Estudo sócio-ecológico em remanescentes de florestas ribeirinhas na região rural de Teresópolis, RJ

Abstract

nearby areas. In spite of their increasingly relevant ecologic importance, those ecosystems are continuously suffering the impacts of agricultural activities. The present work had as objectives: (i) to analyze the relationships between socio-economic characteristics and environmental perceptions of a community of small producers and the riparian forest area of an agricultural micro-basin in Teresópolis region, RJ; and (ii) to study the effects of agricultural impacts on the arboreal component of these forests. Semi-structured interviews were applied to farmers. Five springs were selected to study riparian forest. Areas of 10x10m were delimited in springs surrounding sites, within which every tree with DAP>5cm were sampled. Farmers presented monthly familiar incomes below the State and County averages. The area is being transformed since the 1980s, when big riparian forests started to be substituted with cultivated lands and pastures. The process of water decline in springs seems to be associated to wrong management practices of riparian areas and water resources. The proximity of occupied areas to riparian forests negatively influenced diversity indexes (H ) and total basal area values (m2/ha). Invasive species and domestic animals were observed at springs areas, making these environments more susceptible to anthropogenic impacts. Results from this work suggest than, although riparian forests studied presented characteristics typical of disturbed ecosystems, they can still play a key role in the maintenance of regional biodiversity. Interest demonstrated by farmers in preserving local remnants constitutes an important base to include them into planning and implementation of future projects that considered both the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable development of these communities.