LULC zoning in the “Madeira river” settlement, legal Amazon, Brazil, before and after implementation of the rural environmental registry (CAR) (2008-2018)

Abstract

The Madeira River Settlement at Rondônia state is one of the various Federal projects in the Legal Amazon created by the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA). Over the years, fire practices such as slash-and-burn agriculture in the Legal Amazon have been converting the remained forest into pastures and croplands. According to the Brazilian New Forest Code, the rural environmental registry (CAR) became mandatory for monitoring the land occupations, aiming at maintaining forests and legal reserves preserved. The study goal was to analyze socioenvironmental aspects of the land-use and land-cover (LULC) dynamic at Madeira River settlement and its surroundings before and after the registry implementation, between July 2008 and July 2018. Thematic classes and altimetry were overlaid using algebraic operators to create a zoning model with 21 zoning classes. The highest reduction in forested areas was observed in zone six, between SRTM heights of 90 and 100 m, with a forest loss of 1684 ha and forest gain of 638 ha. Transition map results showed the most forest conversion into secondary vegetation of 57.29 km2 in ten years (2008–2018). The occupation increased at zones 11 and 12, showing the movement of settlers into the rainforest, with higher altimetry. The remained settlement lots located at low altimetry in the permanent protection area (PPA) are subject to the risk of flooding. The results also showed that the correlation between lot size and deforestation was not significant, suggesting that a set of social and environmental driver variables may be responsible for both losses and gains in the vegetated area in each lot. Family farming needs assistance for sustainable food production and to avoid soil degradation and abandonment, with an integrated effort of institutions, government and society. The manuscript serves as a regional case study that provides a relevant issue related to public policies concerning Legal Amazonian settlements occupation and deforestation, which may support the monitoring and controlling actions in the region.