Potencial de uso conservacionista em bacias hidrográficas: estudo de caso para a bacia hidrográfica do rio Gualaxo do Norte - MG

Abstract

Different methods of environmental characterization and evaluation are applied in studies that have the hydrographic basins as their spatial unit. In order to assist decision making, focused on the planning,conservation and mitigation of possible conflicts, studies of this nature use procedures that reconcile an accurate interpretation of the physical environment, being able to combine with the cartographic purposes, in a quali-quantitative aspect. The method named Potential of Conservationist Use (PUC in its acronym in Portuguese) contemplates this premise and applies to spatial analysis of hydrographic basins, depending on the potential for water recharge and agricultural use, as well as resistance to erosion. Based on the multi criterial method of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) by Saaty (1997), PUC considers the weighting of values given to soil classes, lithology and slope and is expressed, cartographically, through the algebra of maps and zonal evaluations. This work aimed to describe the PUC method, having applied it to the study of the Rio Gualaxo do Norte Hydrographic Basin (BHRGN),located inthe state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. In a practical way, the interpretation of the application of the method demonstrated that BHRGN has, for the most part, medium PUC areas, in line with the physical attributes distributed in the area.