Do protected areas enhance surface water quality across the Brazilian Amazon?

• Published in: Journal for nature conservation Vol. 81; p. 126684
• Main Authors: Zanin, Paulo Rodrigo, Barbosa Lopes Cavalcante, Rosane, Santos Fleischmann, Ayan, Peres, Carlos A., Mara Ferreira, Danieli, Afonso de Oliveira Serrão, Edivaldo, Rógenes Monteiro Pontes, Paulo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 01.09.2024
• Subjects: Brazilian Amazon; Environmental protected area; Hydrogeochemistry; Indigenous land; Water quality; Indigenous land; Brazilian Amazon; Hydrogeochemistry; Environmental protected area; Water quality
• ISSN: 1617-1381
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2024.126684

[Display omitted] •The effects of Amazonian protected areas on surface water quality are poorly studied.•The effect of protected areas on water quality is stronger in deforested regions.•Sediment loads in Amazonian rivers are lower inside than outside protected areas.•Protected areas enhance the quality of waters sourced from upstream unprotected areas. Protected Areas (PAs) are pivotal instruments in natural resource conservation and maintaining or enhancing ecosystem services, including hydrological functions. In the Amazon, the impact of PAs on the quality of river waters remains largely overlooked. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate whether Environmental Protected Areas (EPAs) and Indigenous Lands (ILs) efficiently protect the quality of surface waters in the Brazilian Amazon. Water quality variables from river gauge stations distributed across the lowlands Amazon are analyzed according to baseline river hydrogeochemistry classification, both inside and outside PAs. This study found that whitewater and clearwater rivers coursing within EPAs and ILs show lower turbidity and electrical conductivity compared to those outside PAs, likely due to the buffering effect of dense forest cover within protected landscapes. Moreover, data indicate that protected areas enhance the water quality from upstream unprotected landscapes in the Brazilian Amazon. These results highlight the need to further invest on effective mechanisms of water resource conservation across lowland tropical regions, and particularly in the Earth’s largest watershed.