MANGROVE VEGETATION STRUCTURE OF THE CAPIBARIBE RIVER, RECIFE - PE: MONITORING AND CONSERVATION

Abstract

The mangrove ecosystem is a coastal, transitional between the terrestrial and marine environment, characteristic of tropical and subtropical regions. It consists of woody plant species, called mangroves, to which an associated characteristic flora, creating favorable conditions for food, protection and reproduction of many animal species. The mangroves that thrive in estuaries that flow in the Metropolitan Region of Recife ecosystems are valuable to the city and its surroundings, but are undergoing various types of tensioners that come accelerating its degradation. The Capibaribe is one of the major rivers of Recife and the urban sprawl of recent decades has been responsible for the degradation of its environmental resources, especially mangroves, thus compromising the quality of life of coastal communities. In this context, the present work is to evaluate the structure of mangrove vegetation in the lower course of the river Capibaribe, to provide data for future conservation actions and monitoring the area. The structural characterization was adopted the methodology of multiple plots, demarcated at three sites in that swamp. The swamp was formed predominantly by the species Laguncularia racemosa, with structural parameters of average height ranging from 7.69 to 12.90 m and a maximum of 12 to 16 m and basal area average between 1.54 and 4.12 m² / ha . We recorded a minimum of 400 and a maximum of 4400 stems / ha and the density ranged from 400 to 2100ind/ha. The composition and structural data presented by mangrove vegetation in the lower course of the river Capibaribe reflect tensor anthropogenic actions to which the ecosystem is being submitted.