Evaluating buffer zones of Protected Areas in urbanized areas: the case of the municipality of Sorocaba (SP, Brazil)

• Autor(a) principal: Mello, Kaline de
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Outros Autores: Ribeiro, Marina Pannunzio, Valente, Roberta Averna
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Brasileira de Ecoturismo
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.unifesp.br/index.php/ecoturismo/article/view/12844
• topic: Buffer Zone; urban planning; urban ecological network; restoration; GIS; Zona de Amortecimento; planejamento urbano; Redes ecológicas urbanas; reflorestamento; geoprocessamento

The discussion and projects of buffer zones (ZA) surrounding urban protected areas are significant challenges. Design the limits of the ZA must consider technical-scientific criteria, such as land-use/land-cover, river network, environmental, and social aspects. It can promote an ecologically sustainable urban environment that brings resilience to biodiversity, ensuring equity in providing ecosystem services to the entire urban population. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the landscape structure around urban protected areas, using geoprocessing technique and Landscape Ecology, supplying subsidy for the proposition of a common ZA to urban protected areas in the municipality of Sorocaba. The average Euclidean distance between the PAs of Sorocaba is 4,782.24 m. The Municipal Natural Park of “Corredores da Biodiversidade” is the most isolated area from other PAs. The “Bráulio Guedes da Silva” Ecological Station is the smallest PA in the municipality (8.9 ha). It is the only one that does not support a forest remnant surrounding the protected limits. The mapped area mainly comprises anthropic land-use, which corresponds to more than 78% of land use. The majority being occupied by urban areas and anthropic fields with pioneer vegetation. The native forest cover is distributed among 706 remnants, with 84.14% having no more than ten (10) hectares. These small remnants are close to each other (NEAR < 50m), thus favoring connectivity achieved through ecological springboards. The anthropic fields of pioneer vegetation identified in the study can serve forest restoration projects, playing an essential role in mitigating forest fragmentation. These lands can improve forest structure and landscape connectivity, promote the connection between PAs and other forest fragments on the landscape.