The conversion of continuous forest coverage areas into forest fragments has contributed to the decrease of the biological diversity due to the micro-habitat loss, changes in dispersion and migration patterns, habitats' isolation and soil erosion. The solution for those problems is intimately linked to the planning and maintenance of hydrographic basins. Jacaré's stream sub-basin is located in Taquari Valley, RS, with an area of 538,98 km², where nine municipal districts are partially or totally inserted. This basin is in an ecotone area among the plant formations Deciduous Seasonal Forest (DSF) and Mixed Ombrophila Forest - Araucaria Forest (MOF). Information related to the structural characteristics of the existent forest classes in the area (DSF, MOF and secondary growth vegetation) was elaborated and analyzed using images from the satellite Landsat 7 ETM+, passage 04/02/2002 and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Idrisi 3.2 and Landscape Ecology Fragstats 3.3 software systems. The results indicate that the area presents approximately 52% of native forests that are preserved or in regeneration process, but in a highly fragmented way, with 87,82% of the fragments smaller than 1ha. Considering a border effect of 50m, around 40% of the fragments still present a nuclear area.
Soil use and coverage; Geographical Information Systems (GIS); landscape ecology index
