Identification of potential areas for creation of Conservation Units in the Valley of River Piquiri, Paraná

In Brazil, Conservation Units are considered important instruments for institutionalizing nature conservation actions. Several aspects should be considered in the choice of new areas for creation of these, as environmental, social and economic elements. In this perspective, it is discussed the importance of considering, within the environmental aspect, geoecological criteria when choosing and delimiting new areas, mainly considering the conservation of soils, water and vegetation. Based on this discussion, specific criteria were applied to identify potential areas on the creation of new conservation units in five municipalities in the state of Paraná. The methodology followed studies already existing in the literature and the results were organized through representative figures. The final analysis of the discussion and application, demonstrates that the indicated areas present potential in terms of nature conservation, and that this potential is directly linked to attempts to conserve areas that are threatened by anthropic use and occupation