Abstract
Abstract. The information survey and the land use and land cover (LULC) change monitoring are essential to understand the changes in the landscape and their impacts on the environment. The Brazilian savanna (Cerrado) constitutes the second largest biome in Brazil and is highly relevant because of its rich biodiversity. The Cerrado in the Maranhão State is facing a high conversion rate of its natural vegetation into agricultural systems because of the agricultural development policies. This article aims to analyze and quantify the LULCC in the Chapadinha microregion, Maranhão State, Brazil, by comparing Landsat satellite images from 2000, 2009, and 2019. The Chapadinha microregion covers an area of more than 14,000 km2 and, since 2000, presents significant spatial transformations related to agricultural expansion. The goal of this expansion is the economic development based on agricultural commodities (mainly soybean monoculture) for exportation. The study area is the third microregion in terms of agricultural production in Maranhão. The satellite image interpretation showed a reduction of more than 800 km2 of natural vegetation.
Highlights
Since 1970s, the Cerrado biome has consolidated as the main region of the country in terms of expansion of the agricultural because of the favorable climate and soil, and the large amount of land available for cultivation
This paper aims to analyze the dynamics of land use change in the Chapadinha microregion, Maranhão State, by identifying and quantifying the land use dynamics during the 2000-2018 period
land use and land cover (LULC) changes, as well as to identify the advance of deforestation in the Cerrado associated with the advance of the agricultural frontier in 2000, 2009, and 2019
Summary
Since 1970s, the Cerrado biome has consolidated as the main region of the country in terms of expansion of the agricultural because of the favorable climate and soil, and the large amount of land available for cultivation. Brazil is one of the largest grain producers and exports in the world, with emphasis on soy production. Cerrado has more than 12 thousand cataloged plant species - approximately 40% are endemic (MMA, 2015), it is included as one of worlds hotspots for biodiversity conservation. Government incentives and private capital associated with the Cerrado Development Plan (Santos, 2011) increased the suppression of natural vegetation and the implementation of large-scale production of agricultural commodities (Inocêncio e Calaça, 2009)
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