Dinâmica da fragmentação florestal no Parque Nacional dos Campos Gerais, Paraná, Brasil

Abstract

Geomorphological, geological, climatic, and phytogeographic processes determined the fragmentation of the temperate mixed forest (FOM) in the region of Campos Gerais do Paraná, Southern Brazil, determining the current mosaic configuration among grassland as imposed by edaphic constraint. This is mainly a secondary forest due to the socioeconomic processes as well the regional productive system replacement occurred in the last 50 years, as yerba mate and timber exploitation, tillage and forestry. Through the analysis of the temporal evolution of the National Park of Campos Gerais landscape during this period it was quantified the loss of forest habitat due to the natural areas conversion. It were performed an integrated analysis of quantitative methods in cartographic scale about landscape composition and configuration through images of 1962, 1980, 2005, 2007, and 2017; qualitative content analysis studies, and social representations of key characters; documental and bibliographic survey on the regional landscape history and public policies to its conservation. On decoding the key characters speech emerged the consciousness of the importance of forest conservation but it could not been identified signs relating to the grasslands preservation in spite of the strong legacy of Tropeirismo (muletters) in the researched imaginary. Analyzing the temporal evolution of land use in the images it was evidenced that current forest proportion in the park landscape have returned close to those estimated before the timber exploitation begins, at about 63% - although it has increased the number of patches, smaller and more irregular. There was no quantitative loss of forest habitats and there are functional connectivity for the generalist fauna and flora species, however there is a lack of empirical data to conclude about the qualitative losses, and about connectivity for the specialist one. Substantial changes in the landscape composition have occurred due to significant reductions in the grassland areas from almost 40% to the current 13%, giving rise to crops and tree plantations. Even the creation of the National Park in 2006, along with the promulgation Atlantic Forest Law did not prevent the grassland conversion. Thus, it has concluded that the public policies for the environmental conservation were ineffective for protection of this significant part of regional landscape.