VEGETATION REMNANTS IN THE PRIORITY AREAS FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN GOIÁS: DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS AND CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

It is estimated that between 40 and 55% of the Cerrado biome, a major agricultural frontier in the country have been already converted. In the case of Goiás, recent surveys indicate about 35% of remnant savanna and forest formations, from which, only 12% are somehow protected. With this respect, in 2004, the Goiás Environment Agency (AGMA) finished the project Identification of Priority Areas for Biodiversity Conservation, which selected 40 areas (~ 82,297 km

2) of particular environmental relevance and/or vulnerability. In this paper, the distribution patterns and characteristics of the remnant vegetation within these areas (~ 34,155 km2) were investigated. Our results show that approximately 48% of the remnant cover is within a 500m distance from the major drainage network. This fact emphasizes the importance of the permanent protection areas as natural biodiversity corridors. Also important, is the significant correlation (r = 0.6) between the remnant proportion and poverty intensity in the priority areas