Dinâmica e sucessão dos padrões da paisagem agrícola no município de Cocos (Bahia)

Abstract

The need to map and monitor the surface, over a range of spatial and temporal scales, is of prime importance in assessing the status of ecosystems and planning for sustainable development. The present paper aims to analyze the succession process of landscape change patterns in Cocos municipality using remote sensing data. The municipality is located in the West Bahia, where there is a strong expansion of agriculture and agribusiness due to the environmental conditions favorable with flat lands and a well-defined rainy season. ALOS and Landsat 5 images are used to produce land use cover maps for the years 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. The proposed methodology has the following steps: (a) pre-processing; (b) land use classification by visual interpretation and the determination of differences between temporal images using the post-classification change detection method; (c) multitemporal analysis of infrastructures; and (d) identification of landscape change patterns during the conversion of Cerrado to agricultural land. The agricultural sector presents a strong growth trend over time, the main vector for change in the natural landscape. There is a consistent trend for the landscape change patterns in the conversion of Cerrado to agricultural areas. Increased road is an important indicator of the advent of the agricultural landscape. Although the municipality still has large areas preserved, the locations of agricultural occupation have a complete devastation of the Cerrado. These land use changes have implications for Cerrado conservation and management of sustainable agriculture.