Can proximity to roads influence forest fragmentation? A case study in northern Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Rezzadori, Tiago
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Outros Autores: Hartmann, Marilia Teresinha, Hartmann, Paulo Afonso
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Biotemas (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/biotemas/article/view/2175-7925.2016v29n3p21

The establishment and use of roads interfere with the atmosphere, soil, vegetation, fauna, and human communities surrounding them. One of the main effects caused by the implementation and operation of a road is fragmentation of natural landscapes, which consequently generates edge effects and isolation of populations. Thus, this study aimed to quantify and compare the distribution of vegetation cover in areas with and without ecological influence of roads in the Alto Uruguai region, northern Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. To do this, a geo-relational database was created, where satellite images taken by Landsat V and CBERS 2b were entered. The size and amount of forest fragments were estimated in areas with and without influence of roads. The area with ecological influence of roads had less and smaller sized forest fragments when compared to the area without ecological influence. High forest fragmentation seems to be enhanced by proximity to roads in northern Rio Grande do Sul, contributing to isolate and reduce the size of native populations that occupy these areas.