Evaluation of Environmental Naturalness: A Case Study in the Tietê-Jacaré Hydrographic Basin, São Paulo, Brazil

The connection between humanity and nature has an organizational impact on land use/land, often changing landscapes’ patterns. In this context, our study aims to analyze the changes in the landscape structure of the Tietê-Jacaré watershed, São Paulo state, Brazil, in 2007 and 2017, through the urban...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2021-03, Vol.13 (6), p.3021
Main Authors: Trevisan, Diego Peruchi, Ruggiero, Mayara Herrmann, Bispo, Polyanna da Conceição, Almeida, Dayana, Imani, Maryam, Balzter, Heiko, Moschini, Luiz Eduardo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
20th century
Anthropogenic factors
Biodiversity
Citrus fruits
Climate change
Conservation
Ecosystems
Environmental economics
Environmental quality
Geographic information systems
Human influences
Land cover
Land use
Landscape
River ecology
Sugarcane
Sustainability
Terrestrial environments
Vegetation
Watersheds
Wetlands
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Summary:The connection between humanity and nature has an organizational impact on land use/land, often changing landscapes’ patterns. In this context, our study aims to analyze the changes in the landscape structure of the Tietê-Jacaré watershed, São Paulo state, Brazil, in 2007 and 2017, through the urbanity index. The landscape analysis described the temporal landscape patterns resulting from the influence of anthropogenic processes. This approach assumes that the environmental impacts are associated with the vulnerability of land use components. The urbanity index was utilized to analyze the landscape sustainability conditions in response to anthropogenic influence. We observed a reduction in vegetation areas (2.72%), representing 32,149 ha, followed by an expansion of crops (2.05%, 24,507.53 ha) and, as a result, a reduction of the landscape environmental quality with a growth of the areas with anthropic intervention. The development of anthropic activities, land use, and land cover changes could compromise the region’s ecosystems negatively, e.g., through effects on soils that provide sustenance vegetation and afford energy for terrestrial life. The urbanity index expressed the conservation and natural state of the landscape studied. It is presented as an essential tool for diagnosing the environment and for the conservation of the ecosystem, allowing precise analysis of landscape elements and enabling accurate analysis of each fragment of the landscape.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su13063021