Diagnóstico da arborização urbana das áreas verdes de domínio público do município de Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais

Abstract

The presence of trees in the urban environment is associated with improving the quality of life of the population and the urban environmental quality. This is because this vegetation performs various environmental services and brings ecological benefits to spaces built by man. In Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, the rapid expansion of the urban area of the municipality resulted in a restricted number of public green areas, which are fundamental in improving urban environmental quality. In this way, the objective was to analyse the urban afforestation present in the green areas of public domain, called squares and urban parks, in the municipality of Juiz de Fora. 3,180 arboreal individuals were registered, among them, 3,154 live, distributed in 196 species and 52 botanical families. In addition, there was a high number of exotic species in Brazil and 38.64% of these are considered invasive species. The species with the greatest popularity in the urban afforestation of the municipality are Cenostigma pluviosum (DC.) E. Gagnon & G. P. Lewis and Handroanthus chrysotrichus (Mart. Ex DC.) Mattos. Dypsis lutescens (H.Wendl.) Beentje & J. Dransf is the species with the largest number of individuals (292). While there are areas with up to 74 different species, such as Parque Halfeld, there are also areas with very low species diversity, such as Praça Engenheiro Murilo de Andrade Abreu and Praça Poliesportiva do Ipiranga, both with only one species. There are also eight areas where no species have been found. The floristic similarities between the sampled areas are relatively low, demonstrating that despite being artificial areas, they are heterogeneous in species, which values and contributes to the increase of local diversity. The diversity of tree species present in the squares and urban parks of the municipality resembles values found in areas of mature forest, with very little anthropic intervention, from the municipality itself and in municipalities adjacent to Juiz de Fora. In comparison to other Brazilian municipalities, the city stands out with high values of diversity and variety of species. Therefore, the importance of these areas in maintaining the local diversity of the region is highlighted. It is recommended to implement afforestation in the less favoured areas of Juiz de Fora and the gradual removal of exotic species, with greater emphasis on invasive species, aiming at the appreciation of native species in the region, thus allowing better performance in the promotion potential ecological benefits for the urban population. It is concluded that the strategy to improve afforestation in Juiz de Fora - MG is the implementation of a specific municipal Master Plan for afforestation, to establish rules and carry out effective monitoring and control of this type of vegetation.