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A GIS-based vulnerability assessment of coastal natural hazards, state of Pará, Brazil

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Abstract

Studies carried out in the NE coastal zone of the State of Pará (Brazil) have recorded, in the last 25 years, numerous evidence of natural impacts of the flood and erosion processes. As a consequence, diverse strategies and measures of population adaptation have been implemented but with limited success. Therefore, in order to subsidize the Coastal Zone Management Program of Pará, this paper aims to identify, assess and classify natural and socio-economic vulnerabilities of this coastal zone by means of a Geographical Information Systems (GIS)-based composite coastal vulnerability index (CVI). In spite of the data problems and shortcomings, using ESRI’s Arcview 3.2 program, the CVI score, to classify, weight and combine a number of 16 separate natural and socio-economic variables to create a single indicator provides a reliable measure of differences (5 classes) among regions and communities that are exposed to similar ranges of hazards. The results are presented in three maps referred to as Natural, Socioeconomic and Total Vulnerability. The confidence associated with the results obtained, the need to utilize another variables, and to frequently update the ones used already were analyzed and discussed.

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Acknowledgement

This study is a result of cooperation between the Centre of Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT), Bremen, Germany, and the Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil, under the Governmental Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Scientific Research and Technological Development between Germany and Brazil financed by the German Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF). (MADAM—Mangrove Dynamics and Management, project number 03F0154A) and the Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Tecnologia (CNPq).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Center of Geosciences, University Federal of Pará, Campus Universitário do Guamá, 66075-110, Belém, PA, Brazil

    Claudio Szlafsztein

  2. Institute of Geography, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Christian Albrecht University, Kiel, Germany

    Horst Sterr

Authors
  1. Claudio Szlafsztein
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  2. Horst Sterr
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Correspondence to Claudio Szlafsztein.

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Szlafsztein, C., Sterr, H. A GIS-based vulnerability assessment of coastal natural hazards, state of Pará, Brazil. J Coast Conserv 11, 53–66 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-007-0003-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-007-0003-6

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