Fuzzy inference system for environmental vulnerability assessment of protected areas: a case study of the Itupararanga environmental protection area in southeastern Brazil

Abstract

In this paper, we present an environmental vulnerability index (EVI) based on the fuzzy inference system. The factors used for the formulation of the EVI were forest factor (FF), hydrological factor (HF) and environmental factor (EF), and used the Itupararanga environmental protection area (EPA) as a case study. The results showed that for the years studied (2012 and 2019), most forest fragments were classified as having a very low FF. Almost half of the water bodies presented a very low HF in 2012, which was also the case in 2019. Most areas of the EPA were classified as having a medium EF in 2012, while in 2019 they were classified as low. From these indices, in the two years, it was observed that most areas were classified with a very low EVI. Despite the very low EVI, it was observed that fragments with areas smaller than 50 hectares were suppressed. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage the creation of public policies aimed at the conservation of areas subject to anthropogenic pressure and restoration of forests in suppressed areas.