Environmental vulnerability index: An evaluation of the water and the vegetation quality in a Brazilian Savanna and Seasonal Forest biome

Landscapes constitute the manifestation of natural and anthropic elements and its structure is the result of physical, biological, political, economic and social interactions, fragmented or connected for different land uses. Drawing on this, our study aims to analyze the environmental landscape quality using ecological indices in the Tietê-Jacaré Hydrographic Basin – SP, Brazil between 2007 and 2017. A set of Environmental Quality Indices was used to analyze the susceptibility of the ecological components to the effects of human activities. The Environmental Quality Index of Vegetation, the Environmental Quality Index of Water Resources and the Environmental Vulnerability Index were used to assess the condition of ecological sustainability of the landscape. It was identified a reduction in the areas with native vegetation with a loss of 2.72%, representing over 32,149 ha, an expansion of agricultural areas of 2.05% (24,507.53 ha) and consequently a reduction of the environmental quality in the landscape. These impacts compromise the ecosystem structure and ecosystem services, per example, through the impacts on soils that support vegetation cover as the major sources of energy for terrestrial life. The observed intensification of anthropogenic activities and the corresponding reduction of natural areas often lead to the loss of biodiversity and the benefits that its ecosystem services provided to people.