Geotecnologias aplicadas ao estudo do conflito de uso do solo visando o planejamento ambiental

The forest cover in watersheds can contribute to maintain water resources quality, but the agricultural expansion in Brazil threatens the conservation of natural environments and the ecosystem services provision. This study aimed to diagnose land use conflicts in Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) in Piraporinha River headwaters, city of Piedade, State of São Paulo, particularly the environmental planning of water resources management. Therefore, land use and cover map of the two watersheds in Piraporinha River headwaters were prepared. Geotechnology tools were used to delimit the APPs in terms of sources, watercourses, reservoirs, slopes, hilltops and areas of restricted use. The forest class was predominant in watersheds (57.05%), followed by annual crop (24.24%) and pasture (11.65%). The APPs showed high value of forest cover (73.82%) as well as areas of restricted use (89%). The annual crop and pasture classes showed values close to 8% in APPs and 5% in areas of restricted use. The APPs of the studied watersheds represent 21.22% of the total area, of which 81.86% is in accordance with the environmental legislation, emphasizing the importance of these watersheds to the maintenance of water resources quality in this region.