Comparison of Four Protocols For Rapid Assessment of Rivers Applied in the Streams of Maripá, Parana State, Brazil

Abstract

The application of the rapid river assessment protocol is very important in surveying the environmental conditions of streams. The present work aims to apply the protocols of Callisto et al. (2001), Guimarães et al. (2012), Baião (2014) and Machado (2019) in streams in the municipality of Maripá, western Paraná and compare the results. The proposal by Callisto et al. (2001) was adopted in this work as a reference in the assessment of aquatic habitats, as it is a pioneering protocol in Brazil and includes a greater number of parameters. The finale scores obtained at each monitoring point applying the four protocols were standardized, as each proposal presents classification categories organized on different scales. The normalized values showed that the protocols produced equivalent results. This finding leads us to suggest that both the protocol by Guimarães et al. (2012) such as Baião (2014) and Machado (2019), all of them simpler and less extensive than Callisto et al. (2001) protocol, can be adopted in schools and colleges in Maripá and municipalities in the region, as an instrument of environmental education.