ESTUDO DA PAISAGEM E ABORDAGEM SISTÊMICA PRESENÇA DO PROFESSOR AGOSTINHO PAULA CAVALCANTI NA GEOGRAFIA BRASILEIRA – PARTE I

Abstract

The present work is a scientific article whose purpose is to pay homage to an eminent Brazilian geographer who, during his academic and professional career, contributed significantly to the advancement of Brazilian geography: Professor Agostinho Paula Brito Cavalcanti (in memorian). Due to his dedication and personal donation directed towards the production of geographic knowledge, with incursions into geoecology and the study of the landscape in coastal areas, Professor Agostinho Cavalcanti made available a legacy of knowledge both in theory, methodology and technique, with recognized production scientific. Thus, this homage article is divided into two parts. In the first part, the work deals with the study of the landscape and the systemic approach through a conceptual analysis of the space in a theoretical perspective. The methods used consisted of desk research, through a bibliographical review, and analysis of the data collected to obtain information relevant to the themes in question. As a result, the main works on the historical evolution of Landscape Science from the end of the 19th century, its main precursors, as well as the development of landscape studies based on systemic methodology were analyzed. In its second part, this work seeks to contribute with two operational studies in the context of landscape analysis, both located in the area of influence of the Parnaíba River Basin, inserted in the states of Piauí and Maranhão. The research in question was developed from two phases: the first referred to the survey and bibliographical analysis related to the theme, and the second through field inspections, and later with analyzes related to the aspects of environmental sustainability of the above areas. As a result, landscape units were identified in the study areas (dissipated dunes, dunes in the process of stabilization and stabilized dunes, in addition to fluvio-marine plains, composed of mangroves). As for aspects of the environmental sustainability of the study areas, the natural and anthropic impacts were taken as a reference, where degradation processes are at an increasing pace, with a decrease in natural resources caused by changes that directly influence environmental conditions. Based on the conclusions obtained through this study of the landscape and a systemic approach, a set of proposals can be formulated to define and guide environmental planning and conservation actions.