Diagnóstico de degradação ambiental da estação ecológica de Murici, Alagoas

Abstract

Anthogenic pressures have increasingly compromised the remaining fragments of the Atlantic Forest, including areas protected under the Brazilian National System of Nature Conservation Units (SNUC). Agricultural expansion, urbanization, and forest isolation continue to promote environmental degradation and the loss of habitat connectivity. This study aimed to conduct an environmental assessment of the Murici Ecological Station (ESEC), located in the state of Alagoas, Brazil, through the application of remote sensing and geoprocessing techniques, in order to analyze land use and land cover dynamics, delineate Permanent Preservation Areas (PPAs), and identify priority areas for conservation and ecological restoration. The research was based on thematic maps from the MapBiomas Collection 10.1 project covering the period from 1994 to 2024, complemented by high-spatial-resolution imagery from the PlanetScope constellation for the years 2024 and 2026. The data were processed using QGIS software, integrating spatial information related to hydrography, slope, and wetlands. The results revealed significant landscape changes within the protected area over the last decades, based on the comparison between MapBiomas data and PlanetScope imagery. The most notable changes included the expansion of forest formation, which increased from 4,243.09 ha in 1994 to 4,362.65 ha in 2026, and savanna formation, which expanded from 65.06 ha to 506.11 ha during the same period. A reduction in pasture areas was also observed, decreasing from 1,253.09 ha to 939.10 ha, as well as a substantial decline in areas classified as land-use mosaics, from 512.67 ha to 50.90 ha. PlanetScope imagery provided greater spatial detail of land cover, enabling the identification of environmental features not detected by lower-resolution products. PPAs associated with springs, watercourses, wetlands, and steep-slope areas totaled 205.08 ha and showed high ecological relevance, although part of these areas still presents land-use conflicts and signs of environmental degradation. Areas surrounding the springs of the Bulangi and Jitituba rivers were identified as priorities for ecological restoration due to the presence of deforested stretches and their importance for ecological connectivity and water resource conservation. It is concluded that the geomatic tools employed proved highly effective for environmental monitoring of the Murici Ecological Station, contributing to territorial planning, biodiversity conservation, and the development of ecological restoration strategies in remnants of the northeastern Atlantic Forest.