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Land Prioritization: An Approach to the Effective Environmental Planning of Hydrographic Basins

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Abstract

Hydrographic basins are the fundamental unit for the effective territorial planning. However, areas of higher and lesser susceptibility to degrading processes can occur in the same region, where different actions are required to preserve natural resources, as soil and water. In this context, this study aimed to propose a prioritization model to guide the territorial management in hydrographic basins. The study was conducted in the Tarumã River basin, embedded in the southwest region of the São Paulo State, Brazil. First, the basin was compartmentalized into planning units, based on the delimitation and grouping of small watersheds. In each unit, seven morphometric parameters were calculated. The relationships among the parameters were evaluated by principal component analysis, from which the parameters were weighted. It resulted in an index expressing the environmental fragility of the planning units. Among the planning units, 20% present very-high priority, only 5% very-low priority, and 75% low, moderate, and high priority. Units of higher priority are commonly at the basins’ headwaters, where linear channels and steeper slopes are concentrated. Lower priority units present low relief and hydrography conditions that do not favor high-intensity erosive processes. The proposed method is effective in identifying regions of high susceptibility to degradation according to morphometric parameters, which should be prioritized on the basins’ territorial management. Since these parameters can be easily calculated, it can be presumed that the results could assist the environmental planning and the optimization of natural resources management within different hydrographic basins.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks to Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES/PROEX) (Grant number: 88882.327891/2019-01) for the fellowship and to Prof. Dr Valdemir Antônio Rodrigues (in memorian) for the exciting discussions on the subject.

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  1. Department of Ecology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, Matão st., Travessa 14, 321, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Fernando Ravanini Gardon

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  1. Fernando Ravanini Gardon
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Correspondence to Fernando Ravanini Gardon.

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Gardon, F.R. Land Prioritization: An Approach to the Effective Environmental Planning of Hydrographic Basins. Environmental Management 67, 623–631 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-021-01434-5

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