Abstract

SOUZA, Fernando Basquiroto de  and  MENEZES, Carlyle Torres Bezerra de. Assessing Methodologies for Valuating Natural Resources and Environmental Damages in Coastal Ecosystems: A Case Study in an Area of Palhocinha Marsh, Garopaba, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. RGCI [online]. 2013, vol.13, n.2, pp.215-227. ISSN 1646-8872.

Environmental valuation is a technique used to measure the monetary value of a natural resource or an environmental damage, usually used for the purpose of environmental resource protection or in administrative or judicial lawsuits aiming a monetary compensation. Various methodologies are used, but Environment Factor, Departamento Estadual de Proteção de Recursos Naturais (DEPRN - State Department of Natural Resources Protection) and Cardoso Methodologies are the objects of this work, as they have more affinity with the engineering field and are likely to valuate the environmental damage in question, the fill of a marsh by a real estate enterprise in the town of Garopaba, Santa Catarina State in Brazil. The cost estimation for the recovery of environmental liability was carried out considering fill removal, its final disposal, manuring and planting seedlings in 10 hectares, resulting in the value of US$1,101,057.02. According to valuation methodologies such as Environment Factor, DEPRN and Cardoso, it was obtained, respectively, the values of US$2,202,114.04, US$17,616,912.36, and US$33,031,694.00. Among the applied methodologies, the Environment Factor demonstrated to be the simplest, not specifically approaching environmental damages; Cardoso, in relation to the damage, only considers its duration, not taking into account its frequency or extent; and DEPRN showed to be the most suitable. These methodologies, along with the assessment of environmental impacts, are important tools for public management of natural resources.

Keywords : Coastal ecosystems; Environmental valuation; DEPRN methodology; Environmental factor methodology; Cardoso methodology.

        · abstract in Portuguese     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )