Serviços ecossistêmicos no Parque da Cidade Dom Nivaldo Monte, Natal-RN

Abstract

The present work aims at the identification and anlyze of Ecosistem Services in the Dom Nivaldo Monte City Park, located in the municipality of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. Ecosistem Services are services offered by nature through its elements, which provide human well-being and have a great relevance in environmental education and nature conservation. In large cities, ecosystem services are obtained through urban parks, elements of great relevance for environmental quality and social life. The Dom Nivaldo Monte City Park was created through Municipal Decree N°8.078 of 2006, and inaugurated in 2008 as a Conservation and Integral Protection Unit, in the Municipal Natural Park category, aimed to preserve the ecosystem characteristic of the dune field, located in environmental Protection Zone 1 (ZPA 1). The identification of the ecosystem services of the Park was made through the Common Internacional Classification of Ecosistem Services (CICES), and based on their tables, It was possible to identify the existence of the services according to each category – Provision, Regulation and Maintenance, and Cultural. The importance of identification is due to the fact that many of these services and benefits are unknown, however the recognition by the population and public agencies can influence awareness and improvement in the preservation and maintenance of the Park. After identification, is was analyzed through the application of questionnaires, the perception of the regulars and non-regulars of the Park about the ecosystem services offered by It, and to evaluate the degree of importance of this for the interviewees. The target audience of this research were the regulars found in the City Park, and the residents of the Pitimbu neighborhood, users and non-users of the Park. With the analyses is was possible to notice that the interviewees can identify some of the manu services provided by the Park, such as breathing a purer air, feeling the most pleasant climate, and realize the importance of maintaining and preserving the área, for a better quality of life of the population. It is expected that this research can contribute as an instrument to assist in the management and preservation of the City Park, as well as a tooll to generate knowledge and data for society and encourage awareness and preservation of the studied area.