O uso de matrizes de cultura de café e pastagem por mamíferos de médio e grande porte

Abstract

Agricultural overexploitation has been one of the greatest enemies of biodiversity conservation. This is because it converts native vegetation into open-canopy agricultural matrices. For a long time, fragmentation was studied based on the theory of island biogeography, considering that remnants of native vegetation were isolated. However, these remnants are not isolated but connected by agricultural matrices, which possibly play an important role in landscape-level biodiversity conservation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze how medium and large-sized mammals use anthropogenic matrices to assist in the conservation of this group in fragmented landscapes. To do so, anthropogenic matrices of coffee cultivation and pasture in two regions of Southern Minas Gerais will be analyzed. Two methodologies will be used for sampling: (1) camera traps and (2) transects carried out on existing roads between matrices. Data collection sampling lasted approximately 6 months. During this time, the camera traps were installed and programmed to function 24 hours a day. The transects were conducted for 2 days every 15 days, totaling an average of 12 km of transect in each analyzed matrix. To compare the effect of matrix composition, some landscape metrics, such as the type of matrix, the percentage of native vegetation present in the surroundings, and the distance from the sampling point to the nearest fragment, were used. In total, 14 native species and five exotic species were recorded in the analyzed matrices. Of the 14 native species, 13 were recorded in the coffee matrix and 12 were recorded in the pasture matrix. Regarding environmental variables, the distance from the fragment and the type of matrix were significant. As a result, it is possible to affirm that medium and large-sized mammal species use cultivation matrices for dispersal, corroborating with the hypotheses that agroecosystems contribute to maintaining biodiversity at the landscape level. However, studies involving cultivation matrices, their management, and temporal variation continue to be necessary so that more appropriate measures can be drawn up for each area, considering the type of cultivation and its management.