CATTLE RANCHERS' ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTION ON THE PASTURES OF SAO JOSE DO BARREIRO

The Paraiba do Sul basin's forests are now reduced to isolated remnants, more expressive in the mountainous terrain. Most of the basin is currently occupied by pastures, and a large part of it is degraded. The current work aimed at carrying out an ethno botanical investigation of forage grasses in the municipality of Sao Jose do Barreiro (SP), applying it to the study of the cattle ranchers' perception of the forager species and local landscapes; the understanding of these species' use and management as well as their ecological results; the reflection on the pasture trajectory and its distribution in the Paraiba Valley region and, finally, its relation to the local conservation. Monthly field trips were conducted between July 2016 and June 2017, which included interviews and guided tours with fourteen local ranchers. Several species of grass were cultivated in the region after the coffee cycle, at different times, but the molasses grass and the brachiaria were distinguished by its wide scale presence in the landscape. The socio-environmental consequences of the succession of forage grasses implanted in the region were: the landscape homogenization, the biological and cultural diversities invisibility, the dissociation and also dis-belonging. Local protected areas require studies that encompass the perception of many local social actors** involved in the biodiversity conservation. Research and actions are encouraged in order to make the existing biological and cultural diversity visible.