ABSTRACT
The characterization of the effects of fragmentation is an essential starting point to enable the planning of the restoration of extensive fragmented areas. Thus, the work was conducted in order to characterize the main aspects of forest fragmentation on the river basin Poxim-SE, checking their possible effects through quantitative analysis of landscape structure. For this purpose, landscape indicators were used (metric), selected from the options of the program Patch Analyst 5.0. Georeferenced points were defined in the area, to relate the data collected by metrics with the information in the field. The analysis of metrics indicated that 85% of the fragments are small. All the fragments of the area have irregular shapes and high degree of insulation, with average distance of 657.3 m. In the simulation of an edge area of 35 m, the total area would be reduced by 32% with the exclusion of 28 fragments that were completely under this condition. The information in field is in accordance with the indicators of intense anthropic action, which leads to fragmentation of the area. The effects of fragmentation are evident in the river basin Poxim and planning goals for biodiversity conservation are needed to reduce the human action in this area.
Keywords:
Landscape ecology; Landscape metrics; Fragmentation
