ABSTRACT
The remaining Atlantic Forest has frequently suffered anthropogenic pressures. These pressures are mainly related to deforestation and wildfires. The purpose of this paper was to develop a geo-ecological susceptibility map of fire occurrences in the State of Rio de Janeiro at 1:100,000 scale. To this end, maps of landscape functions and structures (landforms, solar radiation, land use and water balance) were constructed. The study was conducted using analytical integrative approach and different geo-processing techniques, such as digital elevation models and geographic information systems. These maps represent three different periods: annual, dry and rainy seasons. Moreover, they were validated through the analysis of MODIS sensor data. Results showed different spatial arrangements provided by the susceptibility of classes designated as high, medium and low sensitivity, which correlated well with the validation data.
Keywords:
geo-ecological maps; wildfires; geo-processing.