SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF DEFORESTATION BY OIL ACTIVITY IN LOT 192, LORETO, PERU

Abstract

The Loreto department has abundant oil reserves, whose exploitation generates environmental impacts in this part of the Amazon. The waste products of this activity are dumped directly into the rivers, with the effects of altering the waters, the forests, fauna and the health of the surrounding populations. Currently it is important to have timely information on the quantification and distribution of impacts generated by oil activity in the región. It is important to have information on the quantification and distribution of the impacts generated by oil activity in the region. The objective of the present study was to quantify deforestation in Block 192 and evaluate the relationship between oil spills and deforestation in Block 192 using Landsat 5 and 7 satellite images for the period 1986-2005 in Loreto, Peru. Information on deforestation was generated using historical satellite images from the Landsat 5 TM and 7 ETM + sensors and reports of oil spills in Block 192 through spatial analysis in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The greatest deforestation occurred in the period 1993 to 1996 with the loss of 8 661.20 hectares due to the dumping of waste from oil activities. The oil spill influenced deforestation in Block 192 specifically in the low hill forest.