Spatio-temporal characterization of the suppression of native vegetation that occurred in the Alto Paranapanema Watershed between 1985 and 2020

• Grant number: 23/16918-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: January 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Nature Conservation
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Guilherme Molin
• Grantee: Larissa Santana Lima
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências da Natureza (CCN). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Campus de Lagoa do Sino. Buri , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/11940-0 - Restoration of native vegetation in the Atlantic Forest through the strategic combination of mandatory measures and voluntary commitments - CCD-EMA, AP.CCD

Abstract

Since the first years of colonization, the development of the Brazilian territory has been based on the exploitation and consequent destruction of native vegetation, however, it was strengthened from the 70's onwards with urban, agricultural and industrial expansion. The suppression of native vegetation, mainly on tropical forests, implies a reduction in water availability and quality, higher carbon emissions, loss of biodiversity, worsening of climate change, among other negative aspects for ecosystem services. Due to the fact that the Atlantic Forest extends along most of the Brazilian coast, this was the first biome to suffer from the deterioration of its biodiversity, today, only 12% of its original coverage remains. The Cerrado, on the other hand, was a biome explored later, but in an intense way and, unlike other biomes, it has a very small number of protected areas. Both biomes are considered global biodiversity hotspots, Due to the vast richness of animal, plant and microbial biodiversity of these locals being under severe threat. The process of suppression has resulted in the drastic fragmentation and reduction of biodiversity for these biomes, as can be seen in the Alto Paranapanema Watershed, a region in the south of the state of São Paulo, where there is a transition between the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado. Suppression can occur due to different causes, such as fires, clear-cutting, cuts for commercial purposes, natural causes, among others, they may also be suppressions authorized by environmental licensing and based on laws and, therefore, are not necessarily illegal suppressions. It is crucial that the spatial history of suppression be studied in order to obtain an understanding of how external factors can contribute as an indication of some kind of risk to the remnants of native vegetation. Thus, the objective of this work is to characterize the association of biophysical and anthropic aspects with suppression processes that occurred between the years 1985 and 2020 in the Alto Paranapanema watershed, dividing this analysis into 5-year periods. For this, the database used will be the MapBiomas Collection 8.0, secondary data of biophysical and anthropic factors and geoprocessing tools and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The results obtained will contribute to the understanding of the historical behavior of suppression for the two biomes in the Alto Paranapanema Watershed, providing information that will support Public Policies for an effective prevention of suppression for the study site.