Land use and land cover dynamic in the MATOPIBA region between 2000 and 2016

Abstract

The land occupation process in the Brazilian Cerrado has severely impacted its natural landscape in the last decades. In this study, we estimated the land use and land cover changes occurred in the MATOPIBA region between 2000 and 2016 by using remotely sensed data and techniques. We also estimated the irrigated fields and deforested lands occurred within protected areas in the study region. Nine land use and land cover classes (water bodies, dense cerrado, open cerrado, riparian forest, agriculture, irrigated fields, shade, burned fields, and exposed soil) were detected by using Landsat imagery and by applying the Maximum Likelihood remote sensing technique. Based on our study results, we observed an increase of 40,9% agricultural fields and exposed soils during between 2000 and 2016 in the study region. Irrigated fields increased approximately 154% (102,000 ha) during the studied period. Although different types of anthropization were observed throughout the study area, the major increasing change was observed within the southern portion, where the most suitable agricultural lands are concentrated. The anthropization also increased within protected lands of sustainable use, where conservation activities should be prioritarily enforced in the study region, such as the creation of ecological corridors and public policies aiming sustainable use of its natural resources.