An ecosystem-based tool for port environmental management: methodological proposal for the Porto Alegre port, southern Brazil

Ports exert considerable pressure on its surrounding environments because they are potential inducers of territorial transformations, which may lead to a total or quality loss of environmental services. This reinforces the need to incorporate efforts on port environmental management. In this context, Ecosystem-Based Environmental Management presents itself as a viable and essential alternative to management in Brazil and worldwide. In this article, a methodology was elaborated to support the prioritization of short medium and long term actions of port environmental management based on ecosystems, using Porto Alegre Port, RS, Brazil as a case study. Recommendations for management actions related to environmental systems and non-compliance in port activities were proposed and ranked. As an analysis tool, the Driver – Pressure – State– Impact – Response (DPSIR) integrated to the Ecosystems and Services Matrix (MES) was used to indicate the cause and effect relationships of human interventions on ecosystems and the potential loss of ecosystem services. A key factor was identifying the Port's non-compliance in the DPSIR matrix. Was produced a cost-effective and simplified model that can support the creation of an environmental agenda, reaching a more practical and applied level. Ultimately this model consists in a tool for “checking” management efficiency.