Amazon floodplain: spatio-temporal dynamics of forest cover and its impacts on the integrity of forest ecosystems and on the welfare of the riparian communities

• Grant number: 12/02544-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: May 01, 2012
• End date: April 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences
• Principal Investigator: Evlyn Márcia Leão de Moraes Novo
• Grantee: Vivian Fróes Renó
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The floodplains (várzeas) of large Amazon rivers are among the most complex, biodiverse and productive freshwater ecosystems on the planet. Historically, these environments are responsible for delivering a wide array of ecosystems goods and services to the local population. However, the várzea socio-ecological functions are highly sensitive to forest-cover changes, which result in habitats loss and fragmentation that alter its functionality and its ability to provide many services. The process of forest cover change is not continuous in space and time, as it is subject to the successive economic cycles and occupation history of each region. In this context, this project will analyze the spatial and temporal patterns of várzea forests in different regions along the main channel of the Solimões/Amazonas River, identify the main factors responsible for these patterns, and evaluate their impacts on the integrity of forest ecosystems and on the welfare of the riparian communities. To accomplish these results, time series of Landsat images will be integrated with field information, such as interviews and floristic data. Results will allow a better understanding of the relationships among forest cover dynamics, forest ecosystem integrity and vulnerability and the welfare of riparian communities in the Amazon floodplain.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

RENO, VIVIAN; NOVO, EVLYN; ESCADA, MARIA. Forest Fragmentation in the Lower Amazon Floodplain: Implications for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Provision to Riverine Populations. REMOTE SENSING, v. 8, n. 11, NOV 2016. (12/02544-5, 11/23594-8)

RENO, VIVIAN; NOVO, EVLYN. Forest depletion gradient along the Amazon floodplain. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS, v. 98, p. 409-419, MAR 2019. (11/23594-8, 12/02544-5)