ICHTHYOFAUNA AS AN INDICATOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OF THE LAVAPÉS RIVER, MUNICIPALITY OF BOTUCATU, SÃO PAULO STATE, BRAZIL.

• Grant number: 24/03001-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• End date: April 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Fishery Resources and Fishery Engineering - Inland Water Fishery Resources
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Cardoso Benine
• Grantee: Isabel Sleiman Cozman
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present study aims to evaluate the quality of the environment and patterns of diversity of fish species in a degraded urban river, the Lavapés River, located in the city of Botucatu, São Paulo State. With the expansion of the city of Botucatu, this river received increased amounts of untreated sewage in its bed for many decades. In 1962, the native forest of its watershed was suppressed mainly due to the expansion of sugarcane. In recent years actions have been taken to recover the Lavapés River, the most significant of them the expansion of the sewage collection and treatment system in the city of Botucatu by SABESP. Thus, the river, previously classified as class 4 according to CONAMA Resolution N°. 357 - 2005, was promoted from its 2,8 km highest stretch to class 3 in 2014, with an improvement in water quality. As it happens, no minimal information on the composition of the ichthyofauna in the Lavapés River has been collected. In addition, the stretch promoted to class 3 represents a small portion of the river compared to its totality. Thus, the present research aims to evaluate the environmental quality of the Lavapés River in response to environmental restoration actions through the systematic analysis of its ichthyofauna and water quality, comparing the high, medium, and low course portions in the different seasons of the year.