MONITORING OF BRAZILIAN SEASONALLY DRY TROPICAL FOREST BY REMOTE SENSING

Abstract

Among the various characteristics of the Brazilian territory, one is foremost: the country has the second largest forest reserve on the planet, accounting for approximately 10% of the total recorded global forest formations. In this scenario, seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF) are the second smallest forest type in Brazil, located predominantly in non-forested biomes, such as the Cerrado and Caatinga. Consequently, correct identification is fundamental to their conservation, which is hampered as SDTF areas are generally classified as other types of vegetation. Therefore, this research aimed to monitor the Land Use and Coverage in 2007 and 2016 in the continuous strip from the North of Minas Gerais to the South of Piauí, to diagnose the current situation of Brazilian deciduous forests and verify the chief agents that affect its deforestation and regeneration. Our findings were that the significant increase in cultivated areas and the spatial mobility of pastures contributed decisively to the changes presented by plant formations. However, these drivers played different roles in the losses/gains. In particular, it was concluded that the changes occurring to deciduous forests are particularly explained by pastured areas. The other vegetation types were equally impacted by this class, but with a more incisive participation of cultivation.

Keywords:
Mapping; Tropical Dry Forests; Remote Sensing; GIS.