Land Use and Environmental Zoning of Mixed Ombrophilous Forests for Sustainable Use (Irati National Forest, Brazil Southern Region)

An environmental zoning proposal due to the demand to develop strategies to ensure biodiversity scenarios for the remaining mixed ombrophilous forests was carried out for the Irati National Forest, a legally protected area for sustainable use located in southern Brazil. To identify land use and cover, Ikonos PSM images dated from December 2004, based on the interpretation of visual character and vectorization of orbital data were used. Qualitative and quantitative classifications identified six types of land and cover use: native forest, forestry, capoeira grass, wetland, araucaria plantation, and anthropic. The native forest relative to the mixed ombrophilous forest was the prevailing type of land cover. The environmental zoning proposal defined seven zones of use, some that involved several potentially harmful activities to the biodiversity of the Irati National Forest. The environmental zone proposal, based on ecosystem conservation, outlined specific factors that enhanced ecosystem and community viability, supporting the design and evaluation of the management plan of the Irati National Forest.