Analysis of a Landscape Intensely Modified by Agriculture in the Tiete-Jacare Watershed, Brazil

Author(s)

Peruchi Trevisan, Diego ^{[1, 2]} ; Bispo, Polyanna da Conceicao ^{[1, 3]} ; Gou, Yaqing ^{[3, 4]} ; Fogaca de Souza, Bianca ^[2] ; Liesenberg, Veraldo ^[5] ; Harris, Angela ^[1] ; Balzter, Heiko ^{[3, 6]} ; Moschini, Luiz Eduardo ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Manchester, Sch Environm Educ & Dev, Dept Geog, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PL, Lancs - England

^[2] Fed Univ Sao Carlos UFSCar, Dept Environm Sci, Washington Luiz Rd, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Leicester, Sch Geog Geol & Environm, Ctr Landscape & Climate Res, Leicester LE1 7RH, Leics - England

^[4] Wageningen Univ & Res, Lab Geoinformat Sci & Remote Sensing, NL-6708 PB Wageningen - Netherlands

^[5] Santa Catarina State Univ UDESC, Dept Forest Engn, 2090 Luiz de Camoes Ave, BR-88520000 Lages, SC - Brazil

^[6] NERC Natl Ctr Earth Observat, Univ Rd, Leicester LE1 7RH, Leics - England

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: SUSTAINABILITY; v. 13, n. 16 AUG 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Anthropogenic actions influence landscapes, and the resulting mosaic is a mix of natural and anthropogenic elements that vary in size, shape, and pattern. Considering this, our study aimed to analyse the land use and land cover changes in the Tiete-Jacare watershed (Sao Paulo state, Brazil), using the random forest (RF) algorithm and Sentinel-2 satellite data from 2016 to 2018 to detect landscape changes. By overlapping the environmental data and the proposed model evaluation, it was possible to observe the landscape structure, produce information about the state of this region, and assess the environmental responses to anthropic impacts. The land use and land cover analysis identified eight classes: exposed soil, citriculture, pasture, silviculture, sugar cane, urban area, vegetation, and water. The RF classification for the three years reached high accuracy with a kappa index of 0.87 in 2016, 0.85 in 2017, and 0.85 in 2018. The model developed was essential for the temporal analysis since it allowed us to comprehend the driving forces that act in this landscape and contribute to the discussions about their impacts over time. The results showed a predominance of agricultural activities over the three years, with approximately 900.000 ha (76% of the area), mainly covered by sugarcane cultivation. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/00162-4 - MONITORING OF CERRADO (BRAZILIAN SAVANNA) AND ATLANTIC FOREST AREAS IN THE TIETÊ-JACARÉ HYDROGRAPHIC BASIN - SÃO PAULO - BRAZIL USING SENTINEL SATELLITE DATA
• Grantee: Diego Peruchi Trevisan
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 15/19918-3 - Urban performance indicators of Tietê-Jacaré River Basin: methodology and integration perspective
• Grantee: Diego Peruchi Trevisan
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate