Expectation of water-course degradation using geographical information system in a watershed

Abstract

The present work evaluated the expectation of water-courses degradation in Areas of Permanent Preservation (APP), a watershed situated at Jundiaí/SP county. A data base of environmental aspects was elaborated using factors and calculations from the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), in a Geographical Information System (GIS), which allowed the obtaintion of information plans about soil losses and erosion risk. A correlation matrix of the factors of erosion risk, was elaborated accounting for soil use and steepness-slope present in the APP, to evaluate degradation expectation. According to the resulty, 32% of the total area showed high erosion risk, and the APP showed high expectation of water-course degradation. The proposed methodology provided important aid to identify areas with expectation of water-course degradation, being an adequated tool for environmental analysis of watersheds.