Impact of the Native Vegetation Protection Law in the Conservation of Water Resources in a Rural Settlement in Nova Venécia - Espírito Santo

• Main Authors: Diorgines da Costa Nunes, Tamiel Khan Baiocchi Jacobson, Rômulo José da Costa Ribeiro, Iris Roitman, Ludgero Cardoso Galli Vieira, Mário Lúcio de Ávila
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Centro Universitário de Anápolis 2017-09-01
• Series: Fronteiras: Journal of Social, Technological and Environmental Science
• Subjects: Área de Preservação Permanente; Código Florestal; Assentamento da Reforma Agrária; Recursos Hídricos.
• Online Access: http://revistas.unievangelica.edu.br/index.php/fronteiras/article/view/2446

The Native Vegetation Protection Law (NVPL) led to intense debates in Brazilian society. Main changes include the flexibilization towards Permanent Preservation Areas (PPAs) and Legal Reserves (LRs). This study analyzed, using geoprocessing techniques, the NVPL’s changes in PPAs and LRs in a rural settlement in Nova Venécia, Espírito Santo, after the NVPL. There was the reduction of 27.2 ha (56.82%) of areas assigned as PPAs, of which 23.8 were associated to water courses and 3.4 ha to springs. There was no change in relation to the RLs, since the existing forest cover area (187.99 ha) was already larger than required by the previous forest code. The strong reduction in mandatory restoration of PPAs will cause impacts on the quality and quantity of water resources, on the regulation of agroecosystems, and local ecosystem services. Mechanisms to encourage forest recovery are essential to guarantee the maintenance ecosystem services.