Landscape Ecology of a Watershed in the Brazilian Coastal Flat Lands

ABSTRACT This study aimed to quantify the land use and extract landscape metrics in the Piauitinga basin, SE, using satellite images with high spatial resolution. We used a RapidEye image with spatial resolution of five meters to map the land use and land cover. The landscape ecology metrics were calculated at the class level. In addition, simulations were performed to understand the edge effect for the remaining forest fragments. The basin presents a landscape dominated by pasture land (50.43%). Native vegetation represents the second largest class (23.79%), but is fragmented, with numerous small fragments showing a large edge effect. The increase in the edge distance reduces the central area, especially for fragments of the smallest size class, which indicates the establishment of ecological corridors.