PANORAMA DA FLORESTA URBANA DE CURITIBA E CIDADES DO SUDESTE PARANAENSE: SERVIÇOS ECOSSISTÊMICOS EM UMA PERSPECTIVA SOCIOAMBIENTAL

Abstract

This study encompasses three chapters that focus on the complexities of urban planning and the importance of green infrastructure and urban forests' management in the cities of the southeast of Paraná, Brazil, compared to Curitiba (CWB), a model city in the region. Among the cities in the southeast of Paraná, Irati (IRT), Prudentópolis (PRD), Rebouças (RBC), and São Mateus do Sul (SMS) were evaluated. These cities were chosen for analysis due to the lack of public policies for urban planning and the need to assess the complex interactions between the urban landscape, ecosystem services, and socioeconomic inequalities. In the first chapter, an analysis of the urban landscape and urban forest of the study cities was carried out. This analysis used land use and land cover maps, which included the classes Water, Built, Bare Soil, Tree Vegetation, Non-Tree Vegetation, and Shadow, derived from high-resolution images (PlanetScope Dove) and machine learning techniques to assess landscape configuration through thirteen landscape metrics. The data obtained from the cities in the southeast of Paraná were compared to CWB using the Kruskal-Wallace test and Dunn's post-hoc test. The results highlighted significant differences in landscape configuration between cities, with CWB exhibiting higher values in some metrics due to its larger territorial extension, while SMS and RBC raised concerns regarding extensive built-up areas and a lack of urban forest cover. The analysis concluded that improvements in urban planning are needed, particularly in areas with substantial built-up coverage. The second chapter focused on assessing the availability of ecosystem services on a landscape scale, with estimates of total biomass (TB), total carbon stock (TCS), carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq), urban heat islands (UHI), and the extent of public green areas (AVP) in the southeast cities of Paraná compared to CWB. Indirect methods based on geotechnology were employed to estimate these ecosystem services. The comparison between CWB and the other cities followed the same methodology as described in the previous chapter. The results highlighted significant disparities in the availability of ecosystem services, with CWB exhibiting higher availability in all situations except for microclimate regulation. The analysis concluded that more effective management of urban forests and green infrastructure is essential in the cities of the southeast of Paraná to enhance quality of life and urban resilience. The third chapter explored urban social inequalities and their impact on access to ecosystem services, focusing on the accessibility to cultural ecosystem services of public green areas (AVP). Accessibility maps were generated for distances of 300 and 800 meters (ACS_AVP_300; ACS_AVP_800) and then correlated with socioeconomic indicators through Mann-Kendall analysis. CWB stood out in terms of accessibility, but inequalities in the distribution of AVP persist. Correlation analyses highlighted significant disparities, with areas subject to unfavorable socioeconomic conditions having lower accessibility to ecosystem services. Overall, the chapter concluded that there is substantial social injustice regarding a variety of factors, emphasizing the need for more equitable and sustainable urban planning policies in the southeast cities of Paraná. In summary, these three chapters collectively highlight the diversity in urban landscapes, emphasize the need for urban forest conservation, and point out the challenges associated with socioeconomic inequalities in the provision of ecosystem services. The insights from these analyses have the potential to inform urban planning policies and sustainability strategies, aiming to create a more resilient, equitable, and environmentally conscious urban future.