UNIDADES DE CONSERVAÇÃO DO MUNICÍPIO DE GUARULHOS: AVALIAÇÃO COM BASE EM ASPECTOS GEOAMBIENTAIS E INSTRUMENTOS DE GESTÃO CONSERVATION AREAS OF THE GUARULHOS COUNTY: ASSESMENT BASED ON GEOENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS AND MANAGEMENT TOOLS ÁREAS DE CONSERVACIÓN DEL MUNICIPIO DE GUARULHOS: EVALUACIÓN BASADA EN ASPECTOS GEOAMBIENTALES Y HERRAMIENTAS DE GESTIÓN

The Guarulhos County is situated within the Sao Paulo Metropolitan Region which is comprised and surrounded by the Biosphere Reserve of Sao Paulo City Green Belt. In this context Guarulhos has a strategic role since there is a total of nine Nature Conservation Areas within its boundary. These Conservation Areas are special protected territories and extend to 42,4% of the Guarulhos County extent. The Conservation Areas are notably concentrated at the northern of Guarulhos on uplands of Mantiqueira. This landscape contrasts with the Guarulhos southern where the contour is hilly and comprises extensive alluvial plain presenting intensive land use. Thus the geoenvironmental features presented by these Conservation Areas indicate a clear vocation for environmental services that should ensure the maintenance of the Guarulhos City and its surroundings. This paper sets out a proposal for assessment of the Guarulhos Conservation Units based on their geoenvironmental features and instruments of management.