Analysis of land use/ land cover and landscape fragmentation in the Missal-PR

Abstract

The present paper aims to elaborate the 1:50.000 scale Land use/ Land Cover map in the Missal (PR) County, and to analyze the landscape fragmentation. In this way, were used remote sensing and Geographic Information System. The land use land cover map was elaborated by visual interpretation from sensor ALOS / PRISM images with high spatial resolution. In this mapping were identified thirteen classes of land use land cover. Permanent Preservation Areas (PPA) of bodies of water was determined according to federal law from hydrograph vectors. The fragmentation analysis was performed by the FRAGSTAT program, considering different types of metrics: area, density, size, variability, edge and shape. The results show that the natural vegetation occupies 19.49% of the county area (6233.21 ha). The county has 900 vegetation fragments and the largest fragment has 1223.39 ha. The PPAs have a high percentage with misuse (48%). The largest conservation area is located on Itaipu dam margins. In contrast the areas relating to PPA present in the marginal areas of rivers have a high degradation rate.