Environmental Control Index of the Protect Areas of Maranhão

Abstract

The present study aims to develop the Environmental Control Index – ECI (ICA, in portuguese) of the protect areas of Maranhão, based on the measurement of environmental and institutional indicators. This research seeks to represent the influence of territorial dynamics on the effectiveness of protected areas applied in 11 PAs of Maranhão. Methodologies such as the aforementioned become increasingly indispensable, in a scenario of institutionalization of conservation units and implementation of paper parks. It advances in this context, from the proposition and development of methods capable of considering the complexities of protected areas, such as the relation between local and regional scale, rapid application, high reproductive capacity and low subjectivity. For the development of the research, we used the multicriteria analysis method known as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), based on techniques linked to the Geographic Information System (GIS). In this way it was possible to identify that 18% of the PAs under analysis have an unsatisfactory level of effectiveness, while 18% have an unsatisfactory degree, 54% have a medium level and 18% have a satisfactory level. The consolidation of this methodology brings with it applied contributions to the optimization of planning, implementation and management of the protect areas of Maranhão, as well as in other locations, from this study.