O presente artigo tem como objetivo difundir os fundamentos teóricos-conceituais sobre a temática das matas ciliares e rios urbanos, trazendo suas funções dentro do ambiente e aparatos da legislação federal que versam sobre essas áreas em questão. Dentro dos inúmeros conceitos, a vegetação situada próxima aos cursos d’água denominada de mata ciliar, são consideradas como os cílios das águas e agem como protetora desses ambientes. As matas ciliares são ainda definidas como formações vegetais extremamente importantes para o desenvolvimento dos processos ambientais e por isso são protegidas pela Lei federal N° 12651/12 nomeada de Lei do Código Florestal. Os rios urbanos são mananciais que tiveram grandes centros urbanos desenvolvidos no seu entorno, e são caracterizados como importantes corredores biológicos que permitem a presença da flora e da fauna nas cidades e formam as bacias hidrográficas. Quanto à legislação vigente federal acerca das áreas de mata ciliar urbana, identifica-se que há um compromisso governamental presente, inclusive com a implementação da Lei 14285/21 que altera a lei marco do Código Florestal em relação no tocante a municipalização das regras de APP’s urbanas. Conclui-se ainda que há um compromisso governamental presente com objetivos de regular das formas de uso e ocupação nas áreas protegidas e que estas leis, se colocadas em práticas de forma integrada, são deveras capazes de conferir uma ampla faixa de proteção a essas áreas ambientais.

The study investigates the presence of emerging contaminants in a river within a watershed located in the Brazilian semiarid region, specifically within the Caatinga biome, emphasizing the importance of environmental monitoring in areas that have historically been underrepresented in scientific research. The analysis focused on the associations between microplastics and pharmaceutical compounds, demonstrating that the discharge of untreated domestic effluents and the low efficiency of sanitation systems increase water resource contamination and threaten water security. The interdependence between these variables underscores the need for integrated public policies for waste management, complemented by environmental education strategies and technological innovations. The work makes an unprecedented contribution to expanding knowledge about emerging pollutants in semiarid environments, highlighting the urgency of holistic approaches, continuous monitoring, and strengthening environmental governance to ensure the sustainability and resilience of ecosystems like the Caatinga in the face of the challenges posed by global environmental change, urban growth, and those outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.

The study investigates the presence of emerging contaminants in a river within a watershed located in the Brazilian semiarid region, specifically within the Caatinga biome, emphasizing the importance of environmental monitoring in areas that have historically been underrepresented in scientific research. The analysis focused on the associations between microplastics and pharmaceutical compounds, demonstrating that the load of untreated domestic effluents and the low efficiency of sanitation systems increase the contamination of water resources and threaten water security. The interdependence between these variables underscores the need for integrated public policies for waste management, complemented by environmental education strategies and technological innovations. The work makes an unprecedented contribution to ex-panding knowledge about emerging pollutants in semiarid environments, highlighting the urgency of ho-listic approaches, continuous monitoring, and strengthening environmental governance to ensure the sus-tainability and resilience of ecosystems like the Caatinga in the face of the challenges posed by global en-vironmental change, urban growth, and those outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (3, 6, 9, 12, 14, 15).