MODELAGEM DA VULNERABILIDADE À DESERTIFICAÇÃO NO ALTO SERTÃO DO ESTADO DE SERGIPE POR ANÁLISE MULTICRITERIAL

Abstract

Environmental vulnerability refers to the exposure of the environment to risks, which may result from intrinsic or extrinsic characteristics. One of the main imminent environmental risks in the semi-arid regions of Brazil is the desertification process. Therefore, this work aims to characterize the vulnerability to desertification in the territory of the Alto Sertão de Sergipe in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. The technical procedure consisted of the integration, using the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) method, of 5 criteria (pedology, slope, vegetation cover, rainfall and drainage density), used as indicators for monitoring desertification. The results obtained, in the study region, denote a predominance of areas with medium (50.04%) and strong (43.6%) vulnerability to desertification, areas of very low vulnerability are non-existent and low ones are insignificant (4 .54%). Thus, the study area is characterized as a region highly vulnerable to desertification, requiring the implementation of structured public policies in order to contain and mitigate this environmental degradation process, such as encouraging the adoption of agroforestry systems and expanding areas of permanent conservation.