Fragmentação florestal em região semiárida no Nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

The studies of landscape ecology from metrics using geoprocessing and remote sensing are important technologies to evaluate the conditions of native forest remnants, especially in biomes fragmented and with a high rate of deforestation as the Caatinga. This study aimed to describe the structure of the forest landscape in the municipality of Ribeira do Pombal, Bahia State, Brazil, using a landscape metric index. The use of soil and forest fragments was characterized using an image of the Landsat-8 OLI satellite. We used the software Fragstats 4.2® to calculate the landscape metrics. Even in a matrix with high percentage of pastures, fragments of the open and dense caatinga of medium and large size predominate in the landscape, with great proximity and connectivity. Reforestation and enrichment of the small fragments of open Caatinga may contribute to form ecological corridors. The great percentage of fragments larger than 100 ha ensures floristic diversity and resilience of the dense caatinga in the municipality of Ribeira do Pombal, BA.