EVALUATION OF NATURAL RECOVERY OF CILIARY FORESTS IN SPRING IN THE SOUTH AREA OF MINAS GERAIS

Abstract

This study evaluated the efficiency of the natural regeneration process, as a method of riparian forest rehabilitation surrounding anthropized water spring. The work was conducted in two water springs. The spring 1 is located in Lavras-MG county and 2 in Itumirim-MG county. This last one presented two quite different situations; part of it was classified as disturbed area and part classified as degraded area. For evaluating the floristic composition and structure of the natural regeneration, 37 portions of 10 x 2,0 m, in the Spring 1, and, 74 portions in Spring 2, 37 in each area, were plotted. All individuals with DBH lower than 5 cm and height higher than 0.10 m were registered and identified. Aspects related to physiognomic structure were analyzed (density, frequency and distribution of the heights of the plants in size classes) and communitarian (composition and diversity). For the two springs, 528 and 593 individuals in the first and second evaluation, respectively, were registered. However, in relation to the number of species, it was not verified any change between the first and the second evaluation (46 species). It was observed that, seven months after the isolation of the area, a significant increase of 9. 5%, 11,8% and 17% in the spring 1 and in spring 2 disturbed area and in spring 2 degraded area, respectively. The results indicate that natural regeneration is efficient for recovering disturbed and degraded springs.