Degraded grassland and the conflict of land use in protected areas of hotspot in Brazil

Abstract

The development process in Brazil has impacted the landscape over the years, causing, especially, changes in land cover. A critical topic in global studies on environmental issues. As a counterpoint to this process, the Brazilian State opted for the delimitation of protected natural spaces, with the argument of improving biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, human subsistence and the well-being of current and future generations. The article assesses changes in the biodiversity of a protected area, considered as a global biodiversity hotspot, in the Brazilian Cerrado. We used the environmental arguments associated with its creation and a 30-year time series analysis. That identified and quantified land uses, levels of landscape degradation and their environmental suitability in relation to permanent protection areas according to the Brazilian Forest Code. Forestry over 10 years (1987–1997) increased by 8%, but decreased to around 5% in subsequent periods (2007–2017). Degraded pasture areas decreased between periods of expansion of forestry. There was a reduction in the area occupied by pastures, which went from 39 to 31% in the period from 1987 to 1997, but increased by 6% in the following years (2007–2017). The results showed that the expansion of silviculture from 1987 to 1997 occurred in areas previously occupied by moderately degraded pastures, evidencing, on the other hand, an improvement in the quality of the pasture areas in the following period. In addition to forestry and pasture, there was also an expansion of irrigated agriculture in the region, as well as conflicts related to water scarcity. The study, in addition to investigating the conservation conditions of the vegetation cover in the Protected Area, can also be used as a reference in the evaluation and formulation of management plans and social coexistence strategies, which are still very limited in protected areas around the world.