The degradation of natural ecosystems triggers global environmental, economic, and social problems. To prevent this, it is necessary to identify the aptitude of priority areas for conservation or use by considering land fragility from multiple environmental and spatial perspectives. We applied the concept of environmental fragility to a hydrographic basin in southeastern Brazil that establishes (i) potential fragility levels according to slope, soil classes, geological domains, drainage hierarchy, and rainfall information using an algebraic map, and (ii) emerging fragility levels via the addition of the land-use parameters. The methodological approach involved the integration of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and weighted linear combination (WLC) into a geographic information system (GIS). The medium and slightly low fragility classes predominated in terms of potential (~60%), and emerging (~70%) environmental fragility models used to model the basin. The model indicated that high and extremely high potential fragilities were concentrated in the upper basin, a region that is considered a global biodiversity hotspot. The areas with high/extremely high classes of emerging fragility in the upper basin decreased, indicating that the natural cover classes and land-use types are not in danger. We also introduce acceptable conservation practices for land management and use according to the environmental fragility categories established in the present work. The methodology applied in this study can be replicated in other global ecoregions. It provides low-cost territorial and environmental zoning and flexible replication and can be adjusted by administrators who are interested in land-use planning.

Geographic Information System tools, combined with mathematical methods for complex geospatial scientific investigations, are essential for environmental zoning. Among these tools, environmental fragility models evaluate criteria related to the physical attributes of the landscape to ensure multi-disciplinarity of the information plans used in a study. However, questions are raised on the priority allotted to each criterion or environmental factor within a multi-criteria analysis model. In this sense, the analytic hierarchy process is another mathematical model that is used in decision theory, which sorts criteria hierarchically. This study aims to use the AHP method as a tool to support multi-criteria decision making as applied to environmental fragility mapping, using the Jequitinhonha River Basin, Minas Gerais, Brazil, as a case study. The application of the AHP method provided a hierarchy of five important environmental criteria for the environmental fragility mapping. The use of AHP allowed the modeling of empirical evaluations in mathematically consistent results, to provide better conciseness in geospatial processes. Therefore, it is an adequate method to minimize subjectivity in environmental and territorial planning. It can also help the management of priority zones for conservation, preservation, or ecological restoration.

The objective of this study was to model the spatio-temporal distribution of Digitaria insularis (D. insularis) and analyze the risk of selection of glyphosate-resistant biotypes in eucalyptus cultivation in Brazil. Global data on the distribution of the specie were collected and associated with their ideal growth characteristics. The models were generated using Climex software, providing a predictive modeling technique. Biological data, species distribution, and climatic parameters were used to predict and map potential areas for the species of interest through the combination of growth and stress indices, giving rise to the Ecoclimatic Index (EI). The spatial distribution of D. insularis is predominantly in South and Central America and southern North America. The model had a good fit with the collected data and predicted higher EI values for tropical and subtropical regions, as was the case in Brazil. Species growth can occur throughout the year, with lower rates in winter, mainly in the country’s southern regions. Brazil has high climatic suitability for the occurrence of Digitaria insularis. Due to the climate suitability evidenced by the models and the expressive use of the same active ingredient, there is a risk of selecting glyphosate-resistant Digitaria insularis biotypes in eucalyptus cultivation areas.