Identificação da fragilidade ambiental potencial através de análise multicritérios e técnicas de geoprocessamento: município de Patos de Minas/MG

Abstract

Using multicriteria analysis and geoprocessing techniques, it is possible to identify sensitive areas to environmental impacts, exposing their different fragility conditions, which can serve as a basis for zoning and provide subsidies for land management. The aim of the study was to identify the potential environmental fragility, through geographic information system techniques and multicriteria analysis, in the municipality of Patos de Minas, MG, located at the central coordinates 18°34’46.00” south latitude and 46°31’06.00”west longitude, with an average altitude of 842 meters, in the region of Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba, with a total area of 3,190.456 km². The methodology used was based on the establishment of degrees of fragility, based on the multicriteria assessment of a set of environmental information plans. Then, the hierarchical method was applied for decision making and determination of the importance of the criteria through the analytical hierarchical process (AHP), with the assistance of software. It was observed that 71.0% of the total area of the municipality has been used for some type of agricultural exploration, in which pastures predominate in 56.79% of the area, Oxisols with up to 20% slope, undulating relief and water courses of 1st order. The potential environmental fragility index of Patos de Minas, MG was considered average in 29.74% of the area or in 948.38 km2 and low and very low in 24.05% and 22.69% of the area, respectively, in which the slope, rainfall and river hierarchy were the factors with the greatest influence on the diagnosis made. The methodology of the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) and the multicriteria analysis that were used in the study proved to be efficient in the analysis of the potential environmental fragility of the municipality.