Distribution of Forestry in the Jaguarão River Basin (Brazil- Uruguay) based on Landscape Metrics

Abstract

This work presents an analysis of the distribution of forestry in the Jaguarão river basin, located on the border between Brazil and Uruguay. For the mapping of forest fragments, it was conducted a study, in the scale 1:20,000, obtaining 6,730 silvicultural fragments grouped by area classes and vegetation types for a more complete analysis of the metrics. The watershed was divided into upper, middle and lower stretches. The obtained data demonstrated homogeneity among silvicultural fragments, and their spatial distribution suffers strong influence of the relief. In addition, it has been found that the significant number of small forest fragments in the basin responds by historical cultural processes, whereas larger fragments are associated with the more recent economic processes.

Keywords

• Forest
• Pampa Biome
• Cross-border river basin
• Landscape metrics