Analysis of potential and emerging fragility in three sub-basins of Alto Taquari River, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil: subsidies for environmental planning and biodiversity conservation

Abstract

Models of environmental fragility analysis help us to spatialize areas with greater and lesser degrees of fragility to erosive processes and the understanding about the relationship among these processes and human activities. This study aimed to evaluate three sub-basins of the Taquari River, in Mato Grosso do Sul State, by integrating of information due to natural erosion ability and erosion processes generate by land using, to support socio-environmental planning actions to an adequate using of natural resources and conservation of its biodiversity in the Alto Taquari basin. The study has been based in cartographic products obtained from satellite Sentinel 2 images, vector soil data, rainfall, priority areas for biodiversity conservation and terrain slope available onto Geographic Information System (GIS). The three sub-basins have presented Pasture as the main form of using and different degrees of anthropism. Only Córrego do Sítio headwaters which are located inside an Environmental Protection Area (APA) have been preserved. In view of the results that were obtained in the present study, it has been considering necessary for recovering areas of permanent preservation and in areas which bordering the stream at the Veado and Criminoso sub-basins, once given the natural fragility to the erosive processes that exist in this region, and also the protection of important remnants of Cerrado vegetation which must have effective conservation measures to maintain the soil, water and ecosystem services qualities arising from local biodiversity. By considering the socio-environmental characteristics from Coxim municipality, a sustainable tourism should be indicated, since it is one of the few remaining areas of Cerrado Biome in this region with its natural characteristics suitable for the development of this economic activity (native vegetation and preserved water resources), which might represent an important increasing to the population's income.