SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF FOREST FRAGMENTATION IN THE EXTREMESOUTH REGION OF BAHIA STATE, BRAZIL

Abstract

Habitat loss and fragmentation, especially human damage related to land use, poses considerable threats to biodiversity. With no sense of contributing to the advancement of scientific investigations on the landscape and making subsidies for the management of remnants of the Atlantic Forest Biome, this study aimed to analyze the structure of the forest landscape in the municipality of Prado, Bahia State, based on landscape measurements. A mapping of forest fragments was carried out by means of photointerpretation techniques and the metric indexes of the landscape calculated in the V-LATE 2.0 beta. 691 fragments were found, representing 26.56% of the forest cover. Very small fragments dominate (283), followed by medium (250), small (112) and large (46). The adopted landscape metrics showed a general trend of intensifying habitat fragmentation in the municipality. The large fragments shown larger class areas and central area, however revealed great irregularity and low connectivity. The presence of more conserved fragments presents itself as a positive factor for the conservation of biodiversity. Even though it has a higher density of edges and can affect the external influences of the matrix, the smaller fragments can be strategically structured to function the landscape.