Avaliação espaço-temporal da cobertura vegetal no município de Cocal-PI

Abstract

In recent decades, Brazilian forest remnants have undergone intense changes in natural landscapes, especially due to the expansion of agribusiness in the Cerrado biome. More recently, the increasing conversion of Caatinga areas threatens this biome, which is already facing historical degradation due to the environmental fragility of the semi-arid region where it is located and its high demographic density. Given the potential negative implications on biodiversity and ecosystem services, among other factors, the opportunity for research with a landscape ecology bias for environmental diagnosis is evident. To this end, using data from the MapBiomas project, this article evaluated the spatio-temporal dynamics of the Caatinga vegetation cover in comparison to the agroforestry activities developed in the municipality of Cocal-PI, in the period from 1990 to 2021. There was a progressive reduction and fragmentation of vegetation due to the expansion of agribusiness. From the recent introduction of temporary crops, mainly soybeans, there is a potential spatial advancement that deserves attention from an environmental point of view, in terms of biodiversity and sustainable production systems. Although most of the vegetation still consists of large fragments, landscape ecology metrics show progressive vegetation fragmentation related to increasing anthropogenic disturbance. Therefore, it is necessary to implement environmental planning instruments in the municipality's territorial management, in order to guarantee sustainable development.