Landscape Connectivity Analysis in an Anthropogenic Matrix in the Cerrado of Southwestern São Paulo

• Grant number: 25/07575-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Nature Conservation
• Principal Investigator: Elisa Hardt Alves Vieira
• Grantee: Angelina Martinovsky Novais Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas (ICAQF). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Diadema. Diadema , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/02570-8 - Matrix influence on the functional connectivity of Brazilian Savanna landscapes, AP.PNGP.PI

Abstract

The study will analyse structural and functional connectivity for flora in landscapes of the Cerrado biome in southwestern São Paulo, focusing on anthropogenic matrices such as forestry and pasture. Structural connectivity metrics will be calculated for the studied landscapes, along with functional connectivity metrics that consider different dispersal profiles of the local flora. The analysis aims to highlight potential weaknesses in the regional Cerrado conservation or, conversely, possible facilitative roles played by anthropogenic landscape structures in the movement of native flora. The findings of this research may provide essential information for the planning and management of landscapes with such matrix profiles, contributing to strategies for recolonisation and restoration in fragmented areas. (AU)