Consequences of anthropization in the Veredas environments in the Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract

The Veredas are considered a wet savanna phytophysiognomy that is important for the preservation of the Cerrado. This study aims to evaluate the impacts of anthropic actions on soil and vegetation degradation in the Veredas environments in the Environmental Protection Area (EPA). Two environments of preserved and anthropized Veredas were selected. Anthropized environments are understood as areas of Veredas that had their vegetation cover lost due to the occurrence of recurrent forest fires associated with the presence of domestic animals. In these areas, samples were collected to evaluate soil characteristics, and floristic surveys were conducted to characterize vegetation. It was found that the uncontrolled anthropization process driven by forest fires and domestic animals in the Veredas environments led to the degradation of the land cover and soils of these environments. Vegetation removal is manifested by a reduction in the number of individuals and species present in anthropized environments. Organic matter content and fertility have decreased, while soil density has increased. These results are explained by the accelerated decomposition and (or) by the deposition of biomass burning products in anthropized environments. We also analyzed statistics of fire foci and found the highest values in relation to soil classes in the Entisols and the Oxisols environments. The highest bulk density of fire foci was observed in the Entisols environments and is influenced by the presence of an herbaceous stratum composed of grasses. Thus, an understanding of the anthropization processes of the Veredas environments in conservation units for sustainable use, such as the EPA, is urgently required. Our results facilitate the development and enaction of environmental policies for the most effective preservation and protection of these areas.