Estrutura da paisagem da zona de amortecimento das unidades conservação de proteção integral do Cerrado

Abstract

The Cerrado, the world's most biodiverse savanna, faces severe threats from agricultural expansion, uncontrolled urbanization, and predatory resource exploitation, resulting in intense landscape degradation and fragmentation. In this context, Conservation Units (CUs) emerge as a tool for preserving biodiversity, with their Buffer Zones (BZs) being a crucial element in mitigating external impacts and, consequently, ensuring their ecological integrity. Despite their importance, knowledge about the landscape structure in BZs was limited to specific case studies, particularly in the Cerrado, a biome that has undergone severe landscape transformations. This study aimed to analyze the landscape structure in BZs within Cerrado fully protected conservation units. The analysis focused on BZs classified as Fully Protected (UCPIs) because these constitute units where ecosystem maintenance must be free from alterations caused by human interference. The hypothesis was that landscapes in the AZs would be less altered than in areas outside this context. For this analysis, landscape metrics calculated from georeferenced land use and land cover data and statistical tests were used. The metrics used were Percentage of Landscape (PLAND), Edge Density (ED), and Effective Mesh Size (MESH). In addition to the AZs, landscapes (PA) outside the UCPI context were also sampled and the same metrics applied. The analysis of 20 AZs from UCPI revealed no statistically significant difference in PLAND between the AZs (average 47.94%) and the PAs (average 59.62%). However, ED was significantly higher in the AZs (average 40.64 m/ha) compared to the PAs (average 27.83 m/ha), suggesting greater fragmentation. Additionally, the MESH was significantly lower in the ZA (median 290.57 ha) than in the PA (median 6,611.00 ha), indicating lower connectivity. These results demonstrate that the Buffer Zones analyzed present a higher level of fragmentation and lower connectivity than other Cerrado landscapes. The ZAs are no longer preserved and may be failing in their protective role, highlighting the urgent need to reevaluate the planning and management of these areas to increase the effectiveness of the UCPI in conserving Cerrado biodiversity.