Search

The natural variability of geological, geomorphological, pedological, and hydrological elements can be described and assessed in terms of geodiversity. This geodiversity is intrinsically linked to biodiversity, since the physical environment provides the conditions in which biological elements develop. The use of geodiversity as a tool for environmental studies is of growing importance, describing and highlighting the importance of the physical environment and strengthening the idea of holistic approach of the nature. This work consisted of a qualitative mapping of the geodiversity in Armacao dos Buzios municipality, in Rio de Janeiro State, southeastern Brazil. Based on integration of the physical environment elements, geodiversity units were defined, in which the geological substrate, relief forms, and soil types are similar. The hydrological influence was also taken into account in specific units. Subsequently, each geodiversity unit was analyzed in terms of its regional type of vegetation, in order to investigate the correlation between spatial distributions of the physical and biological environments. As a result, a Geodiversity Map of Armacao dos Buzios was created, describing the physical environment of the area. The inclusion of data on vegetation types showed direct correspondence of the Geodiversity Map and the biological environment, since each geodiversity unit is occupied by specific vegetation types. This result shows that the use of geodiversity as a tool to understand vegetation distribution patterns is valid and should be explored further within the contexts of land management and nature conservation. It is expected that this product becomes a tool for territorial management and an incentive for the development of furthermore research focused on holistic approaches to nature.

The concept of geodiversity, which refers to the diversity of abiotic elements of nature, is passing through a period of methodological development. The concept has a great potential of becoming an efficient territorial management tool as the physical environment is the basis in which biodiversity and human societies develop. However, this potential has not yet been achieved because the methodologies of practical application are not consistent enough. This work aimed to contribute to this issue by applying a method of quantitative mapping of geodiversity at a landscape scale and integrating it to an urban growth map in Armacao dos Buzios municipality, located in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. On the basis of some of the most important previous proposals, a Geodiversity Index Map of Armacao dos Buzios was created, which shows the richness and distribution of the elements of geodiversity (geology, geomorphology, soils, and hydrology) throughout the territory. With this product, it was possible to identify the most geodiverse areas of the municipality. After that, an Urban Growth Map of Armacao dos Buzios was created by the photointerpretation of aerial photographs from 1976 to 2006, in which the urban areas in both dates were mapped, allowing the observation of how much the urban area grew during this time. By integrating these two maps, we were able to quantify the impacted areas in relation to the geodiversity. The results showed that urbanization impacted a significant portion of the areas classified with high and very high geodiversity indices, highlighting that the physical environment, and consequently the biodiversity, are under serious threat, and it must be taken into account in public policies and territorial management. In addition, this work aimed to contribute to the methodological development of the concept of geodiversity, which still needs more tests and discussions to be improved and widely applied, especially in nature conservation issues.

Poultry litter is widely used as fertilizer in soils and can be a relevant source of heavy metals for agricultural environments. In this study, poultry litter fertilization of long-term (