Fragmentation of native forest surrounding protected areas in Brazil: the case of the Mata do Pau-Ferro State Park in Brejo Paraibano

The creation of protected areas is the main mechanism for biodiversity conservation in Brazil. The Mata do Pau-Ferro State Park, located in the Brejo Paraibano region, protects an important fragment of the Atlantic Forest and in its surroundings there are activities that damage ecosystems, such as livestock farming. The aim was therefore to assess forest fragmentation in the park’s buffer zone and analyse its influence on the park. We found 516 fragments, totalling 2102.20 ha, of which 98.64% are smaller than 50 ha. There is a predominance of rounded shapes and expressive areas affected by edge effects. Finally, the Distance to the Nearest Neighbour was an average of 39.43 m. In the context observed integration systems between livestock and forest can reduce impacts on biodiversity. Similar results have been found for arbitrary delimitations, but have not yet been reported for a buffer zone delimited through the Management Plan in Brazil.