AS ÁREAS PRIORITÁRIAS DETERMINARAM A CRIAÇÃO DE UNIDADES DE CONSERVAÇÃO NO SUDESTE DO BRASIL?

Abstract

Faced with the increasing loss of biodiversity that causes great environmental concern around the world, the main response has been the creation of protected areas. About 20.2% of Key Biodiversity Areas worldwide are completely covered by protected areas (PA), while 33.9% have no protection system at all. In Brazil, since 2004, the Ministry of Environment, through the Priority Areas policy, has identified key areas for the implementation of adequate conservation measures, including the creation or expansion of protected areas. In this context, this study evaluated the contribution of this public conservation policy to the establishment of protected areas in the southeastern region of Brazil. The QGIS program was used in order to analyze the spatial and temporal dynamics of the establishment of units over time, in the Southeast, considering the priority areas. For this, geospatial data resulting from the processes of identification of priority areas carried out in 2004, 2007, and 2018 were obtained from the website of the Ministry of the Environment, and the geospatial data referring to protected areas were also searched on the websites of environmental agencies of the states. The intersection between these files made it possible to quantify the area of areas created within the priority areas. We identified that approximately 98% of the territory recognized as priority areas did not receive PA implementation. This spatial incompatibility between priority areas and units in the Southeast region shows that the contribution of the MMA s policy on priority areas to the establishment of PA in Southeast Brazil is of little relevance. Despite the increase in the number and territorial extension of UCs during the three periods evaluated, they do not cover the territory indicated for the creation of PA by the Priority Areas policy for conservation.