Caracterização ambiental e análise da estrutura da paisagem da área de proteção ambiental de Coqueiral, Minas Gerais

Abstract

This study aimed at performing an environmental characterization and analyzing the landscape structure of the Coqueiral Environmental Protection Area, located in Coqueiral, southern Minas Gerais. The analyses of the physical parameters were carried out using geographical information systems and remote sensing techniques. Landscape structure analysis was performed using Fragstats. Thematic maps were developed using a SPOT 5 satellite image and different databases: IBGE topographic maps and SRTM - NASA. The landscape analysis was performed by landscape metrics with a land use map and with a natural vegetation map of the area. We simulated a 1 meter buffer and a 5 meters buffer around forest fragments, as well as the restoration of degraded permanent preservation areas (APP) for evaluating the effects of different scenarios on landscape metrics. The environmental characterization results show that the "pasture" class was considered the landscape matrix and occupies about 50% of total area, as the "semideciduous forest" class occupies less than 30% of area and are distributed in small and medium fragments. The extension of the water bodies was 154.47 km and the drainage density was considered high (22.59 m/ha). The road network totalized 81.52 km. The altitude variation was quantified at 306 meters. The Environmental Protection Area shows relief tightly curled. The class "corrugated" prevailed and occupied more than 50% of the area. About 55% of conservation areas are consistent with the forest code Brazilian, being that the pasture class is the dominant use class, and occupies 37% of the permanent preservation areas - APP. The landscape structure analysis shows that the landscape is dominated by agropastoral activities with an area of 4273.13 ha (62.49%). The landscape presented 704 patches. The patch size average and the patch density of semideciduous forest were: AREA_MN = 6.96; PD = 2.06 patch/100ha. Land-use classes show more complex forms with a value higher than 2 in all classes. Pasture had the lower isolation values (21.02 m). Natural vegetation is represented by 360 patches and 137 of them are smaller than 1 ha. The simulations show that the area of vegetation increases from 1943.13 (natural vegetation) to 2299.02 (Vegetation/APP). The patch size average increased from 7.66 to 15.75 to natural vegetation. The Vegetation/APP simulated landscape shows the lowest value of average shape (1.93), with forms simpler and less susceptible to edge effect. The isolation values did not show much difference in simulations 38.9 (natural vegetation) 40.64 (buffer 1m), 42.89 (buffer 5m) and 39.75 (Vegetation/APP). The connectivity index for all simulations was above 99%. These data are relevant for decision making and environmental planning of the Coqueiral Protection Area, allowing indication of priority areas for conservation.