Indicadores geoespaciais para avaliação do impacto ambiental da suinocultura no licenciamento em âmbito municipal

The objective of this work was to propose and evaluate geospatial indicators to analyze the environmental impact of swine production on licensing at municipal level. The study was conducted in the municipality of Quinze de Novembro, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Environmental indicators in farmlands and watersheds were evaluated. A geospatial database was created using Geographic Information Systems and a systematic survey of swine farmers and farmlands receiving pig slurry, which included swine farms, current land use, soil types, drainage net, and digital elevation model. The geospatial indicators obtained with the geoprocessing tools were: watershed areas with application of swine slurry; areas of permanent preservation and for recovery; application rate of swine slurry; slope; resistance to degradation; distance between farmlands with swine slurry application and watercourse; width of potential buffer zone between farmlands and watercourse; distance between swine barns and watercourse; conflict between facilities and preservation areas; and areas that need environmental recovery. The interpretation of these indicators enables evaluating the potential environmental impacts of swine production in farmlands and watersheds where they are located, which allows to identify the locations with greater risks and to aid the environmental licensing of this activity.O objetivo deste trabalho foi propor e avaliar indicadores geoespaciais para analisar o impacto ambiental da atividade suinícola no licenciamento em âmbito municipal. O estudo foi conduzido no Município de Quinze de Novembro, RS. Foram avaliados indicadores ambientais em glebas agrícolas e bacias hidrográficas. Uma base de dados geoespacial foi criada, com uso de Sistemas de Informações Geográficas e de levantamento sistemático dos suinocultores e das glebas que recebem dejetos líquidos de suínos, o que incluiu propriedades suinícolas, uso atual das terras, tipos de solos, rede de drenagem e modelo digital do terreno. Os indicadores geoespaciais obtidos com as ferramentas de geoprocessamento foram: áreas da bacia com aplicação de dejetos suínos; áreas de preservação permanente existentes e a serem recuperadas; taxa de aplicação de dejetos; declividade; resistência à degradação; distância entre glebas com aplicação de dejetos e curso d’água; largura da faixa com potencial de amortecimento para dejetos entre glebas e curso d’água; distância entre instalação suinícola e curso d’água; conflito de instalações com área de preservação; e áreas que requerem recuperação ambiental. A interpretação desses indicadores possibilita avaliar os impactos ambientais potenciais da atividade suinícola nas propriedades rurais e nas bacias em que estão localizadas, o que permite identificar os locais de maior risco e subsidiar o licenciamento ambiental da atividade

The complete genome sequence of Chromobacterium violaceum reveals remarkable and exploitable bacterial adaptability

Chromobacterium violaceum is one of millions of species of free-living microorganisms that populate the soil and water in the extant areas of tropical biodiversity around the world. Its complete genome sequence reveals (i) extensive alternative pathways for energy generation, (ii) ≈500 ORFs for transport-related proteins, (iii) complex and extensive systems for stress adaptation and motility, and (iv) wide-spread utilization of quorum sensing for control of inducible systems, all of which underpin the versatility and adaptability of the organism. The genome also contains extensive but incomplete arrays of ORFs coding for proteins associated with mammalian pathogenicity, possibly involved in the occasional but often fatal cases of human C. violaceum infection. There is, in addition, a series of previously unknown but important enzymes and secondary metabolites including paraquat-inducible proteins, drug and heavy-metal-resistance proteins, multiple chitinases, and proteins for the detoxification of xenobiotics that may have biotechnological applications