Suppression and fragility of forest remnants in a Conservation Unit in the south region of Alagoas state, Brazil

Abstract

Conservation Units are of great importance for the stability of the environment, allowing the possibility of sustainable use, such as Environmental Protection Areas (EPA). In these areas, the remaining vegetation is an important component in monitoring and assessing the environmental fragility. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the spatio-temporal dynamics in the EPA of Marituba do Peixe (EPA-MP), with the purpose to diagnose the environmental fragility of the remaining vegetation. The research used an image of the RapidEye satellite for the year 2011 available for free on the Ministry of the Environment website (Geo Catalog), and a satellite image available in the Google Earth software for the year 2020. The vegetation was vectorized, and the landscape metrics were determined using GIS. In 2011, in EPA-MP, 108 fragments of remaining vegetation with an area of 3,314 ha were mapped, with an average shape index of 1.84±0.638. In 2020, the remaining vegetation fragments reduced to 89 patches, adding up to an area of 2,684ha, with an average shape index of 1.906±0.664. The results point out that the remaining vegetation presents environmental fragility, as shown by the number, the size of fragments, and the shape index. The vegetation suppression has been occurring over the years in the different zones. There was no picture of environmental recovery in any of the EPA-MP protection zones. The scenario requires the implementation of actions to promote the environmental recovery.

Keywords:
Landscape metrics; EPA (Environmental Protection Areas); Atlantic Forest; Patches