INTEGRAL ANALYSIS OF URBAN IMPACTS IN GREEN AREAS: AN APPROACH IN SOROCABA, BRAZIL

Abstract

The objective was to analyze the urban impacts on green areas, using the Chico Mendes Natural Sports Park (PNCM), Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil, as a case study. The study was conducted within a 1 km radius of the PNCM. The mapping of land use coverage was carried out based on the visual interpretation of satellite images for the year 1995, 2007 and 2017. The Standardized Index of Remaining Vegetation (NRVI) considered the total of areas of natural vegetation and anthropic areas. The Anthropic Exposure Indicator (IEA) was calculated from the shape of the PNCM and the border effect of the border uses. The adapted analysis of the Leopold impact matrix was applied to identify the environmental impacts occurring around the park. The mapping, in all the years, presented a greater percentage of urban areas, degraded area and forests. The NRVI presented a value of -0.68 indicating a condition of the highly anthropized environment. This result corroborates with that found in the IEA framing the park in a moderate exposure condition and the impact matrices showed how the negative and positive characteristics corroborate losses and benefits for the conservation of the park. It is concluded that the urban expansion compromises the environmental quality and increases the park's exposure, reducing the quality of life of the population and biodiversity. This study contributed to the global analysis of the landscape in green areas located in expanding urban spaces.