PRIORITY AREAS FOR CONSERVATION OF THE CALDAS RIVER BASIN, STATE OF GOIÁS: A THEORETICAL-METHODOLOGICAL APPLICATION OF LANDSCAPE GEOECOLOGY

Abstract

The planning of environmental conservation, from the perspective of Landscape Geoecology, integrates environmental, socioeconomic, and planning aspects, which contributes to the selection of areas for potential interventions and conservation. Given the scenario of territorial occupation that seeks to meet urban and rural demands, environmental demands are disregarded to some extent. Therefore, this study aimed to present a methodology, with a geoecological approach, for selecting Priority Areas for Environmental Conservation in the Caldas River basin, state of Goiás. The methodology considered four mandatory criteria for the selection of areas: I. area located in a representative and homogeneous geoecological unit with native vegetation in 2023; II. area larger than 100 ha; III. remnant vegetation from 1988 to 2023; and IV. boundary features with high or medium erosion vulnerability. As a result, 11 priority areas were proposed, ranging from 100 to 1,260 ha, covering one to four municipalities in Goiás, mostly featuring rugged terrain. The results identified the location and environmental status of the largest, most intact, stable, and representative fragments of the studied basin, which, due to their geoenvironmental characteristics, require instruments for their conservation, such as the creation of the first Public Domain Conservation Units in this basin.