Urban Expansion and Environmental Perception: an Analysis of the Human-Mangrove Relationship in the City of Marapanim, Para

This study aimed to analyze the urban expansion and environmental perception present in the human-mangrove relationship in the city of Marapanim-PA. To this end, semi-structured forms were applied to 81 residents around the mangroves, distributed in three neighborhoods: Barraca, Centro and Novo, as well as the use of non-participating observation methods and field diary, during the year 2017. For the quantitative data on socioeconomic profile, human occupation, use of natural resources and environmental perception, frequencies were calculated, and other information was analyzed qualitatively using the content analysis method. The interviewees had a very heterogeneous socioeconomic profile and, despite relative improvements in living conditions, lived in public areas with poor sanitation and urban infrastructure, affecting the use of natural resources and environmental perception. Such use of mangroves occurred on a small scale, if compared to past times, and the perception of some interviewees evidenced problems and socio-environmental impacts, which, by the way, stemmed from the activities of the local inhabitants themselves, while care for the medium was limited and punctual. Interventions by federal agencies for urban planning and the strengthening of educational actions for residents to carry out mangroves as a Permanent Preservation Area are suggested.