Conectividade funcional em redes de unidade de conservação no litoral norte da Paraíba

Abstract

The anthropization of the landscape causes alterations in habitat structure and can compromise essential ecological processes, making connectivity between fragments a determining factor for species displacement. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the functional connectivity of the landscape in conservation unit networks on the North Coast of Paraíba, using Alouatta belzebu as the focal species. To this end, methods and techniques in geoprocessing, landscape ecology, and modeling were used to obtain data regarding the landscape of the North Coast Microregion of Paraíba, its resistance, and its functional connectivity. Species occurrence data were obtained from databases, while land use and land cover classes were defined from systematic mapping data of the territory. Landscape resistance values were assigned according to the species ecological response, and functional connectivity was modeled using a flowbased approach. The results indicate that the landscape does not present homogeneous permeability conditions, with a predominance of areas of medium to high resistance and few fragments with dimensions compatible with the species home range. It is concluded that there is functional connectivity for Alouatta belzebul, but in an uneven, limited, and heterogeneous way, with certain fragments playing a strategic role in sustaining the gene flow in the landscape.