Percepção sobre a arborização urbana no Bairro Camobi, Santa Maria - RS: estudo de um caso

Abstract

The present study had as objective to study the environmental perception and the citizen’s relationship in 3 Villas in Camobi County (Santos Dumont, Assunção and Estação Colônia) upon urban trees and to point out the main aims and conflicts around the topic and indicate goals to improve it, through a participative system. The methodology used as basis a questionnaire previously prepared with objective and opened questions. The application of the questionnaires was stipulated by randomized sampling, where in each three houses, a questionnaire was done, excepted the Santos Dumont Villa, where the interval was five residences. The questions were: number of people in each residence, education level, trees on the streets level, advantages and disadvantages presented by the urban trees, direction of needs to public and private organs referring to the implantation and maintenance of the urban trees, form of collaboration done by the citizens about trees implantation and maintenance and improvement of the urban trees and indication of species that they like to have and also the economic evaluation attributed by the citizen about the contingent valorization method. The main function of the urban trees for Camobi county, comes as a way to improve environmental conditions, by heating reduction (52,7%) and shade production (81,1%) in the months of higher temperatures, however there is a very intrinsic perception, where they think the tree is more considered another element of the urban furniture, with shelter functions (avoid heating) than a natural element, fundamental in the maintenance of the sustainability of the city and the man's approach with the natural way, because the main pointed disadvantage was the dirt caused by the leaves and fruits on the streets and sidewalks (28,8%). The attributed value from the urban trees for the residents of the studied Villas varied in the monetary strip from R$ 1,00 to 5,00 annually, except for Vila Assunção, where 100% of the interviewees, asserted that they in planting and maintenance. It is necessary to create a urban trees section in the Clerkship of Environmental Protection, with a fixed specialized staff to answer the people questions. As well as a higher responsibility from electric power and phone companies in hiring companies specialized in the services of urban trees and also that these companies have technicians to attend the whole population. It is delimited as priority, the creation of a program of technical orientation directed to the population in the neighborhood with the object to answer questions about planting, prunes and maintenance, looking for healing misunderstandings accomplished by the residents, caused by a deficient knowledge about the subject, and also a program of environmental education close to community upon the importance of the urban trees for the life quality improvement in the urban centers, and create partnerships between Municipal City hall, University and Energy and Telephone companies; it would bring good results. Besides these aspects it is important to talk in the program of environmental education the importance native flora species implantation, to maintain the animal biodiversity in the county and in the surrounded mountains.