Funcionalidade das vegetações ripárias como amortecedores de atividades agropecuárias.

The problems caused by population growth allied with deforestation are the main cause of the increase of hostility in the biosphere. The most efficient form of changing this reality is reconstructing the vegetation in protected areas by law such as riparian forests, slopes, and hilltops. Brazilian legislation demands proportions of legal reserves and permanent protection areas (PPAs) in the properties, with the objective of maintaining and producing natural resources. However, little supervision and environmental education have continuously changed these areas. Therefore, this work aimed to emphasize the importance of the PPAs regarding the offer of associated ecological services aiming to support government programs that provide income to producers who preserve natural resources. We used geoprocessing techniques and the Rural Environmental Registry database to map and quantify the PPAs in the properties of the municipality of Formiga-MG. The results showed low percentages of preserved PPAs in most properties, with a highly fragmented landscape, possibly related to issues on water supply in the municipality.