Analysis of the Conservation Status of Urbanized Tropical Springs in Southeastern Brazil

Abstract

Springs are extremely important for the maintenance of the hydrological cycle, contributing to the improvement of the population's quality of life. In this sense, this research aimed to analyse the conservation status of three springs in the watersheds of Mineirinho and Paraíso streams located in the city of São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil, in order to understand the possible causes of its conditions. The Integrated Assessment and Monitoring Protocol for Springs of Water Streams (PANÁgua) was applied, whose structure is summarized in three stages: field assessment, bibliographic research and analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). As a result, it was identified that the three springs assessed in both watersheds are in a conservation status classified as “bad”. The main cause of this condition can be attributed to their locations, which are identified as urbanized areas, which results in a lack of natural vegetation, the presence of strong erosion processes and irregular dumping of sewage and rainwater. Furthermore, the disposal of various solid residues in the Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) of the studied springs was also observed. The results show the need to prioritize environmental management actions in urbanized watersheds, as well as expand research on the status of tropical watersheds in Brazil.