Environmental management in hydrographic basins: forest evaluation of fragmentation in the Meladeiro stream sub-basin, Sorocaba-SP, using landscape analysis

Abstract

Green infrastructure plays a very important role in the environmental quality of cities, especially in combating the fragmentation of natural habitats. In view ofthis, the present study assessed the conditions of forest fragmentation in the sub-basin of the Córrego Meladeiro, in Sorocaba-SP, from spatial landscape indexes. For this purpose, the land use in the sub-basin was mapped using Landsat 8 satellite images,the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the following metrics were calculated: area, distance from the nearest neighbor, circularity index and central area for forest fragments. It was found that forests and pasture occupy most of the sub-basin and is under forest fragmentation and is strongly subject to the edge effect. This is evidenced by the high number of very small forest fragments, with a moderately elongated shape and low index of central area. Therefore, the need for management plansfor the management and preservation of these remaining areas is emphasized, by given their importance, mainly in terms of ecosystem services.