METHODOLOGICAL PROPOSAL FOR AN ECOLOGICAL CORRIDOR AND FINANCIAL COST ESTIMATE: A WAY TO HELP CONSERVE BIODIVERSITY

With the increasing human pressure on ecosystems, it is necessary to use tools to reduce the effects of fragmentation, increasing the gene flow of species, and the resilience of forest fragments and conservation units, and the ecological corridors (EC) have been noteworthy. Therefore, the present study aims to identify the best way to create an ecological corridor using spatial analysis techniques and calculate the purchase cost for its implementation between two important conservation units in the metropolitan region of Sorocaba, State of São Paulo, Brazil. For this, information plans (IPs) that reflected on the favorability for the displacement of fauna and the purchase of private properties were used, such as land use and vegetation cover, land use conflict due to slope, light pollution, legally protected areas, and purchase cost of these areas for EC implementation. The IPs were weighted by Analytical Hierarchical Process and the EC was obtained by the least cost path model. The estimated value for acquisition of private properties in the study area for EC implementation was US$175,028.91 (United States dollar). Therefore, the method is an excellent tool for decisionmaking by public authorities and implementation of ecological corridors, since it allows inferring the market value for its implementation considering the favorability of areas for the passage of fauna.