Abstract
The goal of this work was to calculate landscape ecology metrics using the R language, allowing the analysis of forest fragments under the Atlantic Forest domain located in the sub-basin of Arroio Jaquirana, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. For the mapping of the forest fragments, we used images from the REIS/RapidEye sensor dated 2016, and the classification was supervised through the Bhattacharya algorithm. The fragments were analyzed in seven size classes, to separate them and to calculate the landscape metrics it was used R language. The results attained demonstrated that the native forest occupied 34.01% of the study area, covering a total of 1,995 fragments, of which 93.43% were less than 5 ha. The highest values of edge and perimeter-area ratio were found in the small fragments indicating a greater edge effect, with the central areas of these remnants being exposed to the external matrix effects. Thus, it is concluded that the Atlantic Forest is highly fragmented and is extremely important to establish measures to minimize the effects and/or increase the connectivity between the fragments through ecological corridors using the smaller fragments, in addition, it makes necessary the development of public policies and research for the management of the region in order to preserve the remnants.
Highlights
For decades the deforestation resulting from the process of anthropization of the landscape, has caused the destruction of natural resources
The study area consists on the sub-basin of Arroio Jaquirana, which covers the municipalities of Arroio do Tigre, Lagoão, Segredo, Sobradinho and Passa Sete, located in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (Figure 1)
The R program proved to be a promising and efficient tool for the manipulation of spatial data, which allowed performing the spatial analysis of forest fragments
Summary
For decades the deforestation resulting from the process of anthropization of the landscape, has caused the destruction of natural resources. The Atlantic Forest is one of the most threatened biomes in the world, being one of the most deforested (Jenkins et al, 2013). The forest area covered approximately 1,315,460 km, and currently there are only 12.5% of this original area, when the fragments above 3 hectares were recorded (SOS Mata Atlântica, 2015). It is highly fragmented, with 83% of the fragments smaller than 50 ha (Ribeiro, Metzger, Martensen, Ponzoni, & Hirota, 2009), being the conservation of the remaining remnants primordial
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