Boundaries and mosaics: an approach to evaluate changes and to profit landscape planning, São Sebastião Island, SP/Brazil

Abstract

This study assumed that the spatial identification of mosaics obtained by the analysis of interactions between frontiers over time would be a great strategy to obtain planning units, since the boundaries reveal the changes, heterogeneity and fluxes in a landscape. For this purpose, we selected 16 watersheds in São Sebastião Island (São Paulo, BR), mapped the land use and cover (1962 and 2009) and built matrices of patches by boundaries. The analysis of these matrices using multivariate ordination and clustering allowed us to identify mosaics. The mosaics showed very well the temporal diversity of interactions across frontiers and the landscape conservation status, but had limitations to indicate management practices.