Geoprocessing applied to the identification of further areas for the implantation of conservation units in the Vale do Taquari, RS

Abstract

Integrated studies and approaches to environmental planning and the reduction of impacts on nature are fundamental due to the complexity of the environment, the anthropogenic intervention poorly organized and the increasing use of natural resources. The use of geotechnologies assists in the environmental diagnosis to define areas more appropriate for the conservation. The aims of this study is to determine the most suitable areas for the implementation of conservation units in Vale do Taquari, RS, Brazil, using geoprocessing tools. We selected the vegetal fragments with an area greater than or equal to 100 ha using the digital map of remnants of the Atlantic Forest. Based on these fragments, we defined the input variables, the rescaling and the determination of the weights of each variable using the Analytical Hierarchy Process method (AHP). Then, we performed a map algebra, multiplying the weights with their respective variables and the result was an ordering containing the fragments with greater aptitude for implantation of conservation units. We selected 235 fragments of vegetation. The variables analyzed in each fragment with their respective weights were: fragment size (0.28), forest density (0.23), mean slope (0.08), shape index (0.16), mean distance of highways (0.06) and urban areas (0.05), and upstream density (0.14). The multiplication of the weights with their respective rescaled variables resulted in a map with aptitude from 0 to 100. The fragment that presented the greatest aptitude was the fragment known regionally as Morro Gaúcho. We conclude that the methodology adopted offers consistent results, and can be used to pre-select future conservation areas.