Modelagem de cenário integrado para exploração mineral e geoconservação da Estrada Real - porção centro-norte do Caminho dos Diamantes

Abstract

The scenic beauty of natural environments has attracted many urban tourists interested in the resources provided by nature. This fact has contributed in the promotion of tourist activities, indirectly leveraging the economy. Directly, the use of natural resources has its share in economic development through mineral exploration. In environments with rich geodiversity it is important to reconcile mineral exploration activities with conservation. The Estrada Real is a four-way set that emerged between the XVII and XVIII centuries to connect the coast to the lands of the interior of Minas Gerais, as a result of the discovery of gold in the region and, consequently, of the diamond. Its part in the State of Minas Gerais has great relevance both for relation to its heritages and mining values. This context reveals the need to plan and organize the territory in an integrated way.The Estrada Real in the State of Minas Gerais has great relevance both in relation to its assets or the mining values. This context reveals the need to plan and organize the territory in an integrated way. A way of working this order is through modeling that has been shown to be an effective tool in terms of the potentialities and limitations of space. In this context, this study aims to model an integrated scenario in order to indicate priority areas for geoconservation and for mining in the north-central portion of the Caminho dos Diamantes, an integral part of the Estrada Real. Therefore, through a map algebra, a favorable scenario was proposed for the development of mining and another favorable scenario for geoconservation. For the construction of the scenarios, different variables were used, including legal aspects. With the two scenarios, a combinatorial analysis was performed that generated an integrated scenario considering both mining and geoconservation. The final result is a map that represents an integrated scenario classified qualitatively. The territory constitutes, mostly, regions with potential of transformation, besides other areas that indicate aptitude for geoconservation, mining and combination of both. It is believed that this work can serve as a reference for the counties in the sense of assist in the management of the territory, seeking to reconcile mining activities with geoconservation.