Development and Application of a Protocol for the Environmental Assessment of Springs

Abstract

Although springs are crucial environmental systems, the academic community still lacks robust and concise methodological foundations to understand and protect them. Therefore, through a Delphi panel consultation, this article constructs a methodology based on OECD tools, proposing a methodological approach for applying an
integrated, qualitative, accessible, systemic, and holistic environmental assessment index for springs. This methodological proposal was applied to two springs within the campus of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, and the results indicate that the methodology is effective, not only enabling the categorization of springs but also identifying their deficiencies from the perspective of integrated management.