Revista Recursos Hdricos

DOI:10.5894/rh36n2-3
O texto deste artigo foi submetido para reviso e possvel publicao em maio de 2015, tendo sido aceite pela Comisso de Editores Cientficos Associados em outubro de 2015. Este artigo parte integrante da Revista Recursos Hdricos, Vol. 36, N 2, 33-46, novembro de 2015.

Recuperao e conservao da vegetao ripria em rios a jusante de barragens atravs da implementao de um regime de caudais de manuteno ripria

Riparian vegetation recovery and conservation downstream of dams through the implementation of a riparian maintenance flow regime

Rui P. Rivaes ¹, Patricia M. Rodrguez-Gonzlez ²,
Antnio Albuquerque ³, Antnio N. Pinheiro ⁴, Gregory Egger ⁵,
Maria T. Ferreira ⁶

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1 - Engenheiro Florestal (MSc) /// Centro de Estudos Florestais (CEF), Instituto Superior de Agronomia, ULisboa /// Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa /// e-mail: ruirivaes@isa.ulisboa.pt /// Tel. 213 653 489, Fax. 213 653 338
2 - Engenheira Florestal (PhD) /// Centro de Estudos Florestais (CEF), Instituto Superior de Agronomia, ULisboa /// Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa /// e-mail: patri@isa.ulisboa.pt /// Tel. 213 653 492, Fax. 213 653 338
3 - Engenheiro Florestal (MSc) /// Centro de Estudos Florestais (CEF), Instituto Superior de Agronomia, ULisboa /// Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa /// e-mail: aalbuquerque@isa.ulisboa.pt /// Tel. 213 653 492, Fax. 213 653 338
4 - Engenheiro Civil (Professor Catedrtico) /// Centro de Estudos de Hidrossistemas (CEHIDRO), Instituto Superior Tcnico, ULisboa /// Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa /// e-mail: antonio.pinheiro@tecnico.ulisboa.pt /// Tel. 218 418 150 /// Associado da APRH n 484
5 - Botnico (PhD) /// Environmental Consulting Klagenfurt, Bahnhofstrasse 39, 9020 Klagenfurt, Austria /// e-mail: gregory.egger@umweltbuero.at /// Tel: +43 463 516 614-28
6 - Biloga (Professor Catedrtico) /// Centro de Estudos Florestais (CEF), Instituto Superior de Agronomia, ULisboa /// Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa /// e-mail: terferreira@isa.ulisboa.pt /// Tel. 213 653 487, Fax. 213 653 338 /// Associado da APRH n 534

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RESUMO
Em Portugal, a definio de caudais ecolgicos realizada maioritariamente com base nos requisitos de espcies aquticas e desconsidera os restantes componentes biticos do ecossistema fluvial. Tal abordagem exclui dos regimes de caudais ecolgicos praticados a variabilidade interanual que governa os ciclos de vida longos, amputando ao mtodo a perspetiva a longo prazo do ecossistema fluvial. Neste estudo averigua-se a possibilidade de gerir a vegetao ripria sob o efeito de regularizao, atravs da libertao controlada de caudais pelas barragens. Os resultados mostram que a definio de caudais ecolgicos focados na vegetao ripria no pode ser feita com base em normas de carcter geral. Os regimes de caudais de barragem propostos parecem ser capazes de manter o mosaico riprio, evitando o envelhecimento e a ocupao do habitat aqutico por parte da vegetao ripria, sem causar impactos geomorfolgicos severos. Estes regimes verificaram ser ainda uma perda pouco significativa na capacidade til das albufeiras dos aproveitamentos analisados. Todavia, a sua implementao encontra-se fortemente prejudicada pelas estruturas de derivao presentes nos aproveitamentos estudados.

Palavras-chave: Caudais de lavagem, caudais ecolgicos, gesto de barragens, gesto de ecossistemas fluviais, restauro fluvial, vegetao ripria

ABSTRACT
In Portugal, the definition of environmental flows is generally based on aquatic species requirements and disregards other biotic components of the fluvial ecosystem. Such approach excludes the interanual variability that rules longer lifecycles from the practiced environmental flows, therefore removing its long-term perspective of the fluvial system. In this study, one ascertains the possibility of managing riparian vegetation in regulated rivers by means of the controlled release of dam outflows. Results show that the definition of environmental flows focused on riparian vegetation cannot be performed merely on rules of thumb. The proposed dam outflow regimes appear to be capable of maintaining the riparian patch mosaic avoiding the aging and encroachment of riparian vegetation without severe geomorphologic impacts. These regimes revealed to be a minor loss to the considered reservoir’s effective storage. Notwithstanding, the implementation of such flows is highly impaired by the dam outlet structures existing in the considered dams.

Keywords: Flushing flows, environmental flows, reservoir management, riverine ecosystem management, river restoration, riparian vegetation.

 

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