The role of forest remnants in the maintenance of water quality in agricultural watersheds

Abstract

Natural systems like forests present themselves as the best use of land from the viewpoint of protection water resources, while agricultural practices tend to change the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water, they are known as diffuse sources of pollution. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate whether natural forest acts in minimizing the effects of agricultural activity. In selected watersheds will be analyzed the structure and dynamics of the landscape through land-use maps of the years 1962, 1995 and 2008. Water samples will be collected for analysis of the following variables: pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature, nutrients concentration and suspended sediments. The variables will be grouped as predictors (historical and current land use, physical variables) and response (physical and chemical parameters of water) for statistical analysis to correlate and sort the predictors according to the responses of physical and chemical parameters of water in each watershed. At the end of the paper seeks to understand the differences between the water quality in areas with and without forest, with presence of forest in the matrix of pasture and cane sugar, and forests in different stages of conservation.