ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY IN A FLOODPLAIN ECOSYSTEM: APPLICATION OF THE RAPID ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL IN AN URBAN STREAM IN BELÉM (PA)

Abstract

This study applied the Rapid Assessment Protocol (RAP) to a stream located in the floodplain of the Guamá River, in Belém (PA), with the aim of assessing environmental quality under anthropogenic pressures resulting from daily land use and the construction of a new urban avenue. Four sampling sites were established along the right bank of the watercourse, where 22 environmental variables were analyzed, adapted from the method proposed by Callisto et al. (2001); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA. 1987) and Hannaford et al. (1997). Results revealed scores ranging from 53 to 65 points, classifying three sections as “altered” and only one as “natural.” The main impacts identified were associated with the absence of riparian vegetation, bank instability, sediment deposition, and low water transparency, processes linked to erosion and siltation. Conversely, parameters such as the presence of in-channel vegetation cover, the absence of unpleasant odor, and the lack of contamination by oils and greases indicate that the stream still preserves important ecological attributes typical of floodplain environments. These findings highlight the relevance of preserving and restoring such ecosystems, which, even under anthropogenic influence, continue to perform essential environmental functions that contribute to the integrity of natural systems.