ASSESSMENT OF EROSION VULNERABILITY IN THE JACARÉ PEPIRA RIVER BASIN BASED ON THE UNIVERSAL SOIL LOSS MODEL

Abstract

In the upper Jacaré Pepira River Basin, in the state of São Paulo, territorial expansion of agrobusiness has caused the acceleration of the erosion process, leading to impacts on natural resources and the landscape in the region. In the present study, an analysis of erosion vulnerability was attempted in an area defined by sub-basins in an Environmental Protection Area (APA Corumbataí). The appropriateness of current land use in light of this vulnerability analysis was also evaluated. The analysis attempted was based on the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model. Operational procedures were carried out with the aid of satellite images and GIS/Spring. The erosion vulnerability map was obtained for the relation of Anthropic Erosion Potential, which considers only anthropic erosion factors, and Tolerable Anthropic Erosion Potential. This depends on tolerable soil loss capacity, pre-defined for different types of soil in the area, and on Natural Erosion Potential, considering natural erosion factors. The vulnerability analysis was done in 1988 and 2004 for land use evolution comparison. The results indicated that sugar cane was the type of land use that had expanded the most, and showed 18.8% of the area with high erosion vulnerability. It is therefore necessary to monitor the evolution of land use evolution and seek ways to make existing activities compatible with the preservation of natural resources and the environmental vocation of the area.