Indicadores biológicos, físicos e sociais de impacto ambiental: caracterização e aplicação para as trilhas do Parque Estadual de Ibitipoca, MG - Brasil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the conservation status of the trails and their marginal areas of the Ibitipoca’s State Park by monitoring of environmental impact indicators selected and implemented in seven trails of the park. The methodology used is the method VIM (Visitor Impact Management). For monitoring 23 indicators parameters were selected, being 4 biological, 10 physical and 9 social, monitored in three months of rainy and three months of drought every 100 meters, totaling 227 points. Data collection was performed by categorical data and absolute values. Analyses were performed for the crosstabs of categorical data of the rainy season and dry; the similarity of these samples was tested by the McNemar-Bowker test and Gamma’s coefficient. For the data of absolute values, we used descriptive statistics; the statistical difference was evaluated by the Wilcoxon test and check for correlation between samples we used the Spearman’s correlation test. As indicators of impact to the Park stood out the biological checkers Melinis minutiflora and evidences of the presence of animals. Among physicists, Erosive processes of the trail checkers, Drainage, Sensitivity to touch the soil and Width of trail. With regard to social and management indicators, the checkers Meetings with individuals, Garbage, Construction of infrastructure and Numbers of encounters with individuals. Compared to the circuits analyzed, Water Circuit was considered the most vulnerable to the impacts of visitation. As for the environmental assessment of the Park, we can infer that it is highly impacted by the visitation being recommended interventions, recovery of the areas most impacted, periodic monitoring of indicators and the accompaniment of guides to places of greatest fragility.