Rapid diversity assessment for Atlantic Forest riparian biotopes in a coastal plain in southeastern Brazil (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Despite intense urbanization, the coastal region of southeastern Brazil is home to natural ecosystems of the Atlantic Forest, such as the forests on the slopes of the Serra do Mar, the mangroves and the vegetation of the coastal plain. These natural systems show high levels of fragility, as they are heavily pressured by anthropic action. Urban pressure in natural environments generates ecological imbalance and consequent impacts and environmental changes in their watersheds, directly affecting water resources. This work aimed to evaluate the environmental changes on riverside biotopes of the Atlantic Forest in urbanized and coastal environments, in Praia Grande-SP (municipality of the Coastal region of Southeast Brazil). Through a Rapid Assessment Protocol (PAR) urbanized and natural environments were compared, in three vegetation physiognomies of the Atlantic Forest (dense rainforest, sandbank and mangroves). The stretches in rain forest showed the best results due to their high levels of preservation. The mangrove areas had the lowest scores due to intense urban occupation. Sandbank environments showed intermediate scores, with no anthropic alterations in their natural areas. However, considering the anthropic interference already consolidated in the urbanized areas, the natural environments of the sandbanks are subject to imminent degradation. The research results confirmed that the use of the PAR tool is an instrument that proved to be valid and efficient to assess environmental impacts in urban landscapes. The stretches of dense rainforest vegetation, due to the greater distance from the urban perimeter, had better evaluations, unlike the sandbank and mangrove vegetation, which, because they are closer to the urban axis, presented more precarious conditions in their habitats.