Mapping the Potential Environmental Fragility of the Physical Environment in the Urban Área of the Municipality of Labrea – South of Amazonas

Abstract

The population of Labrea – AM is estimated at 46,069 inhabitants, almost 70% live in the urban area. The migration of the countryside-city populational has led to the indiscriminate expansion of Labrea's urban space. Therefore, it is common to find households in areas unsuitable for housing installatioan, not only from the point of view of environmental fragility but also from a geotechnical point of view. Thus, the study objective was carry out the diagnosis of potential environmental fragility in the urban area of the municipality Labrea. The methodological procedures were organized in stages: 1) organizational architecture of the data in the GIS; 2) cartographic base preparation and digital image processing and; 3) determination of potential fragility classes based on the method of individualization of unstable and stable ecodynamic units. The classes of potential fragility were obtained from the method of individualization of unstable and stable ecodynamic units. The city of Labrea presents areas with weak, medium and strong potential environmental fragility corresponding to 33.18%, 7.3% and 51.63% respectively. The morphologic units of the plain and the river valleys proved to be more sensitive to changes in the natural system. On the other hand, the depression units and fluvial terraces showed medium and weak environmental fragility, favorable conditions for the planned expansion of urbanization.