Multitemporal analysis of the coastline of the Maracá Jipioca ecological station, state of Amapá

Abstract

Conservation units are strategies adopted by the government to preserve areas of significant environmental interest, being incorporated as instruments of the National Environmental Policy of 1981. Created by Federal Decree No. 86.061, on June 2, 1981, with the main objective of ensuring the permanent protection of ecosystems and natural resources, the Maracá-Jipioca Ecological Station (EEMJ), with an original area of 58,756.95 hectares, represents one of the most restrictive categories of the National System of Conservation Units (SNUC). As it is a coastal island located at the mouth of the Amazon River, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean, the EEMJ presents unique characteristics, with intense dynamic processes that continuously shape and alter its form. The objective of this article is to use remote sensing images to conduct a multitemporal analysis of the variation in the coastline of the Maracá Jipioca Ecological Station up to the year 2023. The results indicate intense morphological variations, with a predominance of erosive processes. The reshaping of the conservation unit’s landscape is influenced by the dynamics of the Amazon River, the Atlantic Ocean, and atmospheric processes. For management purposes, the territorial extension of the unit is important for both monitoring actions and legal validation, as well as for the constant updating of the unit's boundaries, given its unique location in one of the most dynamic areas on the planet.