaluados frente a las posibles ventajas de las actividades industriales. Este articulo arroja luz sobre los vinculos entre los SE de los manglares y dunas y el bienestar de las comunidades autoctonas. Palabras clave: Servicios ecosistemicos de los manglares, Acuicultura, Energia eolica, Percepcion ambiental.