Amaro, Venerando EustaquioFrazão, Ana Paula Rodrigues Feitosa2021-11-052021-11-052021-04-01FRAZÃO, Ana Paula Rodrigues Feitosa. Problemas socioambientais na Região Metropolitana de Natal a partir das mudanças de uso e cobertura da terra entre os anos de 1984 e 2018. 2021. 91f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Geografia) - Centro de Ciências Humanas, Letras e Artes, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 2021.https://repositorio.ufrn.br/handle/123456789/44798In Brazil, about 60% of the population lives in coastal cities, occupying ecosystems considered to be of high environmental fragility due to environmental impacts occurred mainly by the conversion of natural land coverings into anthropic areas. On the eastern coast of the State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), the Metropolitan Region of Natal (RMN) develops; the fourth largest metropolitan region in the Northeast of Brazil, which presents a large part of its urban expansion over dune fields, with reduced land use and vegetation cover on the banks of estuaries and lagoons. The objective of this work is to evaluate the socio-environmental problems that occurred in the RMN beginning with the detection of changes in land use and land cover between the years 1984 and 2018 based on the LANDSAT images and Geoprocessing techniques. To this end, in 1984, 1992, 2000, 2010, and 2018, the expansion of the NMR area was mapped in terms of land use and coverage and integrated with census data. The results of land use and coverage indicate that in the 34 years analyzed, the area of vegetation quickly transformed into areas for human activities, mainly pastures. An intense urbanization process was also observed in the municipalities of Natal, Parnamirim, São Gonçalo do Amarante and Extremoz, confirming that urban growth in the RMN occurs over dune field areas and in a disorderly manner. In the RMN Conservation Units (CUs), the APA Piquiri-Una, Emaús and Bonfim-Guaraíra, have more than 60% of their banks converted into anthropic activities. In addition, the banks of estuaries, rivers and lagoons had their vegetation compromised by indiscriminate anthropic use. The RMN presents institutionalized metropolitanization, with fragmented urban areas and without articulation among municipalities on issues and environmental management, on land use and coverage, with the absence of environmental public policies or more specific and integrated legislation that enable new measures for preservation and conservation of CUs and the sustainable development of this coastal territory.Acesso AbertoDetecção de mudançaGeoprocessamentoZona costeiraLANDSATmasterThesis