Os Manguezais são ecossistemas de grande importância ecológica, social e econômica. Tendo em vista que estas áreas vêm sofrendo degradações, em especial a contaminação por resíduos e efluentes contendo metais pesados, que interferem na estabilidade ambiental, torna-se importante identificar o nível de interferências destes contaminantes sobre o desenvolvimento dos bosques que colonizam tais áreas. Assim sendo, a proposta deste estudo é avaliar os efeitos de metais sobre o estabelecimento de propágulos, mudas e indivíduos adultos de Rhizophora mangle (Mangue vermelho), espécie de ampla dispersão em Manguezais, buscando verificar a qualidade ambiental do ecossistema. Foram selecionadas três áreas localizadas nos municípios de Cubatão e São Vicente, na Baixada Santista - SP, grande pólo industrial regional e maior área portuária do país, além de uma área testemunha localizada na Ilha do Cardoso, Cananéia - SP. A Qualidade ambiental, na inexistência de um padrão de concentração de metais em plantas, foi avaliada com base concentração de cinco diferentes metais nos compartimentos solo, água, material vegetal e organismos, comparativamente entre áreas. A pior situação foi constatada para área localizada no Canal da Cosipa, intermediária para o Rio Cascalho e melhor no Manguezal do Rio Mariana. Verificou-se que a contaminação por metais está associada ao padrão do bosque (alterado em função do grau de degradação), sendo este um dos tensores ambientais responsáveis pela reposta negativa no estabelecimento de R. mangle na Baixada Santista. / Mangroves are ecosystems of great ecological and economical importance. Considering that these areas have been degradated, specially by deposition of solid wastes and liquid effluents containing heavy metals it becomes important to identify to what level these contaminants interfere on the development of plants that colonize such environs. Therefore, the aim of this study is assess the effects of heavy metals on the development of “propágulos", “plântulas" and “mudas" of the Mangue vermelho (Rhizophora mangle), specie which is widely spread on mangroves, in order to determine environmental quality at the mangrove. Three study areas with considerable degradation were selected in the municipalities of Cubatão and São Vicente, in the Baixada Santista - SP, industrial coastal region and greatest sea port of Brazil and a background non – contaminated area located on the Cardoso Island and in Cananéia. Due to the absence of a metal concentration standard for plants, environmental quality was assessed by comparison between five different metals determined in the soil, water, vegetation and organisms at the selected sites. Worst environmental conditions were found at the Cosipa Channel, intermediate at the Cascalho river and best at Mariana river. It was verified that metal concentration was associated with mangrove development (altered as a function of degradation level), being this a cause for the decreased establishment of R.mangle at the Baixada Santista area.

Os impactos ambientais do transporte assumem diversas formas e têm efeitos locais, regionais e globais. A crescente dimensão do tema desperta interesse mundial, expresso em inúmeras propostas voltadas à moderação dos impactos em áreas urbanas e em rodovias, bem como à integração entre transporte e sustentabilidade. O referencial teórico mostra que a recomendação de ações para redução de impactos ambientais depende de conhecimento do cenário de intervenção e também da compatibilidade entre propostas, características da área e necessidades da população local, ao passo que a análise do estado-da-arte em cidades globais baliza possíveis metas a atingir. O presente trabalho teve como objetivos criar uma metodologia de avaliação de impactos ambientais e investigar a relação entre transporte, qualidade ambiental e qualidade de vida em alguns locais de São Paulo. Tendo como norte os conceitos de transporte sustentável e desenho ambiental, foi elaborado um modelo de diagnóstico de qualidade ambiental e qualidade de vida. Para tanto, duas pesquisas foram aplicadas: uma subjetiva, caracterizando a demanda por infra-estrutura urbana e a qualidade de vida da população; e a outra objetiva, cujos resultados permitiram avaliar os impactos ambientais. As pesquisas ocorreram em 3 Subprefeituras do Município de São Paulo, sendo que a avaliação dos resultados teve como base o uso de alguns indicadores de qualidade ambiental e uma calculadora de externalidades, especialmente desenvolvidos para o estudo. A metodologia mostrou ser viável para diagnosticar a qualidade de vida da população local, as características físicas pontuais e os impactos ambientais resultantes do tráfego local. O levantamento facilitou a sugestão de uma série de intervenções pontuais, constituindo um instrumento de avaliação flexível e replicável em outras localidades. / The environmental impacts of transport take a myriad of forms and spread locally, regionally and globally. The growing dimension of the issue raises worldwide interest, translated into a series of proposals focused on the mitigation of such impacts in urban areas and motorways, as well as the integration between transport and sustainability. The theoretical framework has shown that the suggestion of mitigation measures requires knowledge about the target scenario, and also balance among proposals, features of the area and the local population?s needs, whereas the analysis of transport in global cities provide some state-of-the-art examples likely to be pursued. The main objectives were to create a methodology for the environmental impact assessment and to investigate the relationship among transport, environmental quality and quality of life at specific spots in the City of São Paulo. Taking into account the concepts of sustainable transport and environmental design, a model for the diagnosis of environmetal quality and quality of life was prepared. For this purpose, two different surveys were carried out: one concerning subjective aspects, featuring the demand for urban infrastructure and the population?s quality of life; and another concerning objective aspects, whose analysis enabled the assessment of environmental impacts. These surveys took place at three administrative regions in the City of São Paulo. The analysis relied on some environmental quality indicators and a simple calculator, especially devised for this project. The methodology has proved to be feasible for the appraisal of the local population?s quality of life, the physical characteristics of the sampled spots and the environmental impacts resulting from local traffic. The survey has facilitated the recommendation of a series of local interventions, making up a flexible and easily adaptable assessment tool.

Este trabalho busca avaliar a eficiência energética e o conforto, em ambiente climatizado artificialmente, dos Hotéis Econômicos de redes internacionais em São Paulo. A avaliação levada a cabo concentrou-se nas unidades habitacionais (UH) desses hotéis, principal produto oferecido por eles, possuidoras de sistema de ar condicionado (SAC), apesar das condições climáticas e das características do uso não determinarem essa necessidade. Com base nos levantamentos sobre as características dos Hotéis Econômicos, foi escolhido um hotel de uma rede internacional em São Paulo como estudo de caso. Nele, avaliou-se o desempenho térmico por meio de medições de temperatura e umidade relativa do ar em duas UH, durante cinco dias. As características físicas desse hotel foram utilizadas como modelo-base para as simulações computacionais realizadas no software TAS NG (2005). A partir dos resultados obtidos nas medições, definiram-se os critérios que seriam utilizados nas variações do modelo paramétrico, resultando em um total de sete cenários, com diferentes características como: vidros, cortina interna, taxa de ventilação e período determinado para ventilação. Levando-se em conta as condições climáticas da cidade de São Paulo e as características físicas e ocupacionais dos apartamentos, verificou-se que é possível obter conforto térmico sem o uso de SAC. Nessas condições, utilizou-se como critério de avaliação o modelo adaptativo da Norma ASHRAE 55 (2004). Os dados dos dias mais representativos de verão e inverno forma utilizados na análise dos ganhos de calor. Foi também avaliado, para o período de um ano, o consumo de energia elétrica do SAC, para resfriamento e aquecimento. Os resultados obtidos auxiliaram na proposição de recomendações de projeto para essa tipologia, buscando soluções que aprimoram o aproveitamento das condições naturais favoráveis para a obtenção de conforto térmico, possibilitando a redução do consumo de energia decorrente do SAC nestes ambientes. Para ilustrar algumas recomendações foram feitos estudos preliminares para as UH e para o pavimento tipo, considerando a integração do SAC com soluções de projeto de arquitetura que favoreçam o melhor desempenho energético de Hotéis Econômicos ou de qualquer categoria. / This work aims to evaluate the energy efficiency and comfort level, in airconditioned environments of budget hotels, from international chains, in São Paulo, Brazil. The evaluation was directed to the apartments which are the hotels main product featuring air conditioning, even though the climate conditions and usage profile dont determine its need. One hotel from an international chain was chosen as a case study based on research of budget hotels main features. The hotel had its thermal performance evaluated through air temperature and humidity measurements, in two apartments, for five days. Its physical characteristics were inputted into the TAS NG (2005) software as a base model for simulations. The measurements results defined the criteria used in the parametric model, resulting in a total of seven scenarios with different characteristics such as glass, internal shades, ventilating rates and period. Considering São Paulos climatic conditions, the physical and occupational characteristics of the apartments, it was verified that it is possible to reach thermal comfort without the use of air conditioning. The evaluating criterion used in these conditions was an adaptive model from the ASHRAE 55 (2004) Norm. Data from the most representative days of summer and winter were used in the analysis. There was also an evaluation of the energy consumption of the air condition- ing system, used for cooling and heating purposes, for a period of one year. The results favored the proposal for project recommendations for this typology, seeking solutions to improve the capacity to harness the favorable natural conditions to obtain thermal comfort, allowing for energy consumption reduction due to air conditioning. To illustrate the recommendations some preliminary studies were prepared for the apartments and pavement type, considering the integration of the air conditioning system with architectural design solutions that favor a better energy performance of budget hotels or of any other category.

Os impactos ambientais do transporte assumem diversas formas e têm efeitos locais, regionais e globais. A crescente dimensão do tema desperta interesse mundial, expresso em inúmeras propostas voltadas à moderação dos impactos em áreas urbanas e em rodovias, bem como à integração entre transporte e sustentabilidade. O referencial teórico mostra que a recomendação de ações para redução de impactos ambientais depende de conhecimento do cenário de intervenção e também da compatibilidade entre propostas, características da área e necessidades da população local, ao passo que a análise do estado-da-arte em cidades globais baliza possíveis metas a atingir. O presente trabalho teve como objetivos criar uma metodologia de avaliação de impactos ambientais e investigar a relação entre transporte, qualidade ambiental e qualidade de vida em alguns locais de São Paulo. Tendo como norte os conceitos de transporte sustentável e desenho ambiental, foi elaborado um modelo de diagnóstico de qualidade ambiental e qualidade de vida. Para tanto, duas pesquisas foram aplicadas: uma subjetiva, caracterizando a demanda por infra-estrutura urbana e a qualidade de vida da população; e a outra objetiva, cujos resultados permitiram avaliar os impactos ambientais. As pesquisas ocorreram em 3 Subprefeituras do Município de São Paulo, sendo que a avaliação dos resultados teve como base o uso de alguns indicadores de qualidade ambiental e uma calculadora de externalidades, especialmente desenvolvidos para o estudo. A metodologia mostrou ser viável para diagnosticar a qualidade de vida da população local, as características físicas pontuais e os impactos ambientais resultantes do tráfego local. O levantamento facilitou a sugestão de uma série de intervenções pontuais, constituindo um instrumento de avaliação flexível e replicável em outras localidades. / The environmental impacts of transport take a myriad of forms and spread locally, regionally and globally. The growing dimension of the issue raises worldwide interest, translated into a series of proposals focused on the mitigation of such impacts in urban areas and motorways, as well as the integration between transport and sustainability. The theoretical framework has shown that the suggestion of mitigation measures requires knowledge about the target scenario, and also balance among proposals, features of the area and the local population?s needs, whereas the analysis of transport in global cities provide some state-of-the-art examples likely to be pursued. The main objectives were to create a methodology for the environmental impact assessment and to investigate the relationship among transport, environmental quality and quality of life at specific spots in the City of São Paulo. Taking into account the concepts of sustainable transport and environmental design, a model for the diagnosis of environmetal quality and quality of life was prepared. For this purpose, two different surveys were carried out: one concerning subjective aspects, featuring the demand for urban infrastructure and the population?s quality of life; and another concerning objective aspects, whose analysis enabled the assessment of environmental impacts. These surveys took place at three administrative regions in the City of São Paulo. The analysis relied on some environmental quality indicators and a simple calculator, especially devised for this project. The methodology has proved to be feasible for the appraisal of the local population?s quality of life, the physical characteristics of the sampled spots and the environmental impacts resulting from local traffic. The survey has facilitated the recommendation of a series of local interventions, making up a flexible and easily adaptable assessment tool.

This study explores issues arising from the adoption of the term 'clean and green' for marketing New Zealand dairy products. Three dimensions of environmental quality were investigated: that of sustainable dairying and best practice for the benefit of farmers and the industry; resource management legislation and being a 'good neighbour'; and export marketing opportunities and issues. The study was undertaken during a time of major structural upheaval in the dairy industry, including yearly company amalgamations in the study area, rapid conversion of farmland to dairying, as well as factory expansion to process the increasing supply of product. The focus of the study was on the individual farmer, how perceptions and preferences are formed, and how in turn, these influence farm practice. World views drawn from Cultural Theory were adopted as the basis for analysis. Farmers were classified according to particular world views and the symbolic and reflexive use of concepts such as 'clean and green' was analysed. A model of overlapping ecological, agricultural and social systems was used to develop a wider understanding of preference formation. Through a mixed methodology, focusing on a case study approach, farmer and stakeholder world views were compared on key themes, including the 'clean green' pastoral myth, 'cues for care' and environmental issues. Media discourse as well as consumer views were used to expand understanding of the context. The study found that both farmers (within their groups) and stakeholders held different objectives and opinions on environmental issues and options for change, based on their various world views and preferences. There was general agreement both among farmers and stakeholders on the New Zealand 'clean green' image and 'cues for care', or signs that indicate good farm management. The reason for this was demonstrated to be the way in which these two aspects are communicated; through symbolic images that each individual perceived in terms of their respective world view. A symbolic form of action, an environmental management system, was trialled with farmers. Analysis indicated that national aspirations created by the 'clean green' pastoral myth required farmers to respond to environmental expectations, but that an image that symbolized environment as care and quality, rather than as place was needed to provide a less ambiguous goal. The findings of the trial were integrated with theory to interpret context and develop policy, strategy and action proposals for a system for environmental quality for the industry. The study has implications for non-regulatory mechanisms relevant to sustainable dairy farming, communication within the rural community, and branding.

All life forms require the nutrient phosphorus and it cannot be substituted by any other element. The global cycle of phosphorus is special among the major biogeochemical cycles, since it has no significant gaseous compounds and only closes every 10-100 million years. However, human activities, as application of mineral fertilizers, conversion of natural ecosystems to arable land and releases of untreated waste, intensify remarkably thephosphorus flows. The problems with linear flows of a limited resource leading to eutrophication of aquaticenvironments, for instance, have generated national environmental quality objectives for phosphorus in Sweden. The main objective of this master thesis is to get a holistic overview of how phosphorus is moving through Gothenburg today, using Material Flow Analysis as method. The spatial system boundary is the municipality of Gothenburg and the temporal system boundary is the year of 2009. One way of dealing with the linear flows ofphosphorus might be to develop the wastewater systems used in Gothenburg today. Possible changes in phosphorus flows, if kitchen grinders or urine-diverting toilets were installed in Gothenburg, are evaluated. In order to make the phosphorus management more sustainable, the linear flows have to be closed to a larger extent than today. One way towards this ambition is to emphasize other fertilizers than the mineral ones, like urine and low-contaminated sludge. The MFA shows that the absolutely largest input of phosphorus to Gothenburg is via the food. The two large outputs of the same magnitude are the digested sludge from the wastewater treatment plant of Rya and the ashes from the waste-fuelled district heating power plant of Sävenäs. About 7% of the phosphorus input to Gothenburg continues into the aquatic environment. According to this study, urine diversion and separate collection of food seem prospective in order to decrease the phosphorus flows in digested sludge from the wastewater treatment plant, ashes and aquatic deposition. An additional advantage would be generation of recycled fertilizing products with good quality. / Näringsämnet fosfor är nödvändigt för alla levande organismer och kan inte ersättas av något annat grundämne. Den globala fosforcykeln är speciell då den inte innehåller några gasformiga föreningar och sluts var 10-100 miljonte år. Användning av konstgödsel, omvandling av tidigare orörda ekosystem till odlingsmark och utsläppav förorenat avfall är exempel på mänskliga aktiviteter som intensifierar fosforflöden. Problemet med att linjäraflöden av denna begränsade resurs leder till övergödning av vattenmiljöer har genererat nationella miljömål i Sverige för fosfor. Det huvudsakliga målet med detta examensarbete är att få en översikt av hur fosfor rör sig genom Göteborg idag med hjälp av substansflödesanalys. Den rumsliga systemgränsen är kommungränsen för Göteborg och den tidsmässiga avgränsningen är året 2009. Ett sätt att förbättra de linjära fosforflödena kan vara att utveckla deavloppssystem som idag används i Göteborg. Förändringarna som uppstår i fosforflödena vid installation av urinsorterande toaletter alternativt köksavfallskvarnar undersöks. Linjära flöden måste bli återcirkulerade i en högre utsträckning än idag ifall fosforhushållningen ska gå mot hållbarhet. Ett sätt att nå denna ambition är att lyfta fram andra gödselprodukter än konstgödsel, exempelvis urin och renare slam. Flödesanalysen visar att det definitivt största inflödet av fosfor till Göteborg är via livsmedel. De två största fosforutflödena, båda i samma storleksordning, är rötat slam från Ryaverket och aska från sopförbränningsanläggningen Sävenäs. Cirka 7% av den fosfor som flödar in i Göteborg fortsätter vidare ut i vattenmiljön. Enligt denna studie verkar urinsortering och separat insamling av matavfall vara goda lösningar för en framtid med mindre fosfor i slammet från Rya och i aska samt till vattenmiljön. En ytterligare fördel skulle vara erhållandet av hållbara gödselprodukter med god kvalitet. / <p>This master thesis has also been published as a technical report at Chalmers with Report No. 2011:124.</p>

Understanding the patterns and processes that create differences among individuals in components of fitness, like the probability of survival or reproductive rates, is essential to our knowledge of population dynamics and for informing conservation efforts. For organisms in seasonal environments, early-breeding individuals regularly attain higher fitness than their late-breeding counterparts. Two primary hypotheses, related to quality and date, have been proposed to explain lower reproductive success of late breeders, but the veracity of these ideas has not been fully resolved. I tested predictions associated with these hypotheses to assess the effects of indices of parental and environmental quality on nestling quality and survival in an insectivorous passerine, the tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), at two widely separated breeding locations in western Canada. I combined experiments and statistical modelling of observational data to evaluate two mechanisms proposed to contribute to seasonal decline in environmental quality: an increase in nest parasite abundance and a decrease in food abundance with later breeding dates. A parasite reduction experiment revealed a disproportionate benefit of parasite removal on length of primary feather for early-hatched nestlings, suggesting greater energetic constraints early in the breeding season. Furthermore, late-hatched nestlings from parasite-reduced nests had longer head-bill lengths than their control counterparts, and developed head-bills of similar length to those of early-hatched nestlings. Other than these findings, there were few detectable effects of parasites on nestling size, growth and immunity, as has been reported from several previous studies. Indeed, negative effects of parasites were only apparent when food (i.e., insect) biomass was considered. In a second series of experiments in which parental quality was controlled, I also tested whether food abundance declined during the breeding season, as predicted if environmental conditions deteriorate seasonally (i.e., date). Reduced reproductive success of late-breeding individuals was causally related to a seasonal decline in environmental quality. Declining insect biomass and enlarged brood sizes resulted in nestlings that were lighter, in poorer body condition, had shorter head-bills, shorter and slower growing ninth primary feathers and that were less likely to survive to fledge. Next, I asked whether results obtained from long-term mark-recapture data corroborated findings of short-term manipulations. I examined seasonal variation in first-year apparent survival to investigate the relative influence of large-, small- and individual-scale factors associated with the quality and date hypotheses. Although parental quality was an important predictor of first-year apparent survival of tree swallows, my results further suggested that quality of parents was not the primary factor influencing seasonal variation in first-year apparent survival. Rather, findings were most consistent with the date hypothesis. The relationship between apparent survival and a direct measurement of environmental quality indicated that annual variation in moisture had important consequences for first-year apparent survival of tree swallows in Saskatchewan. First-year apparent survival probabilities were higher during wet years and wetter conditions are generally linked to greater insect abundance. In British Columbia, nestlings from larger broods were less likely to survive, possibly as a result of receiving less food. Apparent survival probabilities were also higher when food was more abundant. I demonstrated that both parental and environmental quality influenced seasonal variation in fitness-related traits of tree swallows. However, the strongest evidence suggests that environmental quality, and in particular food abundance, had the greatest effect on seasonal variation in nestling quality, reproductive success and first-year apparent survival in tree swallows. My results highlight the importance of considering regional precipitation trends when projecting effects of climate change on demography of aerial insectivores.

The overall aim of this thesis is to present a model for rational goal-setting and to illustrate how it can be applied in evaluations of public policies, in particular policies concerning sustainable development and environmental quality. The contents of the thesis are divided into two sections: a theoretical section (Papers I-IV) and an empirical section (Papers V-VII). Paper I identifies a set of rationality criteria for single goals and discusses them in relation to the typical function of goals. It is argued that goals are typically set to enhance goal achievement. A goal that successfully furthers its achievement is “achievement-inducing”. It holds for each of the identified criteria that, ceteris paribus, improved satisfaction of a criterion makes a goal better in the achievement-inducing sense.Paper II contains an analysis of the notion of goal system coherence. It is argued that the coherence of a goal system is determined by the relations that hold among the goals in the system, in particular the relations of operationalization, means and ends, support, and conflict. Paper III investigates the rationality of utopian goals. The paper analyzes four arguments that support the normative criterion of attainability: that utopian goals are (1) too imprecise and (2) too far-reaching to guide action effectively, (3) counterproductive, and (4) morally objectionable. A tentative defence of utopian goal-setting is built on counter-arguments that can be put forward to weaken each of the four objections. Paper IV investigates the nature of self-defeating goals. The paper identifies three types of situations in which self-defeating mechanisms obstruct goal achievement: (1) situations in which the goal itself carries the seeds of its own non-fulfilment (self-defeating goals), (2) situations in which the activity of goal-setting contributes to goal failure (self-defeating goal-setting), and (3) situations in which disclosure of the goal interferes with progress (self-defeating goal disclosure). Paper V provides a brief description of the Swedish system of environmental objectives and a preliminary inventory of the management difficulties that attach to this goal system.Paper VI contains an investigation into the rationality of five Swedish environmental objectives through an application of the rationality criteria identified in Papers I-II. The paper identifies and discusses some difficulties that are associated with management by objectives and the use of goals in environmental policy. Paper VII analyses the rationality of the Swedish environmental quality objective A good built environment. Among the conclusions drawn in the paper are that some of the sub-goals to the objective are formulated in terms that are unnecessarily vague from an action-guiding standpoint and that others are problematic from the viewpoint of evaluability. / QC 20100715

This study aimed to assess the relationships (if any) between air pollutant measurements in the Durban South Basin (DSB) and (i) local meteorology, (ii) community reports of pollution incidents in Durban, and (iii) air quality and meteorology in Cape Town on the days preceding the Durban South Basin events. With the use of daily synoptic charts and various meteorological variables at an hourly resolution, it was established that air pollution events were better associated with local meteorological events than a community complaint database. Visual analyses of graphed meteorological conditions during the course of air pollution events revealed three clear meteorological scenarios associated with these: 1. A pre-frontal scenario; 2. A scenario showing inversion conditions but no approaching front, and generally low wind speeds; and 3. A post-frontal scenario, likely to be associated with stack downwash under higher wind speeds with the passing of a front. ANOVA revealed significant differences between peak PM10 and average PM10 across scenarios, with Scenario 3 showing highest average and peak PM10. At the Wentworth monitoring station, 24.4% of pollution incidents fell under Scenario 1, 64.2% under Scenario 2, and 5.7% under Scenario 3 between 2006 and 2010. A further 5,7% of the air pollution incidents did not fall under these three scenarios. The latter were not associated with fronts, and did not show inversion conditions, and are likely to be associated with intermittent industrial pollution events. Further statistical analysis assessed the relationships (if any) between various meteorological variables, traffic levels and air pollution concentrations at the Wentworth station between 2006 and 2010. Findings show that delta temperature (change in temperature with height) is the strongest explanatory variable with respect to PM10, wind speed the second strongest, and traffic levels the third strongest. On average, PM10 concentrations increased with increasing delta temperature, decreasing wind speed, and increasing traffic levels. The pressure minimum at Durban associated with an approaching front showed a negative relationship with PM10 during pre-frontal events, but this variable was not significant at the 95% confidence level. This tentatively suggests that even when controlling for frontal influences on delta temperature, lower pressure minima (i.e. stronger frontal systems) are associated with higher pollution levels. Pollution maxima at various Cape Town stations and pressure minima in Cape Town prior to the incident in the DSB showed no relationships with incident PM10 levels at Wentworth. As such, pollution concentrations and meteorology in Cape Town as a front approaches do not appear to be effective predictors of pollution conditions in the DSB when the front approaches there. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

O Complexo Lagunar de Jacarepaguá, localizado no município do Rio de Janeiro, região sudeste do Brasil, é formado pelas lagunas de Jacarepaguá, Camorim, Tijuca e Marapendi. Estas lagunas estão interligadas ao mar pelo canal da Joatinga e têm como afluentes rios e canais que vertem dos maciços da Tijuca e da Pedra Branca. Recebem esgotos sanitários e efluentes industriais, além de contribuições difusas de águas de drenagem e circulação das massas de águas de várias origens, com elevada carga de poluição. A eutrofização cultural aliada aos processos de evolução de ecossistemas costeiros produziu um estado de degradação destas águas com constantes florações de cianobactérias potencialmente tóxicas. O presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar a ocorrência das cianobactérias (Classe Cyanophyceae) no Complexo Lagunar de Jacarepaguá e corroborar a hipótese de serem boas indicadoras de qualidade ambiental de águas salobras. Foi realizado um monitoramento ambiental nas lagunas de Jacarepaguá, Camorim, Tijuca e Marapendi, nos anos de 2004 a 2006, sendo analisados parâmetros físicos, químicos e biológicos. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram a dominância e a persistência das cianobactérias em elevadas concentrações de nutrientes, caracterizando a hipereutrofização dessas lagunas. As estratégias ecológicas das cianobactérias garantiram sua dominância em quase todo o período amostral e demonstraram ser um refinado sensor das variáveis ambientais. A salinidade não foi um fator de limitação ao desenvolvimento desses microorganismos. Desta forma, este estudo, oferece subsídios para gestão de recursos hídricos, corroborando com a legislação CONAMA 357/05-MMA, na sugestão de indicação deste parâmetro de qualidade ambiental também para ambientes salobros na classe 1. / The Jacarepaguá Lagoon Complex, located in the state of the Rio of Janeiro, in Southeast of Brazil, is formed by the lagoons of Jacarepaguá, Camorim, Tijuca and Marapendi. These lagoons are interconnected to the sea by the Joatinga canal and receive contribution from tributary rivers and channels that come from Tijuca and Pedra Branca massifs. They receive industrial and domestic effluents, including diffuse contributions of the drainage basin, as well as water circulation from several origins, with a high pollution load. The cultural eutrophication associated with coastal ecosystems evolution processes, have produced a state of degradation of these waters with frequent waterblooms of potentially toxic cyanobacteria. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the presence of Cyanobacteria (Class Cyanophyceae) in the Jacarepaguá Lagoon Complex and also to corroborate the hypothesis of using them as a good bioindicators of environmental quality in brackish waters. An environmental monitoring program has been carried out in the lagoons of Jacarepaguá, Camorim, Tijuca and Marapendi from 2004 to 2006, including physical, chemical and biological parameters analysis. The results showed the dominance and persistence of Cyanobacteria at high concentrations of nutrients, characterizing the hypereutrofication of these lagoons. The ecological strategies of Cyanobacteria were responsible for their dominance in almost the whole period of study and demonstrated that they can be used as a good sensor of environmental variables. The salinity did not demonstrate to be a limiting factor to the development of these microorganisms. In this way, this study provides subsidies for water resources management, corroborating with Brazilian legislation (CONAMA 357/05- MMA) suggesting the inclusion of Cyanobacteria as a parameter of environmental quality in brackish environments classified as Class 1.