Vegetative cover index for different bioengineering techniques executed in the Simplício Hydroelectric Power Plant – FURNAS

This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of bioengineering techniques of slopes surface protection in the development of vegetation over a period of two years and three months. For this purpose, different techniques were executed in two experimental facilities located on the slopes near the Simplício Hydroelectric Power Plant – FURNAS in Brazil. High-resolution images of the slopes’ frontal view were obtained in 15-days intervals visits to the experimental facilities. The images were treated and submitted to a computational algorithm that, based on three-color bands, provided the vegetation cover index for each technique adopted. The results showed that only one technique presented an acceptable value of vegetation cover index throughout the period evaluated and most of the techniques applied have shown to be sensible to climatologic conditions.