Desafios e limitações da gestão ambiental municipal : estudo sobre infrações ambientais no Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

This dissertation examines the effectiveness of municipal environmental laws in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, emphasizing the relevance of local public policies for strengthening decentralized environmental governance. The main objective is to analyze the effectiveness of municipal environmental legislation in Rio Grande do Norte. To achieve this, a quali quantitative approach was adopted, employing descriptive and explanatory methods, along with documentary analysis of laws, administrative records, data from IDEMA, and an examination of environmental infraction notices issued between 2012 and 2025. The results reveal that, although the decentralization promoted by Complementary Law No. 140/2011 has granted greater autonomy to municipalities, the implementation of local environmental policies remains hindered by structural deficiencies, lack of qualified technical staff, limited financial resources, and weak integration between normative instruments and practical actions. The study also highlights the difficulty in identifying effectively sanctioned activities within infraction notices, due to the absence of standardized descriptions, which restricts analytical depth and the formulation of preventive and corrective measures. In response to these challenges, a Technical Manual on Municipal Environmental Management was developed to support the professionalization of local managers with practical guidelines for environmental licensing, inspection, and policy integration. The study concludes that the effectiveness of municipal environmental legislation depends not only on the formal existence of legal instruments but also on the consolidation of robust institutional arrangements, the continuous training of technical teams, and the strengthening of social participation. It further suggests the need for future research focusing on the qualitative analysis of local dynamics and the more precise assessment of the impacts of municipalized environmental actions.