The Cantareira System is one of the largest water supply systems in the world, supplying about half of the water consumed by 22 million inhabitants in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil. In this scenario, in view of climate change, silting is a serious environmental threat and a major challenge to the sustainability of water reservoirs. Therefore, identifying the provenance of sediments is an essential tool to support soil conservation policies, slowing erosion processes and mitigating the deposition of sediments in water reservoirs. Thus, this study aimed to model soil losses—sediment production, by water erosion in the Cantareira System, based on the RUSLE model—Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, GIS—Geographic Information System and SR—Remote Sensing. The work was conducted on data obtained from online platforms of Brazilian public institutions. The results indicate an average rate of soil loss of 13 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, which corresponds to an annual loss of 3 million tons, of which 22% reaches water bodies. The data also show that: (1) in 66 % of the Cantareira System, soil losses are below the soil loss tolerance limits, and, in 34% of the region, water erosion is compromising the sustainability of water and soil resources; (2) the areas with the greatest soil losses are predominantly located in planted forests, agricultural crops and non-vegetated areas; and (3) sectors with high rates of soil loss require the adoption of conservationist practices aimed at reducing sediment production rates and thereby increasing supply and improving water quality.

Este artigo tem como objetivo estabelecer as principais diferenças existentes entre a definição de áreas verdes e espaços livres, degradação ambiental e impacto ambiental. A metodologia empregada baseou-se em reflexões teóricas, através de pesquisa bibliográfica sobre os termos, por meio de trabalhos publicados em congressos, periódicos, livros, dissertações e teses. Verificou-se, que as áreas verdes e as áreas livres, se configuram como um subsistema do sistema de áreas livres e a principal diferença entre esses dois grupos, diz respeito ao predomínio de áreas plantadas, onde, em áreas verdes, predominam as áreas plantadas com 70% de cobertura vegetal em solo permeável, correspondendo, em geral, o que se conhece como parques, jardins ou praças. Concluiu-se que os termos degradação ambiental e impacto ambiental têm diferenças e não são iguais. O termo degradação ambiental, se refere apenas para impactos negativos que ocorrem no meio ambiente, não possuindo nenhum caráter positivo em si, diferentemente do termo impacto ambiental, que pode apresentar um lado positivo, uma frente benéfica para o meio ambiente. Concluiu-se que, as conceituações acerca dos termos áreas verdes e espaços livres, degradação ambiental e impacto ambiental, se apresentam de uma forma ampla e às vezes generalizada, necessitam rapidamente que se crie um consenso destes termos entre a comunidade científica, uma padronização dos grupos, que se encontram hoje em dia de maneira inadequada, sendo utilizados como sinônimos, quando na verdade se diferenciam em muitos aspectos, as características e funções são diferentes na grande maioria das vezes. Palavras chave: Áreas verdes; espaços livres; degradação ambiental; impacto ambiental. Abstract This article aims to establish the main differences between the definition of green areas and open spaces, environmental degradation and environmental impact. The methodology was based on theoretical reflections by literature search on the terms through papers published in conferences, journals, books, dissertations and theses. It was found that the green areas and open spaces, are configured as a subsystem of the system of open spaces and the main difference between these two groups, with regard to the prevalence of planted areas, where in green áreas, dominated by planted areas with 70 % of vegetation cover in permeable soil, corresponding, in general, what is known as parks, gardens and parks. It was concluded that the environmental impact and environmental degradation have differences and terms are not equal. The term environmental degradation, refers only to negative impacts that occur in the environment, not having any positive nature themselves, unlike the term environmental impact, which can have a positive side, front beneficial to the environment. In conclusion, the concepts about the terms green areas and open spaces, environmental degradation and environmental impact, are presented in a comprehensive way and sometimes widespread, rapidly require you to create a consensus of these terms between the scientific community, standardization of groups, which are today inadequately and are used interchangeably, when in fact differ in many respects, the features and functions are different in most cases.Keywords: Green spaces; open spaces; environmental degradation; environmental impact.

Low fluvial terraces present azonal spatialization, encompassing several geomorphological compartments and climate zones in Brazil. Their genesis is directly related to river dynamics. When influenced by allogenic forces, such as Holocene climate pulses, it results in channel incision and posterior abandonment of the floodplain. Relatively plain landforms at different altimetric levels identified between the current floodplain and hillslope (low river terraces) are a result of these processes. Previous works using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) in low terraces of several rivers in Brazil have indicated morpho-chronologic similarities between depositional events, raising the hypothesis of feedbacks and fluvial adjustments relatively simultaneous to Holocene climate events. Considering these dynamics, this study employed OSL to obtain absolute dating information for 114 samples taken from distinct levels of the low river terraces of 30 rivers in Brazil, integrating the database of the IG-UNICAMP laboratory of Geomorphology and Environmental Analysis. Based on the data and statistical analysis (cluster and correlation analysis), this study aimed to identify relationships between different variables which might have controlled spatial homogenous and heterogeneous feedbacks during distinct paleoenvironmental contexts. The proposed methodology tested a fundamental hypothesis of the regional climatic geomorphology, and the results obtained may contribute to future discussions on the relationship between low river terraces and anthropic occupation.

Water erosion has severe impacts on soil and the carbon cycle. In tropical regions, it is significantly influenced by rainfall, soil erodibility, rapid changes in land use and land cover (LULC), and agricultural management practices. Understanding the dynamics of water erosion is essential for implementing precise land degradation control. This study aimed to estimate soil and soil organic carbon (SOC) losses due to water erosion over five years in a coffee-producing area in Brazil using the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE). The results revealed that average soil losses in coffee plantation areas ranged from 1.77 to 1.80 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, classified as very low. Total and potential soil loss ranged from 2184.60 to 6657.14 Mg ha⁻¹, a 305% difference, demonstrating the efficiency of vegetative cover (C factor) and conservation practices (P factor) in reducing soil loss rates. SOC losses were less than 200 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, with averages of 17.67 and 13.00 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in coffee areas. In conclusion, agricultural management practices, such as the presence of native vegetation, maintaining vegetative cover in coffee rows, contour planting, and improving agronomic techniques, are essential for reducing soil and SOC losses, even in scenarios of biennial alternation in coffee production. Thus, sustainable agricultural management plays a crucial role in mitigating water erosion, maintaining productivity, and addressing climate change.