A percepção ambiental dos agentes públicos e a funcionalidade da APA encontro das águas em Iranduba, Amazonas

Abstract

The creation of conservation units is an important strategy for the conservation of natural resources, but an absence or inefficacy of the management of protected areas makes the space ineffective. The main objective of this study was to verify the situation of Encontro das Águas Environmental Protection Area (APA) through the perception of people involved in its management, documental historic review, and temporal analysis of soil cover (hydrography, vegetation and ground exposed) in the years 2001, 2008 and 2014. In this study, 08 local public agents linked to the management were interviewed by using semi-structured interviews. The interviewees are unaware of an Encontro das Águas APA, its limits, objectives, and ecological functions, but recognize a conservation unit in the municipality. A temporal analysis of the narrative showed an increase of ground exposed areas, it suggests an intensification of deforestation in the CU is taking place, mainly, after inauguration of a new bridge above Rio Negro. The government should carry out the management of this APA so that a company can fulfill its strategic role for a conservation of the natural resources existing in that place. Keywords: Protected areas. Environmental management. Empowerment. Deforestation. Metropolitan region of Manaus.