Connectivity of fragments of native vegetation and Permanent Preservation Areas of family rural properties in a watershed in the Matogrossense Amazon

Abstract

This article aimed to map the land use in a watershed of family farms in the Matogrossense Amazon, analyzing the landscape structure and the connectivity of fragments of native vegetation in the current scenario and in simulations with restored PPA, considering or not the breaks at the intersection with rural roads. The map of the fragments was based on a satellite image from 2017, and hydrograph and slope maps were used to determine PPA. Three scenarios were compared: real (current forest); ideal with roads (PPA added current forest of restoration and road effects); and ideal without roads (current forest of PPA restoration), based on landscape metrics. The results indicate that the forest remnants of the studied watershed were closely related to the presence of water bodies, usually in smaller sizes and regular formats. The PPA has 38% of its deforested areas with pasture, agricultural and residential areas. Restoration of PPA would increase the size of the fragments and the connectivity between them, constituting marginal forest corridors, however, would contribute little to the increase in total cover area of native vegetation, and their width does not guarantee effective functionality as corridors for the ecological flows. The conclusions criticize the current environmental legislation and point out alternatives to improve the conservation of forest remnants in the studied area.