Caracterização ambiental da paisagem da microrregião colonial de Irati e zoneamento ambiental da Floresta Nacional de Irati, PR
Abstract
The protected areas are the most effective places for in situ conservation of biological
diversity. These areas must occupy a land extension that tends to maximize the ecosystems
integrity and the representativeness of the ecological communities and of its component
species. It must also reduce to a minimum the risks of species extinction. In Brazil, these areas
were established for the first time in 1937, with the creation of Itatiaia National Park. From
then, several protected areas were established in the country and, among them, the Irati
National Forest Irati Flona, a federal area, category of Sustainable Use. The Flona has 3,618
ha containing remnants of the Mixed Ombrophylous Forest (Araucaria Forest) in different
successional stages. Presently, the region where Irati Flona is localized has two other
protected areas, the Fernandes Pinheiro Ecological Station and the Araucaria Biological Park.
These three protected areas are adjacent and, together, represent 19,070 ha and form an
important mosaic of remnants, aiming at protecting the Mixed Ombrophylous Forest in the
Center-south of Parana State. The characterization and analysis of the structure of Irati Flona
landscape and of the four municipalities around, as the conceptual proposal for environmental
zoning were established in a Geographical Information System, so as to make a georeferred
digital database that allow the handling and analysis of the data. The steps for zoning
establishment started with the history of colonization and occupation, in order to understand
the occupation dynamics of the original landscape until reaching the actual conformation. The
following steps used the topographic, geological and soil maps, as well as satellite and radar
images, which allowed to establish the necessary thematic maps, used to analyze the
biophysical aspect of the region and identify the factors that threaten the integrity of the
biological diversity of Flona, and to present a proposal for an environmental conceptual
zoning. Based on the characterizations and analyses that were done, it was possible to identify ...