The creation of conservation areas has been a major strategy for biodiversity conservation. The recent use of techniques such as remote sensing and the optimization of mathematics contribute to the identification of priority areas for conservation through the use of biological data. Thus, maximal representativeness of biodiversity based on measures of complementarity can be achieved. This study aimed to identify areas of ecological importance in the municipality of Cocalinho, Mato Grosso. The selection was based on habitat heterogeneity, through the integration of satellite images and biological information. A total of 66 quadrats (parcels) were established and compared in relation to: 1) habitat heterogeneity, and 2) the minimal representativeness (ha) of vegetation types within each parcel. The analyses were done using the SITES program. The parque de cerrado is the dominant phytophysiognomy in Cocalinho. Parcels were concentrated in the central region of this municipality, indicating its high habitat heterogeneity. Northwards, the landscape is more homogenous due to the dominance of vegetation. In the southern portion, the land occupation is evidence of the expansion of the agriculture frontier in this region. Officially, 6% of this municipality area is protected in two wildlife refuges. In the SITES selection, these reserves were included only within representativeness of smaller size, when a parcel was attributed as a conservation unit. These reserves were established in areas of homogeneous vegetation cover and were not established taking floristic and faunal data into account. The model used in this study can be a promising approach for indicating conservation areas in Cerrado and in other Brazilian biomes.
Cerrado; Mato Grosso; remote sensing; models; protected areas
