Potencial de Uso Conservacionista (PUC) na bacia hidrográfica do rio Guavinipã no norte de Minas Gerais

Abstract

In 1997, the National Water Resources Policy was established, governed by Law No. 9,433, introducing the perspective that the river basin represents an important territorial unit for human occupation planning. The Conservation Use Potential (PUC) of hydrographic basins emerged as an alternative to the "Definition of Landscape Units" stage of the Environmental and Productive Zoning (ZAP). Implementing land-use strategies that consider environmental carrying capacity is crucial for maintaining the ecological integrity of these areas. Therefore, the objective of this study was to apply the PUC model using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools in the Guavinipã River basin in Northern Minas Gerais, aiming to optimize land use and protect water resources. The main results found in this study were that high potential (56.11%) and very high potential (35.64%) predominated across the study area. Pastureland showed 57.79% of its area in areas of high conservation use potential and 38.89% in very high PUC, which may or may not respect the intended purpose of the area. It is concluded that the application of PUC in the Guavinipã River basin region can assist in territorial management for the basin's development. By refining the bases through fieldwork for area recognition and in situ data collection, new interpretations of the results can be made, improving the analysis and contributing to more assertive territorial management.